80s Arena Rock
tagStarted 1983Peak 1986-1990Last big hit 1992
Located in 1 route
The MTV-era peak: gated reverb drums, twin-guitar crunch glossed to a sheen, stacked layered choruses, big hair and bigger hooks. Power ballads with lighter-up bridges sit beside fist-pump rockers. Production is huge and digital-bright, the chorus is everything, and every video screams stadium. Polished, hooky, maximalist.
History
Hit full force after 1983 as MTV, Mutt Lange-style production and the Sunset Strip scene fused. Bon Jovi's 'Slippery When Wet' (1986) and Def Leppard's 'Hysteria' (1987) sold by the truckload, defining the decade's rock sound until grunge and changing tastes ended the run around 1991-92.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_rock
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glam_metal
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/arena-rock-ma0000011890