Alternative Rock
tagStarted 1984Peak 1991-2000Last big hit still active
Located in 2 routes
The broad chart-era format that took underground guitar music mainstream. Built on dynamic loud-quiet swings, distorted-but-melodic guitars, expressive non-virtuoso vocals and outsider lyrics. Sits between punk's edge and pop's hooks: big choruses delivered with deliberate roughness, college-radio roots, and a wide tonal range from jangle to fuzz to anthemic surge.
History
Coined for 1980s college-radio acts outside the mainstream, 'alternative' became a commercial category after R.E.M. crossed over and exploded in 1991 when Nirvana's Nevermind hit number one. MTV's '120 Minutes' and modern-rock radio formalized the format through the 1990s, absorbing grunge, Britpop and indie until it became rock's dominant commercial sound.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/alternative-rock-ma0000011921
- https://www.britannica.com/art/alternative-rock
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-alternative-rock-songs/