College Rock Era
tagStarted 1981Peak 1984-1989Last big hit 1991
Located in 1 route
The 80s underground heard on US college radio: jangly arpeggiated guitars, melodic basslines, mumbled or yelping vocals and a deliberately unslick, anti-commercial sensibility. Spanning paisley jangle, scrappy punk-derived noise and brainy art-pop, it prized independent labels and regional scenes over MTV gloss — alternative before 'alternative' meant money.
History
Defined by what non-commercial campus stations played in the early-to-mid 1980s, college rock grew around indie labels like I.R.S. and SST and bands such as R.E.M. and Hüsker Dü. Its network of stations and fanzines built the underground that exploded into mainstream 'alternative' around 1991.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_rock
- https://www.allmusic.com/style/college-rock-ma0000004447
- https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-college-rock-albums/