Progression of US Alternative Rock

 by Miles Davidson

Generally defined as a category of rock music influenced by the individualistic style associated with 1970’s rock, alternative rock (also known as alt rock) is a widespread and varied subgenre of the genre of music known as rock. Becoming one of the most popular and universal music genres in the 1990’s after the success of mainstream rock acts such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, its usage of diversified sounds allowed it to be accessible by many listeners across the world and as such allowed it to become a staple genre within everyday listening. Within its time in the ‘public light’, generally agreed to be within the late 1980’s to the late 1990’s, its progression from bands operating out of garages and local bars into the mainstream light (and the way in which the music itself progressed) is a change that changed the way in which the worldwide music industry perceived rock and ultimately granted the world the rock which is known today.

Alternative rock was born out of the change in society that was occurring throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, without the music itself ever being considered mainstream for most of this time. With staple rock bands of the 60’s and 70’s such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones struggling internally with issues related to international fame, the sound of rock fluctuated greatly as popular bands and newcomers alike found themselves searching for the newest sounds to work with. At the same time, the spread of alternative rock (as a blanket term)  had started to occur through the likes of college radio stations as well as general word of mouth from supporters of local bands. An example of this would be Nirvana, who would later go on to champion the alt rock movement. With the release of their first album Bleach, college radio stations quickly distributed the record between themselves and Nirvana soon found widespread popularity with college students interested in their ‘new’ sound that would go on to become the popular ‘Grunge’ movement. College radio stations within the US kickstarted the popularity of bands such as Nirvana.

With the dawn of the 1990’s came the birth of the success that would champion the rock movement into the 2000’s. With the signing of the likes of The Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Nirvana to mainstream record labels came a wave of popularity for the alt rock scene. Nirvana’s second album Nevermind, released in 1991, paved the way for the mainstream success of other early alt rock pioneers such as Pearl Jam. By early 1992, alt rock records were selling as well if not better than the previously popular mainstream pop and rock records alike, and with this success came a wave of interest in alternate genres of music that became symbolic of Generation X. With this success, however, came criticism from members of alternative rock bands surrounding the newfound popularity of the otherwise underground genre. The New York Times commented on the issue, saying that ‘alt rock does not seem so alternative anymore’. The very idea of success for many alt rock bands repelled them from mainstream success as it seemed to clash with the clear ‘DIY’ and ‘rebellious’ nature of alternative rock. It was this counter movement that created further depth in the field of alternative rock that would begin to be uncovered within the mid 1990’s…

Albums within the mid 1990’s alt rock scene took on a decidedly aggressive and more ‘natural’ alt rock approach, such as Nirvana’s In Utero. These albums continued to sell to the mainstream public, and as such is a credit to the longevity of the alt rock scene even with the sound of the scene evolving through the years rapidly. Despite this, bands such as Green Day still found success with relatively tame albums such as Dookie. Records around this time tended to be reflective of critical topics occurring around the world, even being self-reflective on the rock scene throughout the 90’s. The confusion surrounding these changes is highlighted perfectly in Green Day’s record Basket Case, about which Billy Joe Armstrong said “The only way I could know what the hell was going on was to write a song about it”. Detailing matters such as mental health breakdowns and general anxiety surrounding life as a whole, the record went on to be voted number 150 of 500 Greatest Songs Ever by the media giant Rolling Stone. This success of a relatively personal song encapsulated the changing ways in which rock was written and performed, and ushered in a new wave of alternate rock that was typically contemplative whilst still continuing to be generally aggressive through its use of power chords and contrast in volume throughout songs.

In the late 1990’s, alternative rock transitioned to a more futuristic and serious-minded sound that was popular with bands such as Radiohead and Weezer. This was known as post-rock, having been influenced by the latter stages of the initial alt rock. With albums such as The Bends and OK Computer came a new recognition of rock fused with electronic music. Within the generally unpopular years of 2010’s alt rock, electro inspired records tended to dominate many of the original alt rock band’s discographies such as Weezer and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers. Bands such as The Kings of Leon now continue to produce some of the most popular alternative rock within the early 2020’s, retaining some of the early emotion found commonly in early alternative rock as well as including some of the futuristic riffs seen commonly with alt rock of the 2010’s.

Alt rock continues to be at the forefront of new sounds within rock, and will no doubt return to the mainstream light at some point in the near future.