Alternative
pop/rock is essentially a catch-all term for post-punk bands from the mid-'80s
to the mid-'90s. Though there is a variety of musical styles within alternative
rock, they are all tied together since they existed outside of the mainstream.
In some ways, there are two waves of alternative bands, with Nirvana's success
in 1991 acting as a dividing point. In the '80s, most alternative bands were
on independent labels; if they were on majors, they didn't receive as much support
as most of the label's mainstream acts. During the '80s, alternative included
everything from jangle pop, post-hardcore punk, funk metal, punk pop, and experimental
rock. After Nirvana's popularity in the '90s, alternative included all of these
subgenres, but many of the edges were sanded off because the music was now being
marketed as part of the mainstream. Hard rock and punk-derived music were more
commercially successful than the left-of-center pop that dominated late '80s
alternative pop/rock, so alternative lost some of its quirkier tendencies in
the '90s. Strange, experimental bands were relegated to indie rock.
Alternative
Rock
