History of Indie Rock

Indie Rock

History:

Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. It is very diverse, with subgenres that include indie pop, post-rock and dream pop. It was originally used to describe independent record labels but as grunge, punk revival and Britpop became popular in the 1990s the label started to be used to identify those acts that had an image of being an ‘outsider’ or ‘alternative’. During the 2000s, many indie rock acts enjoyed commercial success due to the growing importance of the internet.

1980s:

The term ‘indie’ arose in the 1980s to describe the music produced on post-punk labels rather than the labels themselves. The genre also dominated college radio stations in the US. The subgenres college rock, noise pop (distorted guitars and loud drums), jangle pop (chiming guitars and pop melodies similar to the 1960s) and indie pop were popular during this decade.

Some popular artists include:

·         The Smiths

·         R.E.M

·         Meat Puppets

·         Pixies

·         Primal Scream

1990s:

The 1990s brought major changes to the alternative rock music scene. Grunge bands broke into the mainstream and started to achieve commercial chart success. Punk revival bands also became popular. In the United Kingdom Britpop saw bands emerge into the mainstream. As a result of alternative bands moving into the mainstream, the genre name started to lose its meaning. The term ‘indie rock’ became associated with the bands that remained dedicated to their independent status. The genre also started to become diverse as more and more subgenres were created during the 90s.

Some popular artists include:

·         Nirvana

·         Pearl Jam

·         Green Day

·         Oasis

·         Beck

2000s:

The changing music industry, the growth of new digital technology and the increased use of the internet as a tool for music promotion allowed a new wave of indie rock bands to achieve mainstream success. This new commercial breakthrough and widespread use of the term indie to other forms of popular culture, led a number of commentators to suggest that indie rock had ceased to be a meaningful term. During this decade genres such as garage rock, new wave and post-punk revival became popular. Emo also became popular in the early 2000s.

Some popular artists include:

·         The Strokes

·         Yeah Yeah Yeahs

·         Arctic Monkeys

·         Fall Out Boy

·         Panic! at the Disco