More Rock Subgenres: Alternative & Punk

Alternative Rock, Indie Rock, College Rock, Grunge

Another subgenre of Rock Music is Alternative Rock, and refers to rock music that is not as popular as some of the other mainstream rock bands. It is rooted in the smaller bands that often played at colleges, and which created an alternative and more creative sound. Since many of these bands were not picked up by the big music producers, they were more likely to produce their own music independently. They are therefore also known as independent rock, or indie rock.

Alt-rock songs frequently focus on social issues, or reflected the angst and expectations of the youth in the 80s and 90s.

One of the early alt-rock bands to become very successful is R.E.M. Below is their song “It’s the End of the World.”



Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock which started in the Seattle area with bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Hammerbox, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains. The grunge-sound usually had a slower tempo than the typical rock music, but still retained a heavy distorted electric guitars, dissonant harmonies and complex orchestration, although it is generally not as dense as hard rock and heavy metal.

Thematically grunge focuses on feelings of apathy, angst, “outsidership” (feelings of social alientation), and a bleak view of the future. Some grunge songs, however, are satirical, made fun at the issues they contemplated.

Many Alternative bands gained a cult following. Few bands had a cult following like the grunge band Nirvana. Listen to “It Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “In Bloom.” Identify the topics and themes for each of these songs.





Another grunge band from Seattle is Pearl Jam, which became “the most popular American rock & roll band of the 90s,” according to Stephen Erlewine. Listen to Pearl Jam’s “Alive”; how would you describe the message of this song? Is it a positive or a negative message?


A very diverse alternative rock band is The Smashing Pumpkins. Listen to their song “The World is a Vampire.” What do you think is meant by this metaphor?


The UK alternative band, Placebo, is another band that sings about topics of (teenage) angst and uncertainty. Gender issues are also a common theme in some alternative rock bands, for instance Placebo’s song “Nancy Boy.” My personal favorite Placebo song is “Protect Me from What I Want,” especially the French version.



Punk Rock

Punk Rock is another alternative rock genre noted for their high rhythmic density, but fairly low instrumental density. The lyrics are usually short and often cover socio-political themes and anti-establishment or anarchistic topics. The vocals in punk rock are usually high pitched, generally with an adolescent sound.

The artist Patti Smith is known as the "Godmother of Punk." She combined “beat poetry” with fast paced rock music – creating a style that would be taken up by other artists and would become the familiar punk rock sound. Her song “Because the Night,” which was co-written with Bruce Springsteen, is probably her most recognizable.



Another original punk band is the Sex Pistols. Here is there famous (and controversial) “God Save the Queen”:



What do you think is the political message sent by the song? What themes does it address?

Green Day is one of the most successful Punk Rock bands. They have been nominated at the American Music Awards for Favorite Alternate Artist on numerous occasions. In 1995 their album “Dookie” won the Grammy Awards for Best Alternative Music Album, in 2000 “American Idiot” won Best Rock Album and in 2006 they won Record of the Year for “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”

We will listen to “Basket Case” and “Boulevard of Broken Dreams.”




Other famous Punk Rock bands include The Offspring and Blink 182. Good representative examples of their music are“Hit That” by The Offspring and “All the Small Things” by Blink 182.

Extra Credit Assignment: “Did Punk Rock evolve from Blue Grass?” In an essay, answer the question above. Remember to motivate your answer with examples. The assignment should be handed in before the final exams start.