Rock music and alternative rock music emerged in the music scene with their own story on how society accepted and changed through their respective influence, in music style and the message they want to convey. Alternative rock is a subgenre of rock music which focuses more on guitars, drums, and powerful chords with an equally powerful voice. While they may come from the same family, both share differences that contributed to their success in the music industry.
Rock Music
Rock music, famously known for the term “Rock n’ Roll”, based its existence on older musical styles such as rhythm and blues. It came into picture in the 1950s in the U.S. and Europe. It made its name when Elvis Presley showed the world and displayed his version of rock with suggestive dance moves and convincing music. This prompted other enthusiasts of rock music to come out. The most popular is The Beatles, a British rock group in the sixties which greatly influence Europe and the world with its suggestive songs and beautiful melodies. Over the years, rock music has branched out into a number of different styles like folk rock, psychedelic rock, alternative rock, punk rock, and others.
Alternative Rock Music
Alternative rock music stems from classic rock music. Through the success of rock music, it is among the many subgenres that tried to make its way to success. Alternative rock started in the 1980s then it became widely popular in the 1990s when a group named Nirvana made a breakthrough in the music mainstream. This time the music industry saw great commercial potential in this genre and major labels started courting bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., The Smashing Pumpkins, and Hole.
Difference between Rock and Alternative Rock
Rock n’ Roll formed a major part in music history that it made popular demands from its avid supporters and raked in a lot of money to different music labels. On the other hand, its subgenre, the alternative rock, never did get an instant rave mainly because it rejected commercialism of mainstream culture. Its music hardly gets recognition, sung only in underground venues and some pubs and clubs frequented by college students. That is why it is sometimes referred to as “College Rock”. Unlike Rock n’ Roll, it is an underground music. However, its music is geared mostly on some sentiments and addressed social and political issues which eventually gained popularity while rock music is more general.
Key Takeaways
- Rock music gained popularity in the 50s with Elvis Presley and The Beatles, while alternative rock entered the music scene in the 80s and gained popularity in the 90s with bands like Nirvana.
- Alternative rock is a subgenre of rock music, sometimes referred to as “College Rock” due to its initial catering to college students and being an underground music.
- Both rock and alternative rock focus on guitars, drums, powerful vocals, and chords, but alternative rock tends to address social and political issues more than general rock music.
