The Legends of Alternative Rock, Their Contributions to American Culture and Their Eternal Influence On The Music Industry
Similar to the Punk genre, which emerged as a rebellion of the norm of the music industry and to social issues going on in the world at the time, alternative rock emerged as a genre in the 1990’s and early 2000’s as a response to too much mainstream, flashy rock being distributed and portrayed to the masses at the time. In 1991, a Seattle based band by the name of Nirvana, led by Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic released their second studio album “Nevermind”, which went on to become one of the most significant album releases in musical history as the album started the alternative rock and grunge movement.
The release of Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and the start of the alternative rock and grunge movement resulted in alternative rock having huge contributions to American culture, like opening the doors for other legendary rock bands like Pearl Jam, Green Day, Foo Fighters (whose drummer was Dave Grohl, who was also drummer for Nirvana), and other influential and successful artists in different genres who were also influenced by alternative rock. Some of those artists include Lil Peep (rap/emo rap/alternative rock), Korn (nu metal/punk rock), Limp Bizkit (nu metal/punk rock), Odd Future (rap/hip hop), xxxtentacion (rap/emo rap/alternative rock) and more.
Another significant contribution that alternative rock had on American culture was in Pop and Entertainment culture. The NFL’s Super Bowl, the Grammy awards, MTV and VH1, the film industry, historic and influential video games like Guitar Hero, Rock Band, Tony Hawk, and more are all huge and influential aspects of American culture, and alternative rock has played a role in all of them. U2 was one of the first alternative rock bands to perform for a Super Bowl halftime show, which they did in tribute to the 9/11 victims. The Grammy Awards is a very prestigious event and award given to musicians for their contributions to music, and alternative rock bands have won many awards at the Grammys before and performed at the Grammys as well. U2 is currently the rock band with the most ever Grammy awards awarded to a rock group/artist, which is 22. MTV, VH1 and the film industry have always been very influential media companies/industries in American culture, and alternative rock has been highlighted by all of them before. The Simpsons have included cameos for bands like Nirvana and Green Day in their movies and episodes. Video games are also a very huge important part of American culture, and there have been very successful and influential video games like Guitar Hero, Rock Band and Rocksmith that are meant to mimic the guitar playing experience, which include many alternative rock songs to play from.
Alternative rock continues to have a heavy influence on today’s music industry. From the common musical aspects of alternative rock, which include a healthy dose of guitars, drums, dark and grime energy, lyrics about drugs, depression, death and love, to the rebellious lifestyle and against-the-norm mentality that accompanied alternative rock and alternative rock artists, all of these aspects are heavily incorporated in some of the most popular genres and artists today, specifically in the hip hop and rap genres. Some of the biggest artists in the hip hop and rap genre today include Playboi Carti, Yeat, Post Malone, Travis Scott, etc and they all include these alternative rock aspects in their music, and are continuing to influence younger artists that look up to them as well.
Although many of the top, bigger and most influential hip hop and rap artists today have many alternative rock characteristics, many smaller “underground” hip hop and rap artists also follow that blueprint. Similarly to how alternative rock emerged as a response to an oversaturation of mainstream rock, many smaller hip hop and rap artists are incorporating alternative rock aspects to their music in an effort to be more unique from the rest. These are examples of how alternative rock will always have an eternal influence on the music industry, due to their contributions to American and world culture and their influence on the youth that are interested in rebelling against societal norms.
