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alt

Rock

Alternative / Indie Rock

Era
1984–present
Origin
Seattle · Athens · UK
Student playlists
None yet

About this supergenre

The 80s and 90s underground that became its own mainstream. College radio, SST/Sub Pop/Matador labels, the slow rejection of major-label rock orthodoxy — then the rejection of the rejection.

Canonical reference: musicmap.info / alt

Inside alternative / indie rock · 9 subgenre s on a mini-timeline

Each subgenre at its emergence year, oldest at top. This is what students curate playlists for — the granular level. Click any subgenre chip from the main map and you land on its row here.

  1. College / Jangle Rock

    1984

  2. Noise Rock

    1985

  3. Shoegaze

    1988

  4. Grunge

    1989

  5. Lo-Fi

    1992

  6. Slacker / Indie Rock

    1992

  7. Math Rock

    1993

  8. Britpop

    1993

  9. Post-Rock

    1995

Connective tissue · 5 link s

How alternative / indie rock relates to the rest of the map. Click any genre to follow the line.

Primary lineage

Direct parents and direct children — the main line.

Other influences

Cousin genres and indirect influences that shaped this supergenre.

Backlash / anti

Reactions against, not descents from — the genres this one defined itself against.

Student curations

No playlists for alternative / indie rock yet.

This supergenre is waiting for a curator. If you're in MUSA 266 or MUSA 220 and this is your assignment, build a 5–10 track YouTube playlist and submit it through the course form.

Elsewhere in Rock

Back to the full map