Last Updated on January 8, 2026 by Christian Adams
The second installment of my regrettable rock genres project, Rock Genres Explained, in which I attempt to explain every genre on this list of rock genres (copy-pasted from Wikipedia and doctored with numerous additions).
We’re on letter B. Let’s see how it goes.
Baroque pop
| Origins: | 1960s fusion of pop/rock, psychedelic, and classical |
| Peak popularity: | 1965–1973 |
| Defining artists: | Brian Wilson, Phil Spector, The Zombies, Burt Bacharach, The Beatles, Honeybus, Scott Walker, The Walker Brothers |
| Must-hear album: | The Zombies, Odessey and Oracle (1968) |
Also called orchestral pop and closely related to chamber pop, baroque was rock and pop mixed with and/or based on classical music and symphonic instrumentation (i.e., strings, horns, and woodwinds). In contrast to orchestral rock, baroque pop song structures are tailored to pop formats.
Early indicators include:
- “She’s Not There” by The Zombies
- “Yesterday”, “Eleanor Rigby”, and “In My Life” by The Beatles
- “As Tears Go By” and “Play with Fire” by the Rolling Stones
- Half a dozen songs on The Beach Boys Today! (1965), especially “Kiss Me, Baby” and “She Knows Me Too Well”
“You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by The Righteous Brothers is probably the most popular baroque pop song of the modern era, but Honeybus is the ‘quintessential English baroque group’, according to music author Bob Stanley.
Don’t feel bad if you have never heard of Honeybus; they had a singular hit in 1968 with “I Can’t Let Maggie Go”. However, in my opinion, “Say You Don’t Mind” by Colin Blunstone is the best song of the bunch.
As the original psychedelic era started to sputter in 1973, baroque began to lose its precious and eccentric charm. In the early 1990s, baroque pop reappeared on the radar as chamber pop, and enjoyed a revival through 2010(ish).
Baggy
| Origins: | Late 1980s Manchester indie rock and dance music, acid house, and psychedelic pop |
| Peak popularity: | 1990–1994 |
| Defining artists: | The Soup Dragons, Happy Mondays, Blur, Jesus Jones, The Charlatans |
| Relevant listening: | Happy Mondays, Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches (1990) |
If you’re reading alphabetically, here’s our first mention of a drug called ecstasy (aka XTC, MDMA, molly, disco biscuit, etc.).
| From the Free Dictionary: Methylenedioxymethamphetamine – a stimulant drug that is chemically related to mescaline and amphetamine and is used [illicitly] for its euphoric and hallucinogenic effects; it was formerly used in psychotherapy, but in 1985, it was declared illegal in the United States. Used in a sentence: “MDMA is often used at parties because it enables partygoers to remain active for long periods.” |
More of a fashion statement than a genuine genre of dance rock, baggy is firmly and unequivocally associated with the Madchester scene of the late 1980s—and ecstasy.
Musically, baggy fused elements of funk rock, psychedelic rock, guitar rock, and house music, but the genre was “defined” by retro-rave, oversized fashion.
Bandana thrash
| Origins: | Early to mid 2000s |
| Peak popularity: | 2002 |
| Defining artists: | GxHx |
| Must-hear album: | None |
Sometimes associated with powerviolence and extreme punk rock, bandana thrash is a movement, or more precisely, an ideology within thrashcore, named for the bandanas worn by certain performers.
Bandana thrash bands embraced several aspects of DIY punk rock, mostly but not always rooted in straight edge.
I can only imagine how insufferable this music sounds today because I refuse to hear it.
Bay Area thrash metal
| Origins: | Early 1980s Northern California punk and metal |
| Peak popularity: | 1983–1990 |
| Defining artists: | Exodus, Testament, Metallica, Death Angel |
| Must-hear album: | Metallica, Kill Em’ All (1983) |
Bay Area thrash metal (also known as Bay Area thrash) was defined by a handful of heavy metal bands from the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1980s. It marked the rise of American thrash metal and death metal. The term is used in passive reference to four bands: Exodus, Testament, Metallica, and Death Angel.
Beach music
| Origins: | Late 1950s regional rock, pop, R&B from North and South Carolina |
| Peak popularity: | 1965–1970 |
| Defining artists: | The Embers, Chairmen of the Board |
| Signature song: | “Give Me Just a Little More Time” by Chairmen of the Board |
Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music or beach pop, completely unrelated to surf music, originated in the southeastern United States, drawing heavily from the rock, R&B, and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. This style of music is intimately linked with the shag dance, specifically the Carolina shag, which holds the title of the official state dance for both North Carolina and South Carolina. The music favored for shag dancing typically features a 4/4 “blues shuffle” rhythm and a moderate-to-fast tempo, characteristics that defines the genre.
Initially, Carolina beach music had a strong local following in areas such as Myrtle Beach, Carolina Beach, and the Golden Isles of Georgia. Despite its regional origins, this music played a significant role in fostering the acceptance of R&B among white audiences nationwide. This cultural shift contributed to the emergence of rock and roll and the evolution of soul music within the R&B genre.
Although classic R&B styles have seen a decline in mainstream popularity, the Carolina shag dance has gained a significant following in dance communities across the United States. However, this surge in interest has not necessarily translated to a broader appreciation for beach music itself.
Beat music
| Origins: | Late 1950s Liverpool rock and roll, skiffle, and music hall |
| Peak popularity: | 1960–1965 |
| Defining artists: | The Mercybeats, The Beatles, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Searchers |
| Must-hear album: | The Beatles, Please Please Me (1963) |
Beat music, also known as British beat or Merseybeat, emerged in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly around Liverpool. This genre combines elements of British and American rock n’ roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, traditional pop, and music hall. It gained widespread popularity in the UK and Europe by 1963 and reached North America in 1964 during the British Invasion. The beat music style greatly influenced popular music and youth culture, contributing to the development of 1960s movements such as garage rock, folk rock, and psychedelic music.
Bent edge
| Origins: | Early 1980s Washington D.C. straight edge punk |
| Peak popularity: | 1983? |
| Defining artists: | Black Market Baby |
| Relevant listening: | None |
Bent edge, or curved edge, emerged as a hardcore punk subculture in response to the straight edge movement. It was initiated by members of the Washington, D.C. hardcore scene who were frustrated with the strictness and intolerance they perceived in the growing straight edge community. In opposition, they began organizing punk shows fueled by alcohol and drugs, intentionally creating an environment that was the opposite of straight edge principles.
This countermovement quickly gained traction across the United States. By 1982, just a year after the release of Minor Threat’s “Straight Edge,” fans were approaching the band during their tours, identifying themselves as part of the bent or curved edge movement. Ian MacKaye observed that “the anti-movement started before the movement began,” noting that rebellion against straight edge began even before the straight edge movement itself was fully established.
Bent edge also reflected a broader anti-Dischord sentiment within the punk scene. At the time, several residents of the Dischord Records House were not straight edge, and while straight edge and non-straight edge individuals initially coexisted, increasing intolerance within the straight edge scene eventually fueled the growth of bent edge ideals.
Bigbit
| Origins: | 1960s Eastern European rock |
| Peak popularity: | Unknown |
| Defining artists: | Niebiesko-Czarni |
| Must-hear album: | n/a |
Bigbit, also known as big beat, was a music scene from the 1960s that encompassed rock n’ roll, jazz, and twist groups in Eastern Bloc countries. The term was created because the name “rock and roll” was not approved by authorities in these regions.
Genres originating from America, such as jazz, twist, and especially rock n’ roll, were banned or minimally tolerated in Eastern Bloc countries during the mid-20th century. This music was viewed as a symbol of American imperialism. Despite this, numerous jazz bands emerged in the Eastern Bloc, incorporating rock and roll elements into their performances during the 1950s.
Beyond the Eastern Bloc
The first Polish band to play rock and roll was Rhythm and Blues, formed in 1959, but they were forced to disband by the authorities a year later. To circumvent the prohibition on the term rock and roll, their manager, Franciszek Walicki, coined the term “big-beat” to describe their music. Walicki intended it as a synonym for rock and roll, but the term came to be used for any popular music with a strong rhythm and simple melody, including rhythm and blues, madison, and twist.
Walicki went on to form other bands, including Niebiesko-Czarni, under the guise of “big-beat,” became popular in Poland from the early 1960s. This trend spread to Czechoslovakia and Hungary by the mid-1960s. The first rock and roll concert in the Soviet Union took place at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1966. However, in the USSR, rock was performed without a specific genre name, with rock groups being referred to as “vocal and instrumental bands”. In Poland and Czechoslovakia, the term “big beat” or “bigbit” was predominantly used, while in Hungary, it was called “beat.”
By the 1970s in Poland, rock music became known as “young generation music” and evolved into progressive rock or electronic music. By the 1980s, the term “rock” was finally accepted by the authorities.
Biker rock
| Origins: | Late 1960s hard rock, acid rock, and heavy metal |
| Peak popularity: | 1968–1980 |
| Defining artists: | Steppenwolf, Black Sabbath, Lynryd Skynyrd, Motörhead |
| Must-hear album: | Black Sabbath, Paranoid (1970) |
Biker rock is a subgenre of hard rock music that emerged in the late 1960s and 1970s, characterized by its association with motorcycle culture and biker gangs. It often features themes of rebellion, freedom, and the open road, with a sound that blends hard rock, blues rock, and sometimes heavy metal. The music typically includes powerful guitar riffs, a steady, driving beat, and gritty, raw vocals.
“Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf is often regarded as the quintessential biker rock anthem, but the genre also includes music by The Doors, The Doobie Brothers, George Thorogood, and ZZ Top. Biker rock generally features a blend of straightforward blues rock with a darker, edgier tone.
Biker metal
| Origins: | Late 1970s heavy metal |
| Peak popularity: | 1975–1990 |
| Defining artists: | Motörhead, Plasmatics, Judas Priest, Anti-Nowhere League, Girlschool, The Godz, Black Label Society |
| Exemplary album: | Motörhead, Overkill (1979) |
Another vague subgenre of heavy metal music closely associated with the biker subculture. It combines elements of hard rock and heavy metal with themes and aesthetics related to motorcycle culture. In essence, biker metal is not just a musical genre but a lifestyle and cultural expression that celebrates the freedom, rebellion, and camaraderie of the biker world.
BisRock
| Origins: | Early 2000s Pinoy rock in Cebu |
| Peak popularity: | 2001–2007 |
| Defining artists: | Missing Filemon, Phylum, and Aggressive Audio |
| Must-hear album: | n/a |
BisRock is a subgenre of Pinoy rock that originates from the Philippines, particularly from the Visayas and Mindanao regions. The term “BisRock” is a portmanteau of “Bisaya” (referring to the Visayan languages spoken in these regions) and “Rock.” It is characterized by its use of Cebuano, a major language in the Visayas, in its lyrics.
The defining feature of BisRock is its use of Cebuano (also referred to as Bisaya), making it distinct from other rock music in the Philippines, which is typically in English or Tagalog.
Blackgaze
| Origins: | Early to mid-2000s, France |
| Peak popularity: | 2005–2015 |
| Defining artists: | Deafheaven, Neige, Alcest, Amesours, Exclaim!, Lantlôs, and Ghost Bath |
| Exemplary album: | Deafheaven, Sunbather (2013) |
Blackgaze combines elements of black metal and shoegaze—blending the intense, dark elements of black metal with the dreamy, atmospheric qualities of shoegaze.
The guitar-driven music usually features tremolo picking, blast beats, and shrieked vocals typical of black metal, along with the lush, layered guitar textures, reverb-heavy production, and dreamy ambiance of shoegaze. The music often has a wall-of-sound quality, with dense, multi-layered guitars. There is a focus on mood and texture, with songs that can range from intensely aggressive to hauntingly beautiful.
Blackgaze is heavily influenced by the second wave of black metal bands like Burzum and Darkthrone, as well as shoegaze bands like My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive. It also incorporates elements from post-rock and ambient music.
Black metal
| Origins: | Early to mid-1980s England; early 1990s Norwegian black metal |
| Peak popularity: | First wave: Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer, and Celtic Frost. Second wave: Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Emperor, and Immortal |
| Defining artists: | First wave: Venom, Bathory, Mercyful Fate, Hellhammer and Celtic Frost. Second wave: Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Emperor, and Immortal |
| Exemplary album: | Emperor, Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk (1997) |
Black metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by fast tempos, shrieking vocals, heavily distorted guitars, and lo-fi production. It emerged in the early 1980s and has since evolved into a distinct and influential genre with myriad subgenres and a dedicated global following. The sound developed independently from Swedish death metal, but shares many similar traits.
Black metal is known for its dark and atmospheric qualities. The music often evokes a sense of coldness, isolation, and bleakness. Lyrically, black metal frequently explores themes of nihilism, misanthropy, nature, paganism, anti-religion (particularly anti-Christianity), Satanism, and the occult. Some bands also delve into mythology, folklore, and personal introspection.
The genre’s origins can be traced back to the early 1980s with bands like Venom, Bathory, and Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, which laid the groundwork for black metal’s musical and thematic elements.
The early 1990s Norwegian black metal scene, including bands like Mayhem, Burzum, Darkthrone, Emperor, and Immortal, is often considered the genre’s most influential period. This era is noted for its music, as well as a series of controversies, including church burnings and violent incidents involving some of its key figures.
Black Metal Imagery
Many black metal musicians wear “corpse paint,” which involves painting their faces with black and white makeup to create a ghoulish, death-like appearance. Musicians often adopt pseudonyms and use dark, gothic, or satanic imagery in their stage presentations and album art. Black metal maintains a strong underground ethos, valuing authenticity and rejecting commercialization.
Over time, black metal has diversified into various subgenres, including symphonic black metal (which incorporates orchestral elements), atmospheric black metal (focusing on ambient and atmospheric soundscapes), National Socialist black metal, and depressive suicidal black metal (DSBM), which explores themes of depression and despair.
Bands such as Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, and Alcest have pushed the boundaries of the genre, incorporating elements from other styles and achieving varying degrees of mainstream recognition.
Other black metal subgenres:
- Ambient black metal
- Black-doom
- Depressive suicidal black metal
- Black ‘n’ roll
- Blackened crust
- Blackened death-doom
- Brutal black metal
- Melodic black-death
- War metal
- Blackened grindcore
- Blackened thrash metal
Blackened death metal
| Origins: | Early-to-mid 1990s Scandinavian black metal |
| Peak popularity: | 1994–present |
| Defining artists: | Behemoth, Belphegor, Watian, Akhlys |
| Exemplary album: | Behemoth, Demigod (2004) |
Blackened metal is a fusion genre that incorporates elements of black metal into other forms of heavy metal. It is characterized by the blending of black metal’s distinctive features—such as its dark atmosphere, tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, and shrieked vocals—with the musical styles and elements of other metal subgenres.
The atmospheric quality of blackened metal is typically dark and foreboding, often exploring themes of nihilism, darkness, nature, mysticism, and anti-religion. This thematic focus is carried through the music, lyrics, and overall aesthetic. The genre draws heavily from second-wave black metal bands like Darkthrone, Mayhem, and Emperor, while also incorporating elements from bands in other metal subgenres. For example, a blackened death metal band would blend influences from both black metal and death metal pioneers.
Blue-eyed soul
| Origins: | Mid-1960s R&B and soul |
| Peak popularity: | 1964–1989 |
| Defining artists: | First wave: Bill Medley, Dusty Springfield, Van Morrison, Tom Jones. Second wave: Hall & Oates, Simply Red, Dexys Midnight Runners |
| Exemplary album: | Van Morrison, Astral Weeks (1969) |
A mid-1960s radio programming descriptor for black R&B and soul music performed by white people. In other words, blue-eyed soul artists sounded similar to Jackie Wilson and Wilson Pickett.
Blues rock
| Origins: | Early 1960s Chicago and Delta Blues |
| Peak popularity: | 1963–present |
| Defining artists: | First wave: The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, The Animals, Canned Heat. Second wave: Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Johnny Winter, the early Allman Brothers Band, ZZ Top, Ten Years After, Savoy Brown, Foghat. Third wave: Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughn |
| Exemplary album: | The Yardbirds, Five Live Yardbirds (1964) |
Blues rock is old-school American blues music played louder and faster. Otherwise, blues rock employs the same song structures, chords, riffs, instrumentation, and lyrical themes of heartbreak, hard times, and making love to a woman. That’s all there is to it.
A massive swath of rock music doesn’t exist without blues rock, and dozens of rock subgenres, from Southern rock to progressive and heavy metal.
The emergence of blues rock is one of the easiest stories to tell. Sometime in the late 1950s and very early 1960s, a bunch of scruffy young upstart musicians in the UK began buying records by Chicago blues artists like Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed, and Howlin’ Wolf, who sounded unlike anything these kids had ever heard before. This wasn’t Fats Domino, Chubby Checker, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, or Elvis; this was the real fuckin’ deal, authentic blues music. It was a revelation.
And so, these British kids formed bands that played nothing but covers of American blues music. To everybody’s surprise, one of these new blues rock bands became the second biggest band in the world. They’re called The Rolling Stones.
Several years later, Jimi Hendrix exploded on the scene, redefining blues rock (and other styles), introducing audiences to Buddy Guy and Albert King.
Blues rock is most economically defined by the ensuing decades.
Blues Rock By Decades
| 1950s |
| White people weren’t quite ready for blues yet. They were still digesting jazz and rock n’ roll. |
| 1960s |
| Gained massive traction with U.K. and European audiences. |
| 1970s |
| Extremely popular. Trending toward hard rock, psychedelic rock, and heavy metal. |
| 1980s |
| Return to the traditional roots of blues. Still quite popular, especially in the late 1980s. |
| 1990s |
| Wider acceptance in mainstream popular music. Many blues musicians get their due (e.g., Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Lightnin’ Hopkins). |
| 2000s |
| Your local pub has a blues rock band every Thursday night. |
| 2010s |
| John Mayer plays blues, doesn’t he? |
| 2020s |
| Your social media news feeds are jammed with blues guitar lessons, and Led Zeppelin still sounds fresh, if and/or when you think about it. |
Boogie
| Origins: | Late 1960s blues rock |
| Peak popularity: | 1969–1979 |
| Defining artists: | John Lee Hooker, ZZ Top, Foghat |
| Must-hear album: | ZZ Top, Tres Hombres (1973) |
It’s important not to confuse the American vernacular use of “boogie” with the origin of boogie rock, which has a linear correlation to boogie-woogie, a genre of piano-based blues music that emerged during the late 1920s and had a significant influence on R&B and rock and roll.
To “boogie,” in 1960s and 70s culture and conversation meant ‘move, get busy, or the act of dancing.’ Blues music was expressed in a variety of emotions, but the key feature of boogie rock is a repetitive driving rhythm, which encouraged dancing.
Closely related to choogle, the term has been applied to two styles:
- Blues rock songs that use a repeating monochord riff inspired by John Lee Hooker’s 1948 song “Boogie Chillen'”
- Blues rock songs that use a rhythm guitar pattern inspired by early rock and roll songs, such as Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” and “Roll Over Beethoven”.
Brazilian thrash metal
| Origins: | Late 1980s thrash metal |
| Peak popularity: | 1991–1999 |
| Defining artists: | Sepultura, Sarcofago, Korzus, and Ratos de Porão |
| Definitive album: | Sepultura, Arise (1992) |
Brazilian thrash metal aka Latin metal is a subgenre of thrash metal that originated in Brazil during the 1980s. It’s characterized by its fast tempo, aggressive guitar riffs, and raw, intense sound. This style of music typically features themes of social and political criticism, reflecting the turbulent political climate and social issues in Brazil during its emergence.
Breakcore
| Origins: | 1990s Eurpoean drum and bass |
| Peak popularity: | 1991–1999 |
| Defining artists: | ? |
| Definitive album: | ? |
Breakcore is mush of electronic dance music derived from jungle, hardcore, and drum and bass, featuring complex breakbeats and samples at high BPM. Molly not included.
B-Town
| Origins: | 2010s English alternative rock |
| Peak popularity: | 2012–? |
| Defining artists: | Peace, Swim Deep, JAWS, Sugarthief, Dakota Beats, and Spilt Milk Society. |
| Definitive album: | n/a |
B-Town is an “inside joke” of an indie music scene based in the Digbeth area of Birmingham, England. Stylistically, the bands range from alternative to neo-psychedelic to shoegaze.
British folk rock
| Origins: | Mid 1960s folk and rock |
| Peak popularity: | 1964–1975 |
| Defining artists: | Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Pentangle |
| Must-hear album: | Mid-1960s folk and rock |
British folk rock emerged in the mid-to-late 1960s, blending elements of traditional British folk music with rock and roll. It is characterized by the incorporation of electric instruments and rock rhythms into the traditional folk song structures, melodies, harmonies, and lyrical themes. This genre played a significant role in the broader folk rock movement that also included American and other European influences.
The development of British folk rock is another “turtles all the way down” type of scenario, but the roots can be traced back to the folk revival of the early 1960s. This period saw the rediscovery and celebration of British and Celtic folk traditions, led by artists like Donovan, the Animals, and the Yardbirds.
Influence From Across the Pond
The British folk revival was likewise influenced by the American folk revival, which popularized artists like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Byrds, and Peter, Paul and Mary. These American artists inspired British musicians to explore their own folk traditions.
Simultaneously, the British Invasion of the early 1960s, led by bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, introduced a generation of British musicians to rock and roll. The desire to blend the storytelling and melodies of folk music with the energy and instrumentation of rock was a natural progression.
Often considered the pioneers of British folk rock, Fairport Convention was instrumental in shaping the genre.
Britpop
| Origins: | Early 1990s British alternative and independent rock |
| Peak popularity: | 1994–2002 |
| Defining artists: | Blur, Suede, Oasis, Pulp |
| Must-hear album: | Blur, Parklife (1994) |
Britpop is a term coined by the U.K. media to pigeonhole (and promote) the top new rock bands of the early 1990s. At no point in time did bands like Blur, Oasis, Suede, or Pulp consider themselves “Britpop” or make music to satisfy the manufactured genre. You must remember that in the 1990s, media outlets still had magazines and newspapers to sell.
Britpop bands borrow heavily—and I mean heavily, borderline stealing in the grand tradition of Jimmy Page—on pop music of the 1960s, glam rock and punk rock of the 1970s, and indie pop of the 1980s.
- Blur: the Kinks and early Pink Floyd
- Oasis: the Beatles and T. Rex
- Pulp: Wire and Adam and the Ants
Britpop is all about guitar-driven songs with catchy melodies that often focus on British culture. The general tone of Britpop music is more upbeat and celebratory compared to the darker, more serious tones of grunge and shoegaze. The movement was also influenced by a sense of nostalgia for the British Invasion bands of the 1960s and the mod culture of the same era. Blur’s Parklife is the outstanding achievement of the genre.
Britpop Revival
| Origins: | Early 2000s alternative rock and nostalgia for Britpop |
| Peak popularity: | 2002–2010 |
| Defining artists: | Kaiser Chiefs, The Libertines, Arctic Monkeys |
| Must-hear album: | Kaiser Chiefs, Employment (2005) |
Britpop revival emerged in the mid-2000s as bands sought to recapture the sound and spirit of the original Britpop era of the 1990s. This revival often involved a return to the melodic, guitar-driven rock that characterized the Britpop movement, along with a focus on British cultural themes and a sense of nostalgia for the earlier period, not unlike the Mod revival.
Bubblegum music
| Origins: | Late 1960s Brill Building pop music |
| Peak popularity: | 1967–1973 |
| Defining artists: | The Monkees, The Archies, 1910 Fruitgum Company, Ohio Express |
| Must-hear album: | The Monkees, More of the Monkees (1967) |
Bubblegum music, also known as bubblegum pop, is characterized by its catchy melodies, simple lyrics, and upbeat, fun-oriented sound. Unlike sunshine pop that’s geared toward adults, is often aimed at a pre-teen and teenage audience, and is known for its straightforward, easily accessible style. Bubblegum music emerged in the late 1960s and was primarily produced by record producers and songwriters rather than by bands with significant artistic control. Producers like Don Kirshner and Chip Douglas, songwriters such as Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and Neil Sedaka played significant roles in the development of bubblegum music.
Although primarily a pop/rock band created for a TV show, The Monkees’ early hits like “I’m a Believer” and “Last Train to Clarksville” are often associated with the bubblegum genre.
While the peak of bubblegum music was relatively short-lived, its influence persisted in the 1970s with acts like The Partridge Family and into later pop music, especially in the teen pop resurgence of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Bubblegum pop laid the groundwork for the highly commercialized and youth-focused pop music industry that followed, influencing how pop music was marketed and produced.
Butt rock
| Origins: | Mid-1990s post-grunge rock |
| Peak popularity: | 1994–2000 |
| Defining artists: | Creed, Staind, Kid Rock, Disturbed, Matchbox Twenty, Bush, and 3 Doors Down |
| Must-hear album: | n/a |
Originally a term associated with hair metal, butt rock is now used to describe heavy-ish 1990s rock bands like Staind and Disturbed.
As the grunge era waned in the mid-’90s, the post-grunge sound became dominant on American radio. This music often retained the distorted guitars of grunge but with a more polished, commercially friendly sound and anthemic quality that resonated with a broad, mainstream audience. Like its British equivalent of lad rock, butt rock is straightforward, arena-ready rock that appeals to a working-class male demographic.
Butt Rock vs. Lad Rock
Butt rock shared lad rock’s focus on sing-along choruses and a rejection of the art-school or intellectual posturing associated with other alternative bands (e.g., Radiohead, Pavement). Think of it as the second coming of frat rock. While the original was a 1960s phenomenon, the cultural vibe of music popular at American college parties in the 1990s aligns somewhat with the boisterous, unpretentious energy of butt rock.
Bands like the Goo Goo Dolls, Sugar Ray, Smash Mouth, and even certain pop-punk acts like Blink-182 or Lit produced highly successful, fun, party-oriented anthems that the “frat boy” equivalent of the British “lad” would embrace. Bands like The Black Crowes and Red Hot Chili Peppers (early 90s) and later acts like Kid Rock (late 90s/early 2000s) leaned into a classic rock and blue-collar American image, which paralleled the working-class pride and traditional rock influences of Oasis and their peers.
Did we miss any genres beginning with B? Let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!
