Alternative Music

Pruteanu Eduard & Stanciu Alexia

 Alternative Music
-Definition-
• The real definition for alternative music is just music that isn’t made by anyone in
the mainstream and music that doesn’t follow specific templates to mainstream
music styles. Pretty much anything can be a type of alternative music if it’s
outside the social norms of its genre. Alternative can also refer to any music that
is made independently, in the same vein as the punk rock movement of the 1970s.
• It is a less intense version of rock and a more intense version of pop. Lots of sub-
categories, but the main two are alternative rock and alternative pop. Pretty
much anything that doesn't fall into the distinct categories like rock, pop, jazz,
classical, etc.
 Alternative Rock
• Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock) is a category of rock
music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became
widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from
mainstream or commercial rock or pop music. The term's original meaning was broader,
referring to musicians influenced by the musical style or independent, DIY ethos of
late-1970s punk rock.
• Traditionally, alternative rock varied in terms of its sound, social context, and regional
roots. Throughout the 1980s, magazines, college radio airplay, and word of mouth had
increased the prominence and highlighted the diversity of alternative rock's distinct
styles, such as noise pop, indie rock, grunge, and shoegaze.
 Alternative Pop
Alternative pop (also known as alt-pop and left-field pop), is pop
music with broad commercial appeal that is made by figures outside the
mainstream, or which is considered more original, challenging, or eclectic
than traditional pop music. It is described as "a home-made, personalised
imitation of the mainstream that speaks far closer to actual teenage
experience", and which is commonly characterized by a dark or downbeat
emotional tone with lyrics about insecurity, regret and anxiety.
 Alternative Music
-History-
• Alternative music has slowly evolved into a genre of music, and wasn’t just defined as
an independent record label. Indie emerged from post-punk, new wave, as well as
“alternative” music that was released in the late 70s, by UK independent labels. Groups
such as “The Modern Lovers,” “Suicide,” and “The New York Dolls” were credited as
being the progenitors of punk, indie and alternative music.
• When indie and alternative music started, there wasn’t an exact aesthetic that would
define it. Instead, it varied from a dark, heavy, rhythm-centric intensity to synth-
laden, upbeat electro-pop. In the mid-80s, the band “The Smiths” exemplified indie
both musically and culturally. Later on, in the mid-90s, indie music reached a
commercial peak, with Britpop, which was a form of guitar-led indie-pop rock.
 Alternative Music
-Artists-
The most known alternative music artists are:
• Arctic Monkeys
• Imagine Dragons
• Radiohead
• Nirvana
• The Smiths
• Billie Eilish
• Avril Lavigne
 Alternative Music
-Examples-
• https://youtu.be/qixeG_f3DUY?si=lBaDgga9Y44tRJ1G

• https://youtu.be/fuBsVD3KuhU?si=075D8TucwOUFAjVl
 Webography
• https://www.musicgrotto.com/what-is-alternative-music/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternative_rock
• https://the-armijo-signal.com/27829/current-theme/the-history-of-indie-m
usic/