Indie rock

The music commonly regarded as indie rock is descended from what was known as alternative rock during the 1980s; this name refers to the fact that it was an alternative to mainstream rock. Alternative bands of the time, in turn, were influenced by the punk rock and New Wave movements of the 1970s and early 1980s. During the first half of the 1990s, alternative music, led by grunge bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, broke into the mainstream, achieving commercial chart success; shortly thereafter, the alternative genre became commercialised, as mainstream success attracted major-label investment and commercially-oriented or manufactured acts with a formulaic, conservative approach. With this, the meaning of the label "alternative" changed away from its original, more countercultural meaning, and the term "indie rock" fell into greater use.

External Links

• Pitchfork - The definitive online resource for independent music news and reviews
• NME - The online version of a music magazine focused on alternative and independent music
• Quoster - An online quote database targeting the indie rock scene
• Oh My Rockness - The indie rock show list for New York and Chicago