alternative rock

After the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll, it was clear that something was starting to emerge from the underground. As the genres of hair metal and pop rock dominated the charts, the rise of alternative rock gave a voice to people who might have been considered too strange for the early MTV generation. Years […]

In the midst of a growing punk revival, many people are looking back at the past even as they try to figure out a new path forward. KennyHoopla’s SURVIVORS GUILT: THE MIXTAPE//, a collaboration with Travis Barker, is exactly that kind of attempt to find the way. Despite winning over audiences and respect, he’s not […]

At this point, you could practically write a textbook on the art of creating a pop-punk song. Ever since people discovered Green Day’s Dookie and the masses fell in love with “All The Small Things” on MTV, the genre has blossomed. Pop punk’s big break didn’t mean the genre got locked into a formula, either. […]

2000: The year Texas Gov. George W. Bush vanquished Bill Clinton’s Vice President Al Gore under what many contend was less-than-honest circumstances. Bush would assume the following January the seat in the Oval Office that his father George H.W. Bush occupied a decade before. The 43rd U.S. president soon blazed through Clinton’s budget surplus in […]

Oxymorrons have shared their latest release, Mohawks & Durags, which is the band’s second EP. Fusing hip-hop with alternative rock, Oxymorrons have worked with several notable producers, including John Feldmann (MOD SUN, the Used, blink-182), Zach Jones (Chelsea Grin, Dance Gavin Dance, As It Is) and Marc Orrell (Dropkick Murphys) to achieve their trademark tumultuous […]

1997: All media is declaring the alternative–rock explosion—for which Nirvana lit the fuse—over. This means the commercial pop-punk wave Green Day touched off was over in their eyes, too. That selfsame media could not have been more wrong. Green Day had just issued their fifth album, Nimrod. The Offspring, the band who made the catchphrase […]

Among all the music that the ‘90s brought us, there’s one common denominator—kick-ass women vocalists. From the emergence of grunge to the golden age of hip-hop settling in its place, the ‘90s proved to be a decade where artists expressed the exasperations of womanhood with all of their might. As women lead singers began to […]

In case you don’t have a reminder programmed, last week marked a significant, albeit painful, emo milestone. That is, we’re now 15 years out from the June 6, 2006 release of AFI’s DECEMBERUNDERGROUND. That’s a decade-and-a-half of practicing the “Miss Murder” scream as we flat iron our hair and permanently adorning overpriced shoes in haphazardly […]

As Everything Unfolds first burst onto the scene with their 2018 EP, Closure, in large part due to Charlie Rolfe’s piercingly clean vocals and incredible range. Packing intense shrieks and emotional hooks into the five-track EP, the star of the show was Rolfe’s voice and what she sings about. Though they pull inspiration from real-life […]

We can never really get enough of our favorite artists experimenting with their sound. While we love pop punk and alternative rock as much as anyone, it’s nice to hear artists transform their songs in an entirely new way. Read more: Nova Twins drop first remix with FEVER 333’s sinister take on “Undertaker” Several artists […]

Sharon Van Etten is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her second studio LP Epic with the special reissue epic Ten. For the record, Van Etten teamed up with a slew of artists to reimagine the original album’s songs including Fiona Apple who has reworked “Love More.” On the heels of her big wins at the […]

Marie Ulven, also known as girl in red, is back with “You Stupid Bitch,” another taste of her highly-anticipated debut studio album if i could make it go quiet. On the new track, girl in red further showcases her grunge-inspired sound and unfiltered lyrics that offer a look inside the complex relationships in her life. […]

Nothing beats the first time hearing one of your favorite songs. It’s a feeling we never fully appreciate at the moment but then nostalgically crave forever. Fortunately, alternative artists frequently grant us the opportunity to once again hear these tracks from new perspectives through reimagined versions. From acoustic renditions to orchestral backings and full-on genre […]

In music, there are few universal truths. That said, the inherent ability for a well-crafted spoken-word part to send a shiver down the spine of anyone who hears it is definitely one. Of course, that goes double when such a moment is your first introduction to a song. There’s really no wrong way to incorporate […]

It’s hard to believe that we’ve now spent more time beyond the 2000s than within them. What’s worse? That means we’re now coming up on 20 years spent with some of our favorite alternative hits. This year, it’s all the 2001 songs that are celebrating the milestone birthday. Even two decades out, though, many of […]

There are a number of factors that might make a song immediately recognizable—a whisper, a cough, a G note… But nothing gets our little black hearts racing quite as rapidly as a guitar riff we know like the backs of our hands. You don’t even have to be a guitarist to get the sentiment. As […]

If recent trends are any indication, there’s a bit of an ’80s revival going on in the music scene. With a number of artists adopting elements of synth-pop and returning to the roots of early alternative rock, nostalgia abounds… And with it comes a sea of gothic, darkwave undercurrents. Truth be told, goth rock hasn’t exactly gone anywhere. […]

Branding is one hell of an important factor to achieving success and maintaining a fanbase in music. So, it’s no surprise that many musicians use their solo projects as an avenue for genre experimentation. We’ve seen it countless times to varying extents. Some artists may just incorporate new, genre-defying dynamics to their foundational sounds, whereas others […]

Alternative rock—pop punk in particular—is going through some new waves at present. Especially now with downtime in the wake of canceled tours, many artists are turning to creative experimentalism. The result? A stacked collection of new alternative bands with totally unique sounds. Granted, it can be hard to find some of these gems. With music […]

In 2009, Myspace was beginning to disintegrate, and scene bands were growing less and less popular. Despite their distinct capabilities of genre-blending emo, pop punk, metalcore, neon pop, electronica and more, the scene started to die and was aching for a rebirth. As the year progressed, new bands emerged, and seasoned musicians cultivated their craft […]