Rock music is perhaps the most iconic genre of all; ask anyone about legends of music and they will point to groups like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones from the early days of rock, to bands like Coldplay and Muse that are generally accepted as the global leaders today.

Talking about the history of rock music is difficult, as there are at least 30 sub-genres to look at that were born directly from the genre. Rather than cover each individual one here, we will trace the lineage of rock from its 1960s birth.

The Birth of Rock

The rock music we know and love today originated from American rock and roll in the 1950s. Rock moved towards centralising the electric guitar as the lead instrument in musical arrangements, with bass guitar and drums built around it to create what we would recognise as a traditional band setup today.

What characterised rock music ahead of other genres at this time was how it relied on live performance above anything else, which was seen as somewhat unusual at a time when recording capability had become widespread.

The Golden Age of Rock

The late 1960s gave us the golden age of rock, a time that over 40 years later has still not come close to being replicated. This quickly moved into what is known as the “classic rock” era, when power ballads and what is lazily termed “dad music” or “driving music” today was popular. Bands like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Whitesnake would come to characterise this time, although each band brought something different in terms of style and the sub-genres they would explore.

Evolution to Punk

These bands and their associated genres would remain big throughout the 1970s and beyond. The end of this decade brought rebellious punk music, which at the time was a refreshing change from several bands that all sounded the same, particularly for those who wanted to stay loyal to rock and had no time for disco music or others that would emerge at the end of the decade, including modern R&B and dance genres.

Nothing for the 1980s

The 1980s was notable for many things. In music, it was that there was no real standout rock influence throughout the decade. Punk turned to post-punk, while the successful bands of the 1970s generally continued on the same path. Most bands that emerged during this decade tended to lean more towards producing “pop rock,” although there were still big differences in styles; no one would ever say Bon Jovi, The Smiths, and The Cure were from the same genre, for example, as they were all distinct in their own way.

Although the 1980s didn’t give the music world anything new, some of the world’s biggest artists of all time made their name in this decade, including those mentioned above, as well as Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, and U2.

1990s Indie and Beyond

The 1990s was famous for indie music and for the legendary Britpop scene in the UK, while grunge, led by Nirvana, was huge in the US. Many alternative music sounds developed from these genres in the 1990s, although many bands, including Radiohead, were criticised for the perceived deliberate commercialisation of certain record releases, which was seen as hypocrisy by many fans as well as by rival groups. Noel Gallagher of Oasis was particularly outspoken on the issue.

The late 1990s saw the emergence of nu-metal, while heavier rock styles, including thrash and death metal, became closer to the mainstream than ever before.

21^st Century Rock

Rock music since 2000 has been unusual in that, unlike the first 30 – 40 years of the genre, there has been no overriding, leading theme or sub-genre. Bands like Muse, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, and Green Day all remain massively popular, with many people liking all four bands despite there being huge differences in what they produce. Others like Kasabian have made a name for themselves by experimenting with various styles of rock and incorporating different elements into their music.

The history of rock is a rich one indeed, and music fans are in for a treat if the next 40 years are anything like the first 40.

Image Author: Saad Faruque