What Is Alternative Music? Tracing the History Decade-by-Decade

The article explores the evolution of alternative music from its roots in the 1960s to its fragmentation in the 1990s. It defines alternative music as a post-punk umbrella term from the mid-1980s, emphasizing underground status, DIY ethos, and artistic authenticity. The piece traces key bands decade by decade: 1960s proto-punk (Velvet Underground, Stooges, MC5, Silver Apples); 1970s punk (New York Dolls, Ramones, Sex Pistols); 1980s golden age (R.E.M., Camper Van Beethoven, Sonic Youth); and 1990s grunge and fragmentation (Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alanis Morissette). The 'great alternative music schism' occurred when Nirvana's Nevermind achieved commercial success, leading to debates about selling out. The article notes differences between American 'alternative rock' and British 'alternative music' which includes hip-hop and electronic. By the late 1990s, the genre fragmented into subgenres, with 'indie rock' emerging as a replacement term.