Eli5 why rock n’ roll music in the 90s was called alternative? What was it alternative to? What defined it as a separate genre?
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Prior to the whole Seattle grunge thing, there were other bands that never fit the various “rock” styles. Before the 90’s, most people would argue that Alternative music started around the punk scenes in NYC and London.
Where classic rock basically has bands that all have the same vibe or sound, Alternative bands that emerged from the 70’s and 80’s had a wide array of styles. Depeche Mode were strictly a keyboard band early in their career, while The Cure had a full band that didn’t sound like rock. These bands that had styles and sounds that could not be categorized as Rock would be considered Alternative.
By the time the 90’s hit, Alternative was starting to become the mainstream. Before grunge hit with Nirvana, bands outside of Seattle like Janes Addiction and The Red Hot Chilli Peppers were starting to pave a path for a different store of music than classic rock and hair metal.
Once Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, and Sound Garden hit, it all became Alternative Rock.
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