Rock music used to be a forceful force. Bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Radiohead gave audiences raw yet authentic sounds that resonated deeply.
Modern rock is currently dying a slow death; its popularity being replaced by pop artists that use guitars as fashion accessories while performing mumble rap.
1. It’s boring
Rock music has come under considerable fire in recent years from both fans and critics, due to many rock bands relying on outdated riffs and cliches instead of trying to innovate with changing musical landscapes. This lack of innovation has resulted in its decline among younger listeners who prefer more contemporary and diverse forms of music.
No doubt about it – over recent years the mainstream music industry has become more focused on pop, hip-hop and EDM than rock music – this may explain why rock is not as prevalent. These genres appeal to more consumers. Nonetheless, some fans still appreciate listening to rock.
People often refer to rock as being “dead” when discussing its decline in terms of popularity and profitability, due to competition from pop, hip-hop, and EDM genres. Unfortunately, for fans of this genre this signifies their loss as it leaves rock trying to find a place within modern music sphere.
As rock music evolved over the 1970s and 80s, experimental artists like David Bowie, Pink Floyd, Queen, The Clash, Black Sabbath and ABBA dominated charts; later saw grunge, alternative rock and Britpop come back onto mainstream radio playlists in the 90s; MTV also helped mainstream rock into pop culture culture through music videos.
Today, young rock fans tend to prefer Pop and Hip-Hop music over classic rock acts like Led Zeppelin or Creedence Clearwater Revival due to social media and YouTube being more influential on them than their parents’ collections of tunes.
However, rock music remains popular and there are still fans willing to spend their money on concert tickets by their favorite bands. Unfortunately, rock bands do not always have the resources and promotion power of bigger mainstream acts such as Imagine Dragons or Fall Out Boy; as a result many rock bands must reduce productions in order to maximize their limited budgets.
2. It’s old
Rock music typically conjures images of hippies wearing tie-dye, Fender Stratocaster guitars and bandanas – things your parents listened to; music you may have tried hard not to like before eventually succumbing to its pull.
Rock music once dominated popular music, from record labels and radio broadcasting to mainstream musical audiences. Although you can still find bands playing styles associated with “rock,” such as playing heavy guitar or singing “hard rock”, none are breaking through in their popularity the way they once did.
One reason rock has fallen out of favour with audiences today may be its age: When first released, rock represented a thrilling, innovative genre that combined the best elements from previous genres into one cohesive unit; big, bold and demanding of attention from listeners everywhere. From innovators such as Eddie Van Halen to throwback rockers such as Slash; through to more atmospheric indie bands such as The Cure and REM; rock was an exciting genre with something for everyone back then.
Heavy metal was an outward manifestation of rock’s evolution, while punk blended the energy of rock with raw youth culture to become even bigger and bolder. By the ’80s, punk had become a worldwide phenomenon, filling arenas and stadiums around the world with Marshall stacks blasting out music while rock stars sang for millions of adoring fans.
Problematically, music from the 1980s and ’90s is becoming obsolete, while younger listeners increasingly shun it in favor of pop, rap and dance genres. Rock has lost its majority status for some time to come.
However, rock musicians continue to push the limits of their genre and find an ever-wider audience for it. Albums like Daughter’s stunningly dark You Won’t Get What You Want or Oathbreaker’s delicate Rheia or Lingua Ignota’s mind-boggling revenge fantasy Caligula by Lingua Ignota take some of rock’s usual tropes and forms and deconstruct and reconstruct them into something truly original that stands alone from traditional approaches to rock music.
3. It’s cheesy
In the 1980s, rock was an unparalleled global musical genre. Bands such as AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses donned leather jackets and big hair for performances filled with flashy flare, becoming cultural icons and leaders of rebellious youth cultures worldwide. Rock music became an effective force of social change by advocating either for or against issues like drugs, war, and poverty – using music to generate change for real.
Rock and roll provided young people with their first voice and identity – it was the first music to resonate with teenagers and young adults in ways their parents did not comprehend.
Now, rock music is considered outdated and out-of-touch with younger listeners, due to the advent of TikTok, Instagram and YouTube which has caused record label revenues and profits to decrease leading to less bands signing contracts and their number decreasing overall. Rock has lost much of its edge and influence as other genres like hip-hop and rap have gained prominence within mainstream society.
However, some rock musicians are still producing original and creative music with the potential to make a comeback. Daughters’ stunningly bleak You Won’t Get What You Want; Oathbreaker’s fragile yet cathartic Rheia; and Lingua Ignota’s heartrending revenge fantasy Caligula are examples of rock music which does not tread old territory.
Unfortunately, rock music does not always receive the recognition it deserves for its creative endeavors. Most young people instead find their musical identities through dance or rap music instead. With MTV and radio declining and real artists creating ground-breaking music instead of mass catering music creating music just for love of creation emerging, we may witness a real revival of rock. After all, it never completely died; just give it time!
4. It’s not original
Rock music has always been its own genre, giving rise to various subgenres including glam rock, progressive rock, punk rock and heavy metal. Additionally, this genre incorporated various other musical styles and influences. Furthermore, it was the first genre to utilize electronic sounds and instruments into its compositions before becoming more mainstream through MTV videos and other forms of mainstream exposure.
Rock music stands out from all other genres due to one unique characteristic: energy. Rock is known for being loud and fast-paced music that can provide the ideal background soundtrack for social gatherings or workouts at the gym.
Rock music is an effective way for young people to connect emotionally, get excited and feel empowered; express feelings and emotions and find their voice. In an age when political activism and social consciousness seem lacking, rock music may help restore some of these attributes through expression.
Rock was once the predominant form of popular music, dominating charts and sales while setting the musical mainstream. Rock also served as a powerful agent of change, reflecting and shaping values and attitudes during its time – this contributed significantly to fueling antiwar protests in America and festivals like Woodstock; its artists were known to express strong opinions and social commentary – with bands like Rage Against the Machine making careers out of turning protest songs into rock anthems.
Though rock may appear to be dying out, it remains very much alive despite appearances to the contrary. It’s just evolving differently; becoming more of an albums genre than singles one. Bands such as Led Zeppelin are great examples of successful rock acts that focus exclusively on creating albums rather than singles releases.
As older rockers become replaced by younger generations, rock may reemerge as an appealing genre – perhaps becoming something like jazz and blues were once integral components of hip-hop and are now referenced by Kanye West and Jack White songs.