Poll: Why all the hate for Alternative Rock?

[SonicKoala]

OK. This thread makes me angry.
1) Alternative Rock is a genre iTunes made up.
2) Rage Against the Machine IS NOT ALTERNATIVE ROCK i just saw someone posted that and it made me shake my head in disappointment. They are metal in the broadest sense, but rap-metal really.
3) The worst thing about pop-punk&emo, which are usually the real genres people are referring to when they say alt rock, is the song titles IMO. They're always a sentence long. So unnecessary. And they try too hard to be ironic.
4) I just saw someone list Nirvana. Also wrong. That would be grunge.
5) People who are defending alternative rock seem to have no idea what it means because they are just throwing together a bunch of their favorite rock bands which all belong in different subgenres.

Nirvana isn't grunge. They were lumped in with the grunge movement, and they were given credit for starting it, but Nirvana are a punk band at heart. They have literally no similarity to the likes of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, etc. And yes, alt rock has a lot of sub-genres, but for the sake of simplicity, it is an accepted notion to refer to them as being "alternative rock".

Nirvana is a lot more grunge then punk. I would give that crown of first real grunge band to Dinosaur Jr. though.

Wow, no way man, no way. Listen to bands like Alice in Chains - THAT is grunge. Really moody, that unique vocal style by guys like Layne Stanley or Eddie Vetter; yeah Nirvana has way too many pop-hooks in their music, but I suppose some of their stuff (like the tunings they used) is grunge-ish, but I just hear a lot more punk in their music, but I suppose that's just me. As for the Dinosaur Jr. comment, I suppose I can see where you're coming from with that, but once again that seems more post-punk/punk to my ears.

Not to attempt to use wikipedia as a legitimate source or anything, but let's look at their definition of grunge... "grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song dynamics, and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics. The grunge aesthetic is stripped-down compared to other forms of rock music, and many grunge musicians were noted for their unkempt appearances and rejection of theatrics."
sounds a lot like Nirvana to me...
Sorry to throw that quote at you but I think its a fair assumption to make that you wouldn't just trust my word. Nirvana is MUCH more grunge than punk. Just because they don't sound like pearl jam doesn't mean they aren't grunge, especially because (IMO) pearl jam, while at the core a grunge band, mixes in elements of other rock subgenres.
Trying to argue that Nirvana isn't grunge is kind of a lost cause. While you may find people who support that on these forums (because who doesn't like to argue over the internet just for the hell of it) it's so widely accepted that they are a defining group and pretty much founders of that genre of rock music, so it doesn't actually make any sense to say that they aren't grunge...

No, they aren't MUCH more grunge than punk, I strongly disagree with that. Other than that point, however, yeah, okay, they're grunge. It's just that when you compare Nirvana to the other bands characterized as grunge, Nirvana just doesn't seem to fit with that mold. Sure, Nirvana started it, but they were so different from their grunge bretheren, it's almost as if Nirvana were in a category of their own.

 

[Ayrav]

OK. This thread makes me angry.
1) Alternative Rock is a genre iTunes made up.
2) Rage Against the Machine IS NOT ALTERNATIVE ROCK i just saw someone posted that and it made me shake my head in disappointment. They are metal in the broadest sense, but rap-metal really.
3) The worst thing about pop-punk&emo, which are usually the real genres people are referring to when they say alt rock, is the song titles IMO. They're always a sentence long. So unnecessary. And they try too hard to be ironic.
4) I just saw someone list Nirvana. Also wrong. That would be grunge.
5) People who are defending alternative rock seem to have no idea what it means because they are just throwing together a bunch of their favorite rock bands which all belong in different subgenres.

Nirvana isn't grunge. They were lumped in with the grunge movement, and they were given credit for starting it, but Nirvana are a punk band at heart. They have literally no similarity to the likes of Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, etc. And yes, alt rock has a lot of sub-genres, but for the sake of simplicity, it is an accepted notion to refer to them as being "alternative rock".

Nirvana is a lot more grunge then punk. I would give that crown of first real grunge band to Dinosaur Jr. though.

Wow, no way man, no way. Listen to bands like Alice in Chains - THAT is grunge. Really moody, that unique vocal style by guys like Layne Stanley or Eddie Vetter; yeah Nirvana has way too many pop-hooks in their music, but I suppose some of their stuff (like the tunings they used) is grunge-ish, but I just hear a lot more punk in their music, but I suppose that's just me. As for the Dinosaur Jr. comment, I suppose I can see where you're coming from with that, but once again that seems more post-punk/punk to my ears.

Not to attempt to use wikipedia as a legitimate source or anything, but let's look at their definition of grunge... "grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song dynamics, and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics. The grunge aesthetic is stripped-down compared to other forms of rock music, and many grunge musicians were noted for their unkempt appearances and rejection of theatrics."
sounds a lot like Nirvana to me...
Sorry to throw that quote at you but I think its a fair assumption to make that you wouldn't just trust my word. Nirvana is MUCH more grunge than punk. Just because they don't sound like pearl jam doesn't mean they aren't grunge, especially because (IMO) pearl jam, while at the core a grunge band, mixes in elements of other rock subgenres.
Trying to argue that Nirvana isn't grunge is kind of a lost cause. While you may find people who support that on these forums (because who doesn't like to argue over the internet just for the hell of it) it's so widely accepted that they are a defining group and pretty much founders of that genre of rock music, so it doesn't actually make any sense to say that they aren't grunge...

No, they aren't MUCH more grunge than punk, I strongly disagree with that. Other than that point, however, yeah, okay, they're grunge. It's just that when you compare Nirvana to the other bands characterized as grunge, Nirvana just doesn't seem to fit with that mold. Sure, Nirvana started it, but they were so different from their grunge bretheren, it's almost as if Nirvana were in a category of their own.

I can see what you mean by "category of their own", take Red Hot Chili Peppers for instance. Well some might slap the sud-genre of Alternative Rock, I think this is a short-sighted approach, RHCP really supercedes the sud-genres of rock and is just rock. Same could be said of Nirvana.

It is fascinating to witness how people classify their music, to me it shows an interesting perspective of ones grasp on the media they are experiencing.

Side note: Dinosaur Jr.'s first 'grunge' album was released in 1987, You're Living All Over Me. Unfortunately, to quote Wikipedia again: "Their distinct sound, characterized by high gain, extensive use of feedback and distortion, and frontman J Mascis's melodic guitar solos, were highly influential in the alternative rock movement of the 1990s, which is exemplified by the success of acknowledged fan Kurt Cobain of Nirvana, among others." So Grunge is the sub-genre of the sub-genre Alternative Rock; which is the sub-genre of the category of Rock music then? That's just silly.

 

[darkless]

I really only have one rule when it comes to music, "If you cant sing it, dont scream it"

i think you are thinking of screamo, not alt.rock,

Oh sorry thats only half a sentence it's meant to say "I don't mind alt-rock, really i have only one rule when it comes to music"

 

[Raven's Nest]

This thread fails due to Alternative Rock not being an actual genre...

 

[JamesTehWench]

Meh, i prefer Progressive

 

[Xanian]

I'm an classic and indie girl myself, thus I transect alternative a lot. It just so happens I have to listen to a lot of songs I hate before getting a block I like on my alternative radio station.

I dig on music for lyrical content, to the point that I can completely forgive lack of technical skill, (Oh Bob Dylan, you sexy, incoherent BEAST you.) The dumber and more sob-by the lyrics, the less I care. If I want to listen to someone screech "Why me!? I love-ed him/ her/ it!" I'll just read the Bell Jar again.

So my answer is...sometimes?

 

[tehroc]

Can we get some examples of bands that are considered Alternate Rock?

I.E., Flyleaf, Linkin Park, Evanesscence, Three Days Grace, basically anything that has been called "stupid emo shit" on Youtube.

Those are all new rock/pop rock songs and none of those bands are considered alternative to hardly anyone. You need to go back to late 80s/early 90s for alternative rock. Back then cock rock ruled the airwaves with rap becoming more and more prominent, and what was being put out by "alternative rock" bands were so radically different then what was currently on top that people needed a genre to classify it as.

What boggles my mind is most of the bands people have been naming off are clearly mainstream bands.

 

[AgentNein]

the newer stuff kinda sux a lot, it's been overly commercialized in the past 10-12 years or so

for examples of the Alt Rock

REM
Violent Femmes
Soundgarden
Pearl Jam
Our Lady Peace
I Mother Earth
Faith No More
Stabbing Westward
Rage Against the Machine


tho here's a pretty big list
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alternative_rock_artists

I think this post really sums up why exactly 'alternative rock' is a completely useless term. This small list right now ranges from folk-punk to grunge to rap-metal.

While we're on the subject, who's the asshole who coined 'indie' as a genre? Indie is short of independent, and has everything to do with the type of label (or lack thereof) a band is signed to, and says absolutely nothing about the sound.

 

[zen5887]

take Red Hot Chili Peppers for instance.

Funk Rock with a slight punk influence.

That was easy.

 

[nativebelle]

Hell according to that wiki list that someone posted Alternative rock refers to "Alternative dance - Baggy - Britpop - Christian alternative rock - College rock - Dream pop - Dunedin Sound - Geek rock - Gothic rock - Grebo - Grunge - Indie pop - Indie rock - Industrial rock - Jangle pop - Lo-fi - Madchester - Math rock - Noise pop - Noise rock - Paisley Underground - Post-grunge - Post-punk revival - Post-rock - Psychobilly - Riot Grrrl - Sadcore - Shitgaze -Shoegazing - Slowcore - Space rock"

I'm sorry, but if you can hate on all of that you're the most narrow minded music listener ever. Ever.
And you make me sick.

 

[malestrithe]

I do not hate alternative rock. I listen to anything that is not Hip-hop.

 

[Ohten]

I've got a nasty habit of trying to listen to it, only to realize a band I like is on another station less than 2 clicks away. That being said, I don't actively hate it. Just people who sniff at me when I say I like Judas Priest or Saigon Kick and have never heard of All-Star Rejects or something like that.

 

[epunk35]

First off anyone who hates on it has to be pretty closed off to 1 genre to despise a broad spectrum of different music. Anyways I enjoy quite a bit of Alternative like Green Day and a few other bands. I don't classify the bands as "emo" though, maybe a few of the songs could be classified that way. But quite frankly I've heard classic rock that got me more depressed than most "emo" tracks.

 

[Ayrav]

take Red Hot Chili Peppers for instance.

Funk Rock with a slight punk influence.

That was easy.

That was a gross simplification of the entire Red Hot Chili Peppers discography. I'm completely done with this conversation.

 

[zen5887]

take Red Hot Chili Peppers for instance.

Funk Rock with a slight punk influence.

That was easy.

That was a gross simplification of the entire Red Hot Chili Peppers discography. I'm completely done with this conversation.

When your talking about Genres you cant look at every song a band does, it would get messy. You have to simplify.

 

[Jharry5]

I don't hate it. I prefer different types of Rock music, but it's alright.
I didn't know people were hating on it now anyway...(?)

 

[Emilie Diabolica]

I.E., Flyleaf, Linkin Park, Evanesscence, Three Days Grace, basically anything that has been called "stupid emo shit" on Youtube.

*facepalm*
Those arent alt rock. Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead are alternative rock. Linkin Park is nu-metal or something, Evanescence is some kind of goth-rock... i could go on, but no.

So OP, yes, i love and listen to alt rock. Just not what your image of it is.

 

[Rooster893]

My sister thinks that Metallica is for "White trash"... /faceplam.

No... just no.

Just because they sold out and only play for the money now (Mainly because of Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield) doesn't mean that they are white trash. They were awesome up until St. Anger, then it just went downhill from there.