I Don't Hear a Hit: How Well Do You Know the Trailblazing Icons of Alternative Rock?
Written by Susanna Henke
Last updated · 7 min play time
Prove you're with the band and ace this test of your alternative rock knowledge!
Alternative to What?
The term alternative rock means both a multitude of things and nothing at all. It encompasses a huge array of subgenres: punk, post-punk, hardcore, noise rock, art rock, indie rock, grunge, college rock, Britpop, indie rock, Riot Grrrl, indie folk, sadcore. . . and the list goes on and on. But for the past two decades, the line between commercial and alternative music has faded nearly out of sight. With artists like Coldplay, R.E.M., Nirvana, Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers now hobnobbing with the Eagles and Whitney Houston on best-selling-bands-of-all-time lists, one has to ask: alternative to what? At the same time, the term alternative rock (or indie rock or whatever) is useful because there is a genuine thread that connects all of the wildly disparate genres that are typically shoved under its umbrella.
To me, music is no joke and it's not for sale (Ian MacKaye, Fugazi)
This fundamental ethos of valuing authenticity and integrity over formulaic commercialism is what drove the punk rock movement of the 1970s. . . and kicked the door open for generations of independent artists to come. In some cases, the punk influence is obvious (Fugazi and Pixies, e.g.) But an alternative band doesn't have to sound like the Sex Pistols to be part of the punk rock lineage: artists like Lorde, R.E.M. and Ryan Adams also owe a debt to punk rock's DIY approach and artist-driven/non-mainstream perspective.
Who are the Icons?
Too many to fit in one 20-question quiz! This quiz is an arbitrary collection of just a handful of the greats from punk/indie/alternative music history. We know music fans can be. . . passionate — so if your favorites didn't make it in, please understand it's not intended to be a "BEST EVER" list. With that said, ready to get started?? Time to rock!
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Quiz written by
Susanna Henke
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