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College rock is rock music that played on student-run university and college campus radio stations located in the United States and Canada in the 1980s and 1990s. The stations' playlists were often created by students who avoided the mainstream rock played on commercial radio stations. [1] [2]
- Late 1970s; United States, Canada
Essentially, college rock is the (largely) alternative music that dominated college radio playlists from the rise of alternative rock (circa 1983-84) through the '80s. Most college rock was born in the confluence of new wave, post-punk, and early alternative rock.
Sep 17, 2018 · 90s College Rock: A guide to the best albums. By Sian Llewellyn. published 17 September 2018. College rock in the 90s was comprised of solid, predominantly American rootsy rock – here are 10 of the best albums the genre produced. The 1990s saw musical genres collide like never before.
- Sian Llewellyn
Nov 19, 2020 · Perhaps the only genre ever to be named after its fans’ level of educational attainment, “college rock” was exactly what the name implied: smart, fun music perfect for hanging out...
- Jon Dolan
Jul 15, 2023 · College rock started as a generic term meant to cover the bands or genres that were neglected by mainstream radio in the 1980s—bands like Hüsker Dü (punk), Bauhaus (goth), P.I.L. (post-punk), Violent Femmes (folk-punk), and countless other nonconformists—but who dominated college radio.
- Shawn Persinger
Aug 17, 2021 · Written by MasterClass. Last updated: Aug 17, 2021 • 5 min read. Before terms like "alternative rock" and "indie rock" became common in the 1990s, these styles were often grouped together in a genre known as college rock. Learn more about the history of college rock and iconic college rock songs.
Jan 2, 2015 · Before ‘Indie’ or ‘Alternative’, College Rock was the most commonly used term for new music existing on the periphery of established trends. The term derives from the student-run radio stations on college campuses of the 1980s, which picked up new waves much faster than the commercial channels.
