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Rock music begins to form.
Sometime between the late '40s and the early '60s, country and blues music began to change. Steady drum beats were introduced, and with the arrival of electri guitars, rock music was born. -
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Chuck Berry
Over the course of the '50s, Chuck Berry and other pioneers of the genre began to cultivate a wide following. Rock's aggressive sound suggested a sexual freedom which shocked many at the time, and so naturally its popularity grew. By the early '60s, followers of Berry, such as the Rolling stones, were forming bands and producing their own albums. -
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New Ideas
Led Zeppelin introduced a darker, heavier tone to rock music, and around the same time Pink Floyd brought the idea of psychadelia. This saw the birth of concept albums, designed around a central theme and with the intention of being listened to in a single sitting. Ultimately, these albums saw the birth of prog rock. However, in the late '70s bands such as the Clash and the Sex pistols retaliated, claiming that prog rock was 'hippie' music. This saw the birth of punk; political and aggressive. -
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Subgenres are born
By the early 1980s, mainstream rock was fading in popularity. Many subgenres splintered off from mainstream rock, such as postpunk (Depeche Mode), college rock (R.E.M) and alternative rock -
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1990s to Present- Evolving rock
When Nirvana first hit the scene and made a name for themselves, alternative rock found widespread popularity. However groups such as soundgarden and radiohead pushed alternative into the limelight also. With Kurt Cobain's suicide, alternative rock was once more overpowered by mainstream rock, with rap-rock legends Limp Bizkit becoming an immortalised name. -
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(Continued)
Grunge bands such as the Red Hot Chilli Peppers continued to be popular, but new bands splintered from grunge such as the still-popular Foo Fighters, with Nirvana's drummer Dave Grohl as the frontman. In the 21st Century, we are seeing much more experimental rock, such as Linkin Park, whose music combines hip-hop and metal. Punk is also incredibly popular, with legends such as Green Day being household names.