Alternative rock is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s with the likes of the grunge subgenre in the United States, and the Britpop and shoegaze subgenres in the United Kingdom and Ireland. During this period, many record labels were looking for "alternatives", as many corporate rock, hard rock, and glam metal acts from the 1980s were beginning to grow stale throughout the music industry. The emergence of Generation X as a cultural force in the 1990s also contributed greatly to the rise of alternative music.
Sponge is an American rock band formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1992 by vocalist Vinnie Dombroski, guitarist Mike Cross, bassist Tim Cross, drummer Jimmy Paluzzi, and guitarist Joey Mazzola. Dombroski and the Cross brothers were previously in the hard rock band Loudhouse, with Mazzola joining later before the end of the band's tenure. Sponge's discography includes ten studio albums, four live albums, and several charting singles. They are best known for their 1994 hit "Plowed", their 1995 hit "Molly ", and their 1996 hit "Wax Ecstatic ".
The Dears are a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec. The band is led by the husband-and-wife duo of singer-guitarist Murray Lightburn and keyboardist Natalia Yanchak.
James are an English rock band from Manchester, formed in 1982. They achieved popularity during the 1990s, with four top-10 hits on the UK Singles Chart and nine top-10 placings on the UK Albums Chart. The band's best-known singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", "She's a Star" and "Laid". "Laid" also became a hit on American college radio. Following the departure of lead singer Tim Booth in 2001, the band became inactive, but members reunited in January 2007 and have since released a further seven albums. Live performance has continually remained a central part of the band's output. As of 2010, the band had sold more than 25 million albums worldwide.
Tegan and Sara is a Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta. The band is led by identical twin sisters, Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin. Both musicians are songwriters and multi-instrumentalists.
Cornershop are an English indie rock band formed in Leicester, in 1991. The group are best known for their single "Brimful of Asha" from their third album When I Was Born for the 7th Time, whose remixed version topped the UK singles chart in 1998. They were formed by Tjinder Singh, his brother Avtar Singh, David Chambers (drums), and Ben Ayres, the first three having previously been members of General Havoc, who released one single in 1991. The band name originated from a stereotype referring to British Asians often owning corner shops. Their music is a fusion of Indian music, indie rock, alternative and electronic dance music.
Phoenix is a French indie rock band from Versailles, formed in 1995. Their line-up, which has remained unchanged since their formation, comprises Thomas Mars, Deck d'Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz. Thomas Hedlund has been the band's session and live drummer since 2005.
The Itchyworms is a Filipino rock band. The band is composed of Jazz Nicolas on lead vocals, drums and piano, Jugs Jugueta on co-lead vocals, keys and guitars, Kelvin Yu on bass guitars, Chino Singson on lead guitars, Weckl Mercado on guitars, and Mikey Amistoso on guitars and keys. The group made their name in the OPM scene in 2006 with their second album, Noontime Show, with songs such as "Akin Ka Na Lang" and "Beer".
Dahlia Seed was an indie rock/post-hardcore band from the New York City/New Jersey area, that was instrumental in defining the sound now known as emo. They were together from 1992 to 1996.
Priestess is a Canadian rock band formed by singer/guitarist Mikey Heppner in Montreal, Quebec in 2002. Since its inception it has featured Heppner, singer/guitarist Dan Watchorn, singer/drummer Vince Nudo, and bassist Mike Dyball. Priestess were considered one of the most important bands in the early millennial "retro rock" movement, although they denied intentionally attempting to emulate the sounds of classic rock bands such as Black Sabbath and AC/DC, whom they idolized and to whom they were frequently compared.
Passion Pit is an American indie pop band from Cambridge, Massachusetts. Formed in 2007, frontman and keyboardist Michael Angelakos is the band's primary recording member. As a touring act, the band currently consists of Angelakos, Chris Hartz (drums), Aaron Harrison Folb, Giuliano Pizzulo, and Ray Suen.
The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, and formerly Baria Qureshi. They are known for their distinctive minimalist sound blending indie rock, indie electronic, indie pop, dream pop and electro-rock and the dual-vocalist set-up of Madley Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds.
Soulbender is an American-Canadian hard rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2002. The band independently released their album Soulbender in 2004, which they reissued with four additional tracks through Rat Pak Records under the title Soulbender II in 2014. Though the band underwent multiple lineup changes in that ten-year timespan, both releases featured the original five-piece incarnation of two Americans and three Canadians who previously played in several different bands respectively from Seattle and Vancouver: Nick Pollock, formerly of Alice N' Chains and My Sister's Machine; Michael Wilton (guitar) from Queensrÿche; Dave Groves (guitar), formerly of Tin Pan and Fallen Angel; Wes Hallam (drums), formerly of Assault and Fallen Angel; and Marten Van Keith.
The Front Bottoms are an American rock band from Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, formed in 2006. They are currently a duo consisting of lead vocalist and guitarist Brian Sella and drummer Mat Uychich. During live performances, they are currently accompanied by touring members, including guitarist and backing vocalist AJ Peacox, bassist and backing vocalist Natalie Newbold, and bassist, guitarist and backing vocalist Erik Kase Romero.
Alvvays is a Canadian indie pop band formed in 2011, originating from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and subsequently based in Toronto, Ontario. It consists of Molly Rankin, Kerri MacLellan (keyboards), Alec O'Hanley (guitars), and Sheridan Riley (drums). Their self-titled debut studio album, released in 2014, topped the US college charts. Their second studio album, Antisocialites, was released on September 8, 2017. Their third studio album, Blue Rev, was released on October 7, 2022.
Hippo Campus is an American indie rock band from Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their musical inclinations appear to be firmly rooted in the UK, drawing inspiration from notable artists such as Little Comets and King Krule. They are signed to Psychic Hotline in the United States and Transgressive Records in the United Kingdom. The band has performed at South by Southwest, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, Summerfest and Reading and Leeds Festivals, Hinterland Music Festival, as well as on Conan. Hippo Campus were named one of NPR Music's favorite new artists of 2017.
The Rose is a South Korean indie-rock band represented by their company Windfall and partnered with Transparent Arts. The band is composed of four members: Kim Woosung, Park Dojoon, Lee Hajoon, Lee Jaehyeong. While The Rose gained popularity early on, their debut single "Sorry," released on August 3, 2017, put them on the map and marked their first official entry into the mainstream music scene, showcasing their unique sound and earning them widespread international recognition.
Men I Trust is a Canadian indie band formed in Quebec City, Quebec, in 2014. The band consists of Emmanuelle Proulx, Jessy Caron, and Dragos Chiriac (keyboards). The group has self-released all of their music and has released physical editions on the Canadian indie/independent label Return to Analog. Men I Trust has independently released four studio albums: Men I Trust (2014), Headroom (2015), Oncle Jazz (2019) and Untourable Album (2021). They have also released two physical-only extended plays (EPs), Men I Trust (2017) and Tailwhip (2018).
VHS Collection is an American Indie rock/Synth-pop band from New York City that was formed in 2015 by Conor Cook, James Bohannon, and Nils Vanderlip. The band, which has been independent since its inception, is represented by CAA and has released 12 singles, 2 EPs, and 2 full-length albums.
Kim Woosung, also known as Woosung and Sammy, is a Korean-American singer–songwriter, composer, producer, and musician. Woosung is most known as lead vocalist and electric guitarist of the South Korean indie-rock band The Rose. He also made his solo debut on July 25, 2019, with the extended play Wolf.
