Modern rock (also known as
alternative radio) is a
rock format commonly found on commercial
radio; consisting primarily of the
alternative rock genre. Generally beginning with
hardcore punk but referring especially to alternative rock music since the 1980s, the phrase "modern rock" is used in the US to differentiate the music from
classic rock, which focuses on music recorded in the 1960s through to the early 1990s. A few modern rock radio stations existed during the 1980s, such as
KROQ-FM in
Los Angeles,
XETRA-FM in
San Diego, WHTG-FM (now
WKMK) on the
Jersey Shore,
WLIR on
Long Island, and
WFNX in
Boston.
Radio & Records, a US
trade publication, began tracking airplay from several of these stations on their New Rock weekly track chart beginning in January 1989, calling them "radio's most successfully adventurous current-intensive stations" that would serve as "the proving ground for many of tomorrow's stars". The
1988 episode of the
VH1 show ''
I Love the '80s'' discussed
INXS,
the Cure,
Morrissey,
Depeche Mode, and
Erasure as modern rock artists representative of that year. In, the breakthrough success of the
grunge bands
Nirvana and
Pearl Jam resulted in many American radio stations switching to the format. The format has gone through two distinct periods, dividing the line from classic modern rock and the current alternative rock format used today. Up until grunge went mainstream, the format featured a wide variety of up-tempo danceable music from a diverse group of artists that were being played in rock discos and clubs. This was a legacy from
new wave music and the
Second British Invasion that immediately preceded it. Of all the artists who had songs hit the top 30 in the first modern rock chart, only seven of them were American. Between 1992 and 1994, most of the female, foreign and dance music had largely disappeared from the chart. While the chart still featured a variety of alternative rock music, it was largely guitar rock created by male Americans. By 1996, the modern rock chart was largely identical to the mainstream rock chart; it was therefore surveying what was then mainstream rock music. ==See also==