alt-rock

British

/ ɔːlt /

noun

a genre of rock music regarded by its practitioners and fans as being outside the mainstream

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of alt-rock

C20: from _alt ( _ernative ) + _rock

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Coupled with the darkly melodic alt-rock of Possum Dixon as openers, the show was a hot ticket.

From Los Angeles Times

We’ve dug up a little something for everyone — from K-pop fans to alt-rock lovers and R&B/hip-hop nerds.

From Los Angeles Times

The author, who has published two books on the Rolling Stones and a comprehensive biography of Leon Russell, is also a musician, fronting the alt-rock trio Buffalo Tom.

From The Wall Street Journal

They started out as a folk duo in 2010 but quickly expanded to a quartet, adopting an alt-rock style characterised by Oddie's textured guitar work, the rhythmic interplay between bassist Ellis and drummer Joel Amey, and Rowsell's cutting lyricism.

From BBC

Surrender has been a big theme lately in the life of the longtime vocalist and keyboardist of legendary Mexican alt-rock group Café Tacvba.

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023