hard rock

¹ American  

noun

1. the original form of rock-'n'-roll, basically dependent on a consistently loud and strong beat.

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hard-rock ² American  

[hahrd-rok] / ˈhɑrdˌrɒk /

adjective

1. (loosely) of or relating to igneous or metamorphic rocks, as in mining hard-rock mining and geology hard-rock geology.

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hard rock British  

noun

1. music a rhythmically simple and usually highly amplified style of rock and roll

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Other Word Forms

• hard rocker noun

Etymology

Origin of hard rock¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Origin of hard-rock²

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

Pop culture seemed ready to welcome back a breed of hitmaker thought lost to time — the sleeve-tatted, throat-shredding hard rock star.

From Los Angeles Times

The Charlotte Russe is a specialty of my mother, a former caterer who helped run New York’s Hard Rock Café in the ’70s.

From Los Angeles Times

Jack also recently announced alongside Sharon on their podcast that Ozzy's heavy metal and hard rock festival Ozzfest would be returning in 2027.

From BBC

"The estimated yield of the event was a 10 tonne nuclear explosion, or five tonnes conventional equivalent, which assumes the explosion was fully coupled in hard rock below the water table," he said.

From Barron's

The Tejon Indian Tribe is about to open a $600-million Hard Rock casino near the town of Mettler and the Grapevine Pass.

From Los Angeles Times