# Is The "Rock Era" Over? If so, when did it end? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 19, 2017, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324 "2017-10-19T22:16:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/21 "2017-10-21T01:20:16Z")
**pulykamell** , agreed. Plenty of good rock music being made in every decade, including the current one. Did anyone mention Tame Impala yet? Or Dungen? My intention indeed was to imply that “rock en español” did seem to occupy central role in Latin American culture as recently as 2003, in a way that English-language rock had relinquished (in my experience) circa 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/22 "2017-10-21T03:05:45Z")
Rock is dead they say… [Long Live Rock!](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maD5k-vUI4o&t=0m33s) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/23 "2017-10-21T04:49:45Z")
I was a lonely teenage broncin’ buck With a pink carnation and a pickup truck But I knew I was out of luck The day the music died ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/24 "2017-10-21T09:31:17Z")
Another heartening trend (pun unintended) in rock music of the past decade or so is an increase in the proportion of female musicians – this [Guitar Player list of five](http://www.guitarplanet.eu/the-top-5-female-guitarists-in-the-world-right-now.html)is a good place to start (St. Vincent is on there). ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/25 "2017-10-21T10:24:19Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > Another heartening trend (pun unintended) in rock music of the past decade or so is an increase in the proportion of female musicians – this [Guitar Player list of five](http://www.guitarplanet.eu/the-top-5-female-guitarists-in-the-world-right-now.html)is a good place to start (St. Vincent is on there). Taylor Swift is the George Harrison of guitar today. Bob Taylor, founder of the guitar company, must thank the random-chance name gods every day 😉 St Vincent / Annie Clark is Robert Fripp while playing in Bowie’s band. Love. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/26 "2017-10-21T10:46:33Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > Taylor Swift is the George Harrison of guitar today. Bob Taylor, founder of the guitar company, must thank the random-chance name gods every day 😉 > > St Vincent / Annie Clark is Robert Fripp while playing in Bowie’s band. Love. Nice analogies. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/27 "2017-10-21T12:14:42Z")
Most people seem to blame Nickelback. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/28 "2017-10-21T13:17:33Z")
It began to die in 2006, becoming just a nickname, but finally died in 2008’s \*Get Smart \*when he became Dwayne Johnson. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/29 "2017-10-21T13:34:38Z")
Uh, Coldplay is still rocking. Oasis broke up but Liam Gallagher is touring. Maroon 5 still tours. Tom Petty was still touring until he died. Rock music has evolved but it’s still rock. ---
**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/30 "2017-10-21T13:52:42Z")
I agree with other posters who point out that the OP is asking about the “end” of the “Rock Era,” not whether good rock is still being produced. The “Swing Era” and the “Jazz Era” are over, but swing and jazz are still being created and recorded. Same with disco (unfortunately). The “Rock Era” phenomenon included a lot of social issues and behavior patterns, a belief in rock having some major purpose or role in our culture, and dozens of other factors that are completely separate from the rock music (good or bad) being produced. IMHO, it hit the skids in the early 90s. Very good rock was (and still is) being performed and recorded, but it’s not the cultural icon that it once was. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/31 "2017-10-21T14:02:49Z")
To **JKellyMap’s** point, it’s interesting that, in this era where the dark side of the Male Gaze is being shown in all its awfulness, that Women are showing dominance in a medium that involves such a delightfully phallic symbol such as a guitar. Freud would have a field day. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/32 "2017-10-21T17:14:34Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#): > > The “Rock Era” phenomenon included a lot of social issues and behavior patterns, a belief in rock having some major purpose or role in our culture, and dozens of other factors that are completely separate from the rock music (good or bad) being produced. IMHO, it hit the skids in the early 90s. Very good rock was (and still is) being performed and recorded, but it’s not the cultural icon that it once was. I left the country again in 1994 and didn’t move back until last year, and it was difficult to keep up from Thailand. But Guns 'n Roses was still big in the early 1990s, and that’s the last group I can recall to have undergone the stereotypical Big Rock Star phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/33 "2017-10-21T17:46:25Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I think punk got co-opted pretty effectively. In fact much more effectively than grunge which just seemed like a fashion show. **There are no leftover grunge people out there** , let alone ones who think they are changing the world, but there are a lot of punks who do. That is what co-optation looks like. Pearl Jam still records and tours and are still a viable force in rock music. Soundgarden was playing shows up until Cornell killed himself. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/34 "2017-10-21T18:05:08Z")
Yep… just now, when I read this: > [@aceplace57](#): > > Uh, Coldplay is still rocking. Oasis broke up but Liam Gallagher is touring. Maroon 5 still tours. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/35 "2017-10-21T18:13:47Z")
Look at the age of the fans at those concerts. Nuff said. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/36 "2017-10-21T18:15:02Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Pearl Jam still records and tours and are still a viable force in rock music. > > Soundgarden was playing shows up until Cornell killed himself. Who? ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/37 "2017-10-21T18:34:05Z")
Was grunge the last American musical revolution? Interesting take… > **[Was Grunge the Last American Musical Revolution?, PopMatters](https://www.popmatters.com/148702-was-grunge-the-last-american-musical-revolution-2495949778.html)** > > To borrow a phrase from my kids’ favorite cartoon, Phineas and Ferb, “Why, yes. Yes it was Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/38 "2017-10-21T20:58:53Z")
For good or bad, the last (attempted) musical revolution, as such (i.e., if you judged it next to actual successful revolutions it would probably pale a fair amount in comparison) was the “indie” one starting in the late 90’s. These guys were basically the anti-rockers, eschewing just about every musical element that had heterofore defined rock. But, having totally deconstructed the core genre, the music basically had nowhere else to go at that point but to contract into a creative black hole. Thus it wasn’t so much a revolution as rock’s last gasp. I still have my usual dose of Pollyannish optimism that the genre could be revived somehow, somewhere, by someone, but maybe it indeed has all been played out. I want to say that if you managed to combine prog’s virtuosity and power with punk’s energy and immediacy that might be something, but WTF do I know. If this truly is the end, be fortunate that you were able to both live through it and/or be able to still partake of it (albeit in past tense). ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/39 "2017-10-21T21:02:00Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Who? Yeah right. Are you serious? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2017, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324/40 "2017-10-21T21:06:27Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > Who? They’re still playing, too. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-rock-era-over-if-so-when-did-it-end/799324.md?page=3)