Where It All Began

Here's a little bit of history on alternative rock:
Alternative rock began in the 1980's. It was normally only produced by independent labels and played by college rock stations, but it was never known as an actual "genre". It was mostly an underground phenomenon, and alternative rock bands toured constantly and produced low-budget albums that received very little praise.
In the start of the 1990's the music industry saw the potential of alternative rock in bands like Nirvana, Firehouse, and Dinosaur Jr. The breakthrough success of Nirvana is what led to the popularization of alternative rock in the mid 1990's. The band's single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" instigated the spread of alternative rock. Their album Nevermind encouraged other alternative bands to form, and alternative rock became a popular form of music!




"Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana