Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Not Dead, It’s Been Alive This Entire Time
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The phrase “rock ‘n’ roll is dead” has been circulating long before the turn of this century. Such a pronunciation of “death” implies that nobody on earth has been listening to, getting inspired by, or making rock music in recent years. This claim has been made for decades, despite the genre’s continued existence throughout history. As a Gen Z rock ‘n’ roll fan, I don’t believe that rock ‘n’ roll has ever died, nor that such a final “end” could ever occur for a genre so immensely influential.
Older rock fans and music critics have spent years squabbling over the legitimacy of modern music, contemplating the age-old question: is rock ‘n’ roll dead? Meanwhile, musicians inspired by the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll have continued to make music the entire time, shaping and evolving the genre.
Take, for example, Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film Almost Famous. Inspired by his time as a music journalist for Rolling Stone Magazine, the film depicts the rock scene of the 1970s, including nods to music legends David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, and Black Sabbath. At the beginning of the film, teenage music journalist William (based on Crowe himself) is told by an older music critic: “It’s a shame you missed out on rock ‘n’ roll. It’s over.” Although fictional, this scene depicts the attitudes people had about rock ‘n’ roll’s “death” at a time when the genre was flourishing. Today’s music fanatics are likely to agree that rock ‘n’ roll did not die in the 1960s: the 70s, 80s, 90s, early 2000s, and 2010s all had their respective, distinct contributions to rock ‘n’ roll history.
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Older fans and music critics have always been quick to judge and criticize younger musicians and new movements. A foundational principle of rock ‘n’ roll is rebellion, innately lending itself to older generations’ disapproval of it. Music trends are made by young people, for young people; if musicians throughout history conformed to what older fans and critics thought they ought to be doing, rock ‘n’ roll never would have been created in the first place. If older generations (yes, even older rock fans) hate what younger musicians are doing, isn’t that the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll? When older generations claim to rock ‘n’ roll has died, are they just refusing to accept the ways the genre has changed – and continues to change – over time?
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At its origin in the 1950s, rock ‘n’ roll was considered a disdainful genre amongst the conservative mainstream. Developed by Black American musicians during the segregation period, rock ‘n’ roll was originally a fusion of jazz, rhythm & blues, gospel, and country. When Elvis took the White mainstream by storm with this “colored” genre and “provocative” dancing, older generations were outraged by the “corruption” rock music was inflicting upon the day’s youth.
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In the 60s, the same thing happened with the Beatles. Then Led Zeppelin was considered demonic in the 70s, Mötley Crüe was called disgraceful in the 80s, Nirvana was controversially feminist in the 90s, Green Day was “too political” in the early 2000s, and so on. These are just a few examples, but the essence remains the same: rock ‘n’ roll will always have its critics.
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This brings me to the music scene today. When rock fans call the beloved genre “dead,” they overlook the immense influence it has had on society to this very day. I can tell you from personal experience that the alternative “scene” is still alive and well in middle schools, high schools, and universities today. Young people are still flooding arenas for rock bands, band merchandise is extremely popular, Hot Topic is still in business, Best Rock Album is still a category at award shows, the “rockstar girlfriend aesthetic” is all the rage on social media, and most importantly: Gen Z is listening to, loving, getting inspired by, and creating our very own rock ‘n’ roll.
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Today, pop punk lives in artists like Machine Gun Kelly, WILLOW, YUNGBLUD, Siiickbrain, jxdn, and Maggie Lindemann, all aided by Blink-182’s legendary Travis Barker and the resurgence of Avril Lavigne. Gen Z pop princess Olivia Rodrigo has clear punk influences in her music and fashion, especially in her hit track good 4 u. Greta Van Fleet’s more nostalgic sound has earned them the title of our generation’s “rock revivalists,” and even recognition from Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant. Older bands like Red Hot Chili Peppers are still releasing music and touring to this day, with their album Return of the Dream Canteen having been released just a few weeks ago. This is a very small sample, but it goes to show: rock ‘n’ roll is alive and well.
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Maybe today’s rock music doesn’t sound like the rock music older generations are used to hearing. Maybe they hate it. Maybe they think it’s disdainful, demonic, disgraceful, controversial, too much this, not enough that. Hmm, doesn’t that sound familiar?
The core of rock ‘n’ roll is defying expectations. It is a dynamic genre, constantly changing in accordance with the generation making it, the issues relevant to young people at the time, technological developments, and the massive snowball of previous influence. Rock ‘n’ roll isn’t one sub-genre, one sound, one type of artist, or one set of musical norms it’s the exact opposite of that. If you’re a rock fan who expects rock ‘n’ roll to sound one specific way, you have lost the entire essence of the genre and become what you once rebelled against predictability, normalcy, complacency, and adherence to the mainstream. Rock ‘n’ roll hasn’t died, it’s just changed with a changing world.
I believe that rock ‘n’ roll is immortal. It is an energy, an attitude, a spirit, that lives in the hearts and souls of mankind forever. It is not something that ever can be truly erased from our culture or consciousness. There will always be new ways to re-inspire, re-think, and re-invent rock ‘n’ roll.
Strike Out,
Writer: Cristina Angee
Editor: Addy Crosby
Graphic Designer:
Tallahassee