Rock Isn’t Dead, It’s Just Hiding

Graphics by Ailani Wong

You’ve heard it a million times: Where’d all the bands go? Why are there no good rock bands anymore? Who killed rock n’ roll? What is this pop shit on my radio? GET OFF MY LAWN!!

The thing is, rock is not really dead. Sure, it’s not as popular as it was in decades past, but that doesn’t mean it's dead. There’s still a lot of great rock bands around, even though they might not be on the Top 40 radio stations anymore. You just have to look a little harder. 

Any genre can be revived. Disco, it can be argued, is back with artists like Sabrina Carpenter and Jungle. And everyone thought that died in 1980. They even had a funeral. Everything comes back around. It’s like your mom’s vintage sweater from the 80s. Ten years ago, you thought it was the ugliest thing you’ve ever seen, and now you’re stealing it from her closet. 

It’s true that rock is not as mainstream as it used to be. The rock category isn’t televised at the GRAMMYs, it’s not at the top of the Billboard Top 100, and it’s not really at the forefront of the zeitgeist. However, it seems to be coming back around a little bit. Maybe it is just the side of TikTok I’m on, but I’ve found that there’s a renewed interest in older rock music in a lot of trending audios. Nostalgia is an addictive drug, and a lot of younger people are longing for those memories of being a kid in their parent’s car, windows down, listening to some good ol’ Divorced Dad Rock. 

Rock bands still have some cache in culture. Some of the biggest touring acts around are rock bands, proving there is still a huge audience hungry to headbang. Guns N’ Roses’ reunion tour, the Not in This Lifetime Tour, is the 3rd highest grossing tour of all time at over $500 million dollars. Oasis’s comeback tour sent Ticketmaster into a full tailspin as people clamored for outrageously priced tickets. You could argue nostalgia bait all you like, but there is something there, some spirit that can never die, something keeping it going. 

The tried and true rock bands that are still active have quite a bit to offer in their new releases. Just because a band has been around for decades doesn’t always mean they’re living off their old hits. Saviors (2024) by Green Day is a true return to form. But Here We Are (2023) by Foo Fighters is not only an incredible treatise on grief, it also kicks ass in so many spots when you are least expecting it. In Times New Roman (2023) by Queens of the Stone Age proves Josh Homme is still on top of his game as a lyricist and down-and-dirty rock n’ roller. Give these a listen if you miss that good old time rock n’ roll, there's no shame in being a fashionably late fan!

In terms of newer bands and artists, there are plenty. If you love 80s hair metal, try Dirty Honey. If you would give your left hand to hear a Led Zeppelin reunion, shuffle some Greta Van Fleet. Is Indie rock more your speed? St. Vincent is one badass woman (who just won a few GRAMMYs, by the way). If you’re like me and love 90s grunge, Aberdeen is Dead should sound comfortingly familiar. For some kick-ass female-led rock bands, Mannequin Pussy and Wolf Alice pull you in with killer melodies and hauntingly beautiful vocals. 

See how much I just came up with there? And there’s so much more beyond that. We could be here all day!

So no, rock is not dead. It's very alive; you’ve just been too lazy to look for it.