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[jal-vani]

so, i've felt this way for a number of years. the genre "alternative" was developed to describe a particular new sound (in the late 80's, early 90's) that didn't fit into the "rock" mold, assuming i remember right. but, as time went on, it seems that alternative came to be a catch-all for modern rock as a whole. which begs the question, what exactly is "alternative" alternative to? i'm thinking: nothing. so there's really no alternative in modern rock, since there's no choice. am i missing something, or is this hitting the nail on the head? and can i get some support for retiring this genre until it can actually mean something, again?

[Oerdin]

Never speak ill of alternative.  I have fond memories of my high school years when alternative was just the shiznit.   I can also remember a time when nothing was cooler then Oingo Bongo.

[Stefu]

Words change meanings.

[KharBevNor]

I don't use it, except to describe people who are obviously dressing in an unusual, probably music related way but don't really fit into any handy subcategory. The kind of people that would probably be called 'Greebo' up north.

At one point, wasn't 'alternative' being used as a prefix with rock and/or metal as a sort of polite way to describe nu-metal bands? I still call SOAD 'alt. rock/metal' as I don't really feel like it can be easily lumped next to Drowning Pool and Slipknot.

[ASturge]

meanings change.

rn'b used to mean rhythem and blues, now its some sort of shitty musical contraption that involves girating ladies with no real talent

[Oerdin]

Alternative used to mean just about any of the new trendy youth orientated rock music that came out in the first half of the 1990's.  Basically if it wasn't hard rock, classic rock, soft rock. ot metal but it was still rock then it was Alternative rock.  Much of what we now call Indie would have been called Alternative if it came out 10 years ago.

[AndSheeWas]

  I can also remember a time when nothing was cooler then Oingo Bongo.

Yes, that time is now!

[Deformagraphy]

Alternative to me is the stuff that doesn't fit a genre.  The artists that change every record with every mood.  Where one record can be a concept album surrounding a man falling into his own personal hell, and the next be a art-rock album surrounding what this man does with the pieces.

Of course, I'm directly referring to Nine Inch Nails, but there are many other bands like this.  

Simple terms:  Artists or band that recreate what they do with every album and every song.  They can't ever be put into a genre because it could be defended for yet another genre.

Or something, I had a point there but I lost it.

[DeathrockZombie]

Alternative in the 80s was pretty much anything that wasn't pop. Joy Division, Minor Threat, Slayer, Bauhaus, Oingo Boingo. It was all Alt. Like Indie, it got reappropriated to a college rock sound in the 90s, and lost its meaning.

Blast!

Oingo Boingo is cooler than your mom.

[Ruskin]

Isn't this a dream come true? ISN'T THIS A NIGHTMARE TOOOOOOOOOOO?!

[AndSheeWas]

This is not a classroom with teacher at the board
This is not a game show with prizes at the door...

[Two_Tone]

Alternative was a way for Radio formats and MTV to chnage the hundreds of Sub Generes that record stor kids argue about and plaster it into a nice easy package.

[Oerdin]

Yeah, basically.

[Burninated Peasant]

Every couple years my frustration with the mislabelling of music as "alternative" comes to a boil and I go off on a tirade about it. What it all comes down to is this: If 3/4 of radio stations play a certain type of music, it's not alternative. Most of the stuff people call "alternative" nowadays is ultra-mainstream, over-produced and over-processed pop bullshit.