In a recently released interview, one of music’s greatest living legends, Billy Corgan, spoke about how rock music has gone into decline. “There are forces in the world that go out of their way to marginalize particular voices… because they refuse to accept the given narrative,” said Corgan, the lead vocalist for The Smashing Pumpkins. “Rock was the greatest single social changing force of the 20th century… Here we are, 25 years into the 21st century, and rock couldn’t be less of an influence on the social political order. Does anybody think that’s kind of strange?”
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when rock music fell out of the mainstream. It was at the height of its popularity between the 1960s and 1980s, seeing a noticeable decline in the mid-1990s after Kurt Cobain’s death. However, it wasn’t until 2017 that hip hop officially overtook rock as the most consumed music genre. The 2000s saw rock music’s last gasp, as it fractured into countless sub genres including pop-punk, hardcore, and indie. The number of influential rock musicians that have burst onto the scene in the 2020s could probably be counted on one hand.
Rock music was important to American culture in the 20th century because it represented the American people. Rock was never strictly Republican or Democrat. One of the founders of punk music, Johnny Ramone, was a conservative. Alice Cooper, Dave Mustaine of Megadeth, and Gene Simmons of Kiss have all aligned themselves with the Republican party throughout their careers. The rock genre had little to do with politics and more to do with expressing the experiences of Americans. Southern rock had a libertarian twinge, while musicians from California’s coast leaned into the free-love movement popular at nearby college campuses.
As American culture has homogenized, rock music has ceased to reflect the American experience. The rise of internet usage mirrors the decline of rock music. In the late 1990s, youth culture shifted into online spaces, channeling angst and creativity into chat rooms for the first time. Once social media websites such as Facebook and MySpace became mainstream in the late 2000s, rock music saw a sharp decline in sales. Young people turned to the internet to express themselves instead of investing their time and energy into learning an instrument. Prior to the internet, bored teenagers had no other alternative but to throw themselves into their hobbies.
Duane Allman, the legendary guitarist and founding member of The Allman Brothers, was rumored to walk around his studio and home with a guitar slung around his neck. He would play it constantly, never letting his hands be idle, and instead opting to pick out tunes in otherwise silent moments. Social media has ensured that there is never a silent moment.
Young people are losing their capacity for artistic creation. Short form video content, like that found on TikTok or Instagram Reels, literally ‘rots’ peoples’ brains. The format relies on quick hits of dopamine through likes, comments, and easy scrolling features which make the platforms addictive. Unfortunately, these features also destroy attention spans, impact social development, and encourage addictive behaviors. This also causes activities such as reading or learning to play an instrument to be less exciting because they don’t release dopamine as rapidly.
It’s no secret that TikTok has become a hotbed of left-wing extremism, especially for young people. Over 55% of its users identify as Democrats, and the platform has higher rates of left-leaning influencers than most other social media sites. However, most of these young people aren’t using the app to research politics and craft thoughtful, insightful arguments about facts. Rather, they’re indulging in shock-value content to garner attention and build audiences. Rock musicians used to do the same thing: trashing hotel rooms, swearing in songs to anger parents, or exposing themselves onstage to “make a point.” Woodstock ‘99 is the perfect example of such behavior, with acts like the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Limp Bizkit being explicitly crude to elicit strong reactions from those watching on television.
TikTok has replaced rock music as the major “social political influence” Billy Corgan spoke about. It appeals to the angsty energy of youth without requiring the creativity and skill previously found in the music industry.
The current state of American music reflects how the country has lost its sense of identity. The most streamed genre currently is hip-hop. Hip-hop and rap account for 76% of all swearing in the music on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
For pop musicians and the few rock artists found today, there’s an increasing likelihood that they will use electronic music samples rather than actual instruments. Most modern music uses listener and market data at every stage of production. Songs are designed to have short introductions, faster starts, and earlier choruses to keep music streamers from skipping songs when they’re first heard. Each of these things represent a culture void of artistic integrity but focused on receiving attention and quick hits.
Billy Corgan is right to raise the alarm on rock music’s slip into obscurity. The Smashing Pumpkins were one of the last influential rock bands before the genre succumbed to instant gratification.
