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Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent underground music scene. The term is sometimes used interchangeably with underground music as a whole, though more specifically implicates that the music meets the criterion of being rock, as opposed to indie pop or other possible match-ups. These criteria vary from an emphasis on rock instrumentation (electric guitars, bass guitar, live drums, and vocals) to more abstract (and debatable) rockist constructions of authenticity. It is however not uncommon to see a variety of instruments that are rarely used in other rock genres, such as the violin.

"Indie rock" is shorthand for "independent rock", for many of its artists are unsigned or signed to independent record labels, rather than major record labels. It is not strictly a genre of music (although the term is often used to reference the sound of specific bands and the bands they have influenced), but is often used as an umbrella term covering a wide range of artists and styles, connected by some degree of allegiance to the values of underground culture, and (usually) describable as rock music. Genres or subgenres often associated with indie rock include lo-fi, post-rock, sadcore, C86, and math rock, to list but a few; other related (and sometimes overlapping) categories include shoegazing and indie pop.

Indie rock artists place a premium on maintaining complete control of their music and careers, releasing albums on independent record labels (sometimes their own) and relying on touring, word-of-mouth, and airplay on independent or college radio stations for promotion. Some end up moving to major labels, often on favorable terms won by their prior independent success.

In the United Kingdom, indie music charts have been compiled since the early 1980s. Initially, the charts featured bands that emerged from punk, post-punk, New Wave, and other forms of music; these bands were categorized solely by having their records released by small labels, independently of the major record companies. However, the term "indie" became primarily associated with a form of guitar-based alternative rock that dominated the indie charts, particularly indie pop artists such as Aztec Camera and Orange Juice, the C86 jangle-pop movement and the twee pop of Sarah Records artists. Some definitive British indie rock bands of the 80s were The Smiths, The Stone Roses and The Jesus and Mary Chain, whose music directly influenced 1990s alternative movements such as shoegazing and Britpop. In fact, it is quite common in Britain for all alternative music to be referred to as "indie" instead of "alternative."

In the United States, the music commonly regarded as indie rock is descended from an alternative rock scene largely influenced by the punk rock, New Wave, and hardcore punk movements of the 1970s and early 1980s and their DIY ethos. In the 80's the term "indie rock" was particularly associated with the abrasive, distortion-heavy sounds of Hüsker Dü, Dinosaur Jr (who coincidently are often mentioned as an influence on the shoegazing movement), Sonic Youth, Big Black, and others that populated American indie labels, separating them from jangly college rock bands like R.E.M. and 10,000 Maniacs, who, by the end of the decade, were signed to major labels. During the first half of the 1990s, alternative music, led by grunge bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, broke into the mainstream, achieving commercial chart success and widespread exposure. Shortly thereafter the alternative genre became commercialized as mainstream success attracted major-label investment and commercially-oriented or manufactured acts with a formulaic, conservative approach. With this, the meaning of the label "alternative" changed away from its original, more counter-cultural meaning to refer to alternative music that achieved mainstream success and the term "indie rock" was used to refer to the bands and genres that remained underground. One of the defining movements of 90s American indie rock was the lo-fi movement spearheaded by Guided by Voices, Pavement, Sebadoh, Liz Phair, and others, which placed a premium on rough recording techniques, ironic detachment, and disinterest in "selling out" to the mainstream alternative rock scene.

More recently, the term "indie rock" has become a catch-all phrase and so incredibly broad that almost anything from garage rock to alt-country to psychedelic folk and hundreds of other genres can fall under its umbrella.

In fact, there are likely to be several popular, and wildly varying, strains of indie rock going at any given time. For example, some of the more popular recent strains include:

• Baroque Pop, an updated take on the folk music of the 1960s, typically designated by quiet vocals and more ornate, orchestral instrumentation and arrangements. (See: Arcade Fire, Danielson Famile, Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists)

• New Prog, (see: Mew,Muse)

• New Weird America or Freak Folk, a more experimental take on New Folk that generally revolves around quirky, psych-inflected folk songs and ballads. (See: Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom, Animal Collective, Six Organs of Admittance)

• Psych-Folk, the most heavily psych-influenced strain of New Folk, frequently consisting of avant-garde noise, drones, or dissonance, and often employing natural field recordings for added atmosphere. (See: No-Neck Blues Band, Brightblack Morning Light, Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice)

• Dance-Punk, a hybridization of New Wave and punk rock aesthetics. (See: LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, !!!, Out Hud, Liars, Radio 4, Death from Above 1979, Lost Sounds)

• Garage rock revival, a throwback to a more primitive 60s rock and roll sound which was heavily influenced by Delta blues. (See: The White Stripes, The Strokes, The Blazing Violets, The Von Bondies, The Eagles of Death Metal, The Vines, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Hives, The Black Keys)

• Twee pop, a genre which is known for simple, sweet melodies and lyrics, often with jangling guitars and a noted emphasis on childlike naivete. The name "twee" comes from the British slang for something overly sweet or knowingly cute. (See: The Boy Least Likely To, Architecture in Helsinki, Belle & Sebastian, Tullycraft, Camera Obscura, Girls in Hawaii)

• Musical collectives, where a large group of musicians — which may vary significantly from album to album, or even from song to song — collaborate on a project, often while maintaining solo careers as well. (See Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, The Polyphonic Spree, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, dEUS, The Hidden Cameras, Islands)

Also among the most popular strains of indie rock at present is the post-punk revival movement. Popularized by bands such as Liars, Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, The Futureheads, and Interpol it is influenced primarily by the New Wave and post-punk movements of the 1980s. The core of this movement has mostly been the resurgence of spiky 70's punk and '80s post-punk rhythms and riffs akin to those played by Gang of Four, Television and Wire. Often this style has been blended with other genres such as garage rock.

• Mathieson, Craig (2000), The Sell-In: How the Music Business Seduced Alternative Rock, Sydney, Allen and Unwin

• Indie (music)
• Indie (culture)
• List of indie rock artists
• List of Australian indie rock bands
• List of DIY artists
• Hipster (contemporary subculture)