Alternative rock arose from the 1980s
American underground to become one of the 1990s’s best-selling musical phenomena.
However, the music’s move into the mainstream proved to be deeply problematic, as
evidenced by Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain’s fear of “selling out” and his
resistance to the marketing of alternative as a desirable, rebellious commodity.
As critic Thomas Frank memorably lamented at the time, if alternative was indistinguishable
from the mainstream, then it begged the question: “Alternative to what?” This
book-length project considers alternative as a conflicted musical and cultural terrain, one that
saw major labels try to tap into and exploit alternative’s hip DIY
sensibilities and alternative musicians respond with subversive sarcastic acts
and disruptive sonic blasts. Residing between the periphery and center of
popular culture, alternative was a uniquely unsettled space, but one that over
time became deeply entrenched in the music industry.