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Pop rock
Stylistic origins:	Pop music Rock music
Cultural origins:	1960s in Great Britain .
Typical instruments:	Guitar, Bass guitar, Drums, Vocals, Keyboards, Synthesizers
Mainstream popularity:	Mainstream since 1960s
Subgenres
British Invasion Glam rock New Wave Surf rock Synthpop
Other topics
Pop culture

Pop rock is a subgenre of rock music that uses catchy pop style, with light lyrics over top of guitar-based songs. Scholars have noted that pop and rock are usually depicted as opposites; the detractors of pop often deride it as a slickly-commercial commodity, whereas rock is an authentic and sincere form of music.

Contents 1 Definitions 2 Examples 3 Further reading 4 External links

According to music reviewer George Starostin, pop rock is a subgenre of pop music that uses catchy pop songs that are mostly guitar-based. Starostin argues that most of what is traditionally called 'power pop' falls into the pop rock subgenre. He claims that the lyrical content of pop rock is normally secondary to the music. ^[1]

Critic Philip Auslander argues that the distinction between pop and rock is more pronounced in the US than in the UK. He claims in the US, pop is the musical genre with its roots in white crooners such as Perry Como, whereas rock is rooted in African-American-influenced forms such as Rock and Roll. Auslander points out that the concept of pop rock, which blends pop and rock is at odds with the typical conception of pop and rock as opposites. Auslander and several other scholars such as Frith and Grossberg argue that pop music is often depicted as an inauthentic, cynical, slickly commercial and formulaic form of entertainment. In contrast, rock music is often heralded as an authentic, sincere, anti-commercial form of music, which emphasizes songwriting by the singers and bands, instrumental virtuosity, and a real connection with the audience. ^[2]

Examples of pop-rock acts or songs are numerous, and so only a few are listed here. From the '50s, acts such as Ricky Nelson helped popularize rock'n roll but were not deemed as authentic, thus creating the sub-genre.

In the 60s, most rock acts were bringing new and innovative sounds, and so not many can be considered pop-rock. Exceptions included “manufactured” acts like the Monkees, which now enjoy some modicum of respect from rock’n roll purists.

The 70s brought an explosion of pop-rock acts from the bubblegum sounds of the Bay City Rollers, to the adult contemporary later hits of Chicago and the Doobie Brothers, to the interpretations of Three Dog Night, to the beginnings of the hair bands like KISS.

The 80s were the peak decade for pop-rock, with the sound fully ingrained in the sound of Top 40. Popular acts from Toto, Loverboy, Night Ranger, and Huey Lewis & the News, to the new wave sound of the Bangles, The Romantics, and the Motels, to the hair band giants Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Motley Crue helped define the era and produce countless hits.

The 90s saw a counter-act to pop-rock excess of the 80s with grunge’s emergence in rock. The effect on pop-rock was the more alternative sound of Hootie & the Blowfish, the Gin Blossoms, and Toad the Wet Sprocket. The effect was to lift pop-rock to a level of respect unseen in especially the previous decade. This continues somewhat to this day and makes the pop-rock label hard to assign to most acts.

• Birrer F.A.J. -"Definitions and research orientation: do we need a definition for popular music?" in D. Horn (ed), - "Popular Music Perspectives - 1985 - Gothenburg - pg 99-105.

• Chambers I - "Urban Rhythms, Pop Music and Popular Culture," - 1985 - OUP

• Fiske J, - "Understanding Popular Culture," - 1989 - Routledge

• Frith S - "The Sociology of Rock," - 1978 - Constable

• Frith S - "Sound Effects: Youth, Leisure and the Politics of Rock'n'Roll," - 1983 - Constable

• Hamm C - "Yesterdays: Popular Song in America," - 1979 - New York

• Harker D - "One For the Money: Politics and Popular Song," - 1980 - Hutchinson

• Harron M - "Pop as Commodity," cited in S Frith - "Facing The Music: Essays on Pop, Rock and Culture," -1988 - Mandarin - pg 173-220

• Hill D - "Designer Boys and Material Girls: Manufacturing the '80's Pop Dream," - 1986 - Blandford Press

• Middleton R - "Studying Popular Music," - 1990 - OUP

• Moore A.F - "Rock: The Primary Text," - 1993 - OUP

• Shuker R - "Understanding Popular Music," - 1994 - Routledge

• Sonsma Anthony-"Is learning for a girl,"-now-trying to get a girl he likes

• Server about alternative rock music
• Analysis of Pop & Rock

v • d • e Pop music
By style	Arabesque pop - Baroque pop - Bubblegum pop - Country pop - Futurepop - Glam rock - Pop rock - Pop punk Pop rap - Power pop - Synthpop/Electropop - Indie pop - Teen pop - Traditional pop - Glam metal - Glam punk - Sunshine pop - Modern Laika - Pop folk - Balkan Pop
By region	American pop -Arabic Pop - C-pop (Cantopop, Mandopop) - Taiwanese pop - HK English pop - Europop (Austropop, Nederpop) Indi-pop (Bhangra, Filmi) - J-pop - K-pop - SFR Yugoslavia pop- Persian Pop
Other topics	Boy band - Girl group - Pop icon - Popular music - Pop culture

v • d • e Pop rock
Arena rock - Baroque pop - British Invasion - Bubblegum pop/rock - Glam metal - Glam punk - Glam rock - Indie pop - New Wave - Piano pop/rock - Power pop - Pop punk - Soft rock - Sunshine pop/rock - Surf rock - Synthpop - Synthpunk - Synth rock

v • d • e Rock music
Alternative rock · Anatolian rock · Arena rock · Art rock · Beat music · Blues-rock · Boogaloo · British Invasion · Canterbury sound · Christian rock · Country rock · Folk rock · Frat rock  · Garage rock · Glam rock · Hard rock · Heavy metal · Instrumental rock · Jam band · Jangle pop · Krautrock  · Pop rock · Power pop · Progressive rock · Psychedelic rock · Pub rock (UK) · Pub rock (Australia) · Punk rock · Rap rock · Rockabilly · Rock and roll · Soft rock · Southern rock · Surf rock
Other topics	List of rock genres - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Rock band - Social effects of rock and roll