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Music genre

Hard rock

Hard rock is a music genre that emerged in United States and United Kingdom in the 1960s. It is usually classed as a form of rock music. Explore its 2 subgenres, key artists and related styles.

Listen: Hard rock examples

Hardly Hard Rock (Antti Luode)
3:39CC BY 3.0by Antti LuodeWikimedia Commons
3:39

Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.

About Hard rock

Hard rock is a music genre that emerged in United States and United Kingdom in the 1960s. It is usually classed as a form of rock music.

Artists closely associated with the genre include The Beatles, Queen, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Lordi and Motörhead.

Hard rock has given rise to 2 subgenres on this site, such as Glam metal and Occult rock.

From Wikipedia

Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by vocals and electric guitars that are aggressive and distorted relative to traditional rock music. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic, and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard rock music was produced by the Kinks, the Who, the Yardbirds, the Rolling Stones, Cream, Vanilla Fudge, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In the late 1960s, bands such as Blue Cheer, the Jeff Beck Group, Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Golden Earring, Steppenwolf, Grand Funk Railroad, Free, and Deep Purple also produced hard rock.

Genre family tree

Parent genres (↑) and subgenres (↓) of Hard rock.

Key artists

  • The Beatles
  • Queen
  • John Lennon
  • Freddie Mercury
  • Lordi
  • Motörhead
  • Jimi Hendrix
  • David Bowie
  • Led Zeppelin
  • Ozzy Osbourne

Related genres

Questions people ask

Real questions from the Stack Exchange community – follow a link to read the discussion.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hard rock?

Hard rock is a music genre that emerged in United States and United Kingdom in the 1960s. It is usually classed as a form of rock music.

Where and when did Hard rock originate?

Hard rock originated in United States and United Kingdom in the 1960s.

Who are famous Hard rock artists?

The Beatles, Queen, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, Lordi and Motörhead.

Sources & credits