alt-rock

noun

ˈȯlt-ˌräk 

: alternative rock

alt-rocker

ˈȯlt-ˌrä-kər 

noun

Examples of alt-rock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since her initial burst of mainstream pop success, Lindemann has continually reinvented her sound — blending pop, alt-rock, pop-punk and darker alternative influences into a fiercely personal style. —Travis Pinson, Dallas Morning News, 15 Feb. 2026

Greg Brown, the original guitarist and co-founding member of ’90s alt-rock eccentrics Cake, has died. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 9 Feb. 2026

The Best Summer isn’t a history lesson on the rise of underground music, a timeline on the evolution of the multi-artist, mixed-and-matched genre tour, or a primer on the state of the alt-rock nation circa the mid-1990s. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026

Buzzing melodies of alt-rock drift over midtown and in the places in between—licks, backbeats and inspirations are traded by musicians and producers bar for bar. —Joe Sills, Forbes.com, 17 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

by shortening

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for alt-rock

• alcock
• beanstalk
• bedrock
• boardwalk
• catwalk
• cornstalk
• crosswalk
• deadlock
• feedstock
• fetlock
• flintlock
• goshawk