alternative country

noun

variants or less commonly Alternative Country

: alt-country

The former rockers returned their format to alternative country and never looked back.

—Beth Feinstein-Bartl

The sounds of Alternative Country definitely have their roots in the Country and Western of old. The music is charged with a combination of the country sound—the ever-so-sad twanging of an acoustic guitar—and the furious sound … of rock-and-roll's sensory assault.

—Amber Holst

—often hyphenated when used before another noun

an alternative-country group/band

Examples of alternative country in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since the mid-1990s, The Hideout has been a destination for live music, particularly indie rock and alternative country — eventually taking over the scene left behind when Lounge Ax closed in 2000. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026

If anyone figured any of this would dissuade the part of Simpson’s fan base that came to know him as an alternative country artist first, and not someone who does topical disco, that dissuasion did not materialize. — Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Mar. 2026

In the second quarter conference call, Madden’s CEO said the company moved some production for fall back to China where it was deemed to be too difficult to ensure on-time delivery, product quality and/or reasonable pricing in an alternative country. — Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 10 Oct. 2025

To keep costs low, Kurnik is looking into sourcing more coffee from alternative countries like El Salvador and Colombia. — Bailey Schulz, USA Today, 17 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for alternative country

• backcountry
• countrie
• intercountry