alternative music

noun

: music that is produced by performers who are outside the musical mainstream, that is typically regarded as more eclectic, original, or challenging than most popular music (such as conventional rock, pop, or country), and that is often distributed by independent record labels

Examples of alternative music in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Rather than writing traditional Broadway show tunes, Sheik and Sater created a rock score that drew on the emotional directness of alternative music. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 Sep. 2026

Rosalía is also competing in the categories of pop song, alternative music album, Portuguese language song and short form music video. — ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

In 2024 The Record won the Grammy for best alternative music album and scored a nomination for album of the year. — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 10 Aug. 2026

Prior to its arrival in Chicago as a destination festival in 2005, Lollapalooza toured the country as a tastemaking showcase for alternative music and more in the 1990s, with Smashing Pumpkins headlining the fourth installment in 1994. — Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1974, in the meaning defined above