alt-rock

noun

ˈȯlt-ˌräk How to pronounce alt-rock (audio)
: alternative rock
… interesting music covering everything from electronica to alt-rock … and acoustic folk …—Tim Hughes
"I grew up listening to whatever my family listened to. Kudos to them for molding my style," he [Ivan Cornejo, musical artist] says. "My brother would listen to alt-rock like Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala, and my parents listened to Café Tacvba. Very on the alternative side."—Griselda Flores
alt-rocker
ˈȯlt-ˌrä-kər How to pronounce alt-rock (audio)
noun

Examples of alt-rock in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Vedder’s elliptical tales of adolescent trauma were a perfect fit with music that blended classic-rock tropes (especially McCready’s solos) with punk energy, grunge guitar tones and the groove-heavy vibe of early-Nineties alt-rock. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026 With Phoebe Bridgers’ first album in six years, listeners don’t have to choose, because the alt-rock darling and recent four-time Grammy winner gives us some of both, plus more. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026 Throughout the hour-and-a-half long set, alt-rock musician YUNGBLUD and former Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Melissa Auf der Maur also joined the band. — Greta Cross, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026 Those digital Mellotrons balanced against Wilson’s dry 2000s alt-rock production cast Åkerfeldt’s ballads into a searching, uncanny drift at the outskirts of the metal landscape. — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for alt-rock

Word History

Etymology

by shortening

First Known Use

1982, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of alt-rock was in 1982

Rhymes for alt-rock

See All Rhymes for alt-rock

Browse Nearby Words

Altrincham
alt-rock
altro-heptulose
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Alt-rock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alt-rock. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on alt-rock

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about alt-rock

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