Britpop

Britpop was a British alternative rock genre and movement that was at its most popular in Great Britain in

Britpop was a British alternative rock genre and movement that was at its most popular in Great Britain in the mid 1990s. Britpop emerged from the indie scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s. The movement developed as a reaction against various musical and cultural trends in the late 1980s and early 1990s, particularly the grunge phenomenon from the United States. In the wake of the grunge invasion led by bands like Nirvana, many bands positioned themselves as opposing musical forces, referencing British guitar music of the past and writing about uniquely British topics and concerns.

Although Britpop bands did not on the whole have a single unifying sound they were grouped together by the media first as a 'scene' and later as a national cultural movement. Blur, Oasis and Pulp are generally considered the scene's most prominent acts; other major bands associated with Britpop at various stages included Suede, Elastica, Ocean Colour Scene, Supergrass, and The Verve. These bands brought British alternative rock into the mainstream and formed the backbone of a larger British cultural movement called "Cool Britannia". Although its more popular bands were able to spread their commercial success overseas and even to America, Britpop fell apart by the end of the decade.