Rock is a form of popular music that emerged in the 1950s and that by the end of the 20th century was the world’s dominant form of popular music. It originated in the United States and spread to other English-speaking countries and across Europe in the 1960s.
Rock - Pioneers, Genres, Legends: For lexicographers and legislators alike, the purpose of definition is to grasp a meaning, to hold it in place, so that people can use a word correctly—for example, to assign a track to its proper radio outlet (rock, pop, country, jazz). The trouble is that the term rock describes an evolving musical practice informed by a variety of nonmusical arguments ...
Rock became the most inclusive of musical genres; if other kinds of music—e.g., classical, jazz, easy listening, country, folk, etc.—are marketed as minority interests, rock defines the musical mainstream. Rock's origins lie in rock and roll, a new form of American popular music in the 1950s that was personified early on by Elvis Presley.
Rock - Social Change, Cultural Evolution, Music Revolution: How, then, should rock’s contribution to music history be judged? One way to answer this is to trace rock’s influences on other musics. Another is to attempt a kind of cultural audit. (What is the ratio of rock masterworks to rock dross?) But such approaches come up against the problem of definition. Rock does not so much ...
Rock music is a form of popular music that emerged in the 1950s and can be defined as “a form of music with a strong beat”—it is difficult to be much more precise. It is also called rock and roll. Rock originated in the United States in the 1950s and then spread to other English-speaking countries and across Europe in the ’60s; by the ’90s its impact was evident globally.