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Britpop

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Also known as British pop, Brit-pop

Britpop was a British music and cultural movement that emerged in the 1990s. Musically, it produced bright, catchy alternative rock that drew heavily on the traditions of 1960s guitar-based British pop, with lyrics that emphasised national identity and offered commentary on British culture and society. The movement was seen as a reaction against the darker lyrical themes and soundscapes of the American-led grunge and the more introspective shoegaze scene in Britain. It helped bring British alternative rock into the mainstream and became a key part of the broader Cool Britannia phenomenon, whic

Key facts

Music genre.name
Britpop
Music genre.stylistic_origins
Alternative rock pop rock British Invasion Madchester baggy glam rock mod revival punk rock indie pop new wave
Music genre.cultural_origins
Mid 1990s, United Kingdom
Music genre.derivatives
Post-Britpop post-punk revival
Music genre.subgenres
New wave of new wave
Music genre.other_topics
List of Britpop musicians British Invasion Cool Britannia Cool Cymru pop-punk power pop romo grunge shoegaze

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Wikidata facts

Image
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native label
Britpop
Commons category
Britpop
inception
1991-00-00
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~26 min read

Article

14 sections
Contents
  • Style, roots and influences
  • Origins and first years
  • "The Battle of Britpop"{{anchor|Battle of Britpop|The battle of Britpop}}
  • Peak and decline
  • Aftermath
  • Legacy
  • Gender and media critiques
  • Successors and revivals
  • Post-Britpop
  • Post-punk/garage rock revival
  • 2010s–2020s Britpop revival
  • Terminology
  • See also
  • References

Britpop was a British music and cultural movement that emerged in the 1990s. Musically, it produced bright, catchy alternative rock that drew heavily on the traditions of 1960s guitar-based British pop, with lyrics that emphasised national identity and offered commentary on British culture and society. The movement was seen as a reaction against the darker lyrical themes and soundscapes of the American-led grunge and the more introspective shoegaze scene in Britain. It helped bring British alternative rock into the mainstream and became a key part of the broader Cool Britannia phenomenon, which echoed the spirit of the Swinging Sixties.

Britpop also marked the rise of bands emerging from the independent music scene of the early 1990s. Although often described as a cultural moment rather than a strictly defined musical genre, its leading bands shared influences from 1960s British pop, 1970s glam and punk rock, and 1980s indie pop. Manchester's indie scene — including groups such as the Smiths, the Stone Roses, and Happy Mondays — is often cited as an important precursor to Britpop's musical development.

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