College rock

College rock was a term used in the United States to describe 1980s alternative rock before the term "alternative" came into common usage. So named because it was primarily played on campus radio stations, these bands combined the experimentation of post punk and new wave with a more melodic pop style and an underground sensibility. It is not necessarily a genre term, but there do exist some common aesthetics among college rock bands. Artists such as R.E.M., 10,000 Maniacs, U2, and the Replacements became some of the better-known examples in the mid 1980s. By the 1990s, however, the genre had been supplanted by grunge and indie rock.

List of artists commonly considered to be college rock

• The Alarm
• Aztec Camera
• Billy Bragg
• The Bongos
• Edie Brickell & New Bohemians
• Kate Bush
• Butthole Surfers
• Camper Van Beethoven
• The Church
• Cocteau Twins
• The Cure
• The dB's
• Dead Milkmen
• Dinosaur Jr
• Dream Syndicate
• Echo & the Bunnymen
• Guadalcanal Diary
• Robyn Hitchcock
• Hoodoo Gurus
• The House of Love
• The Housemartins
• Hüsker Dü
• Indigo Girls
• The Jesus and Mary Chain
• Let's Active
• Love and Rockets
• The Mekons
• Midnight Oil
• The Mighty Lemon Drops
• Morrissey
• Bob Mould
• Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper
• New Order
• Pixies
• The Pursuit of Happiness
• The Replacements
• R.E.M.
• Sonic Youth
• Soul Asylum
• The Smiths
• The Smithereens
• The Sugarcubes
• 10,000 Maniacs
• They Might Be Giants
• Throwing Muses
• U2
• Violent Femmes
• XTC