{{Short description|Music genre}} {{Infobox music genre | name = Alternative pop | other_names = Alt-pop | stylistic_origins = {{hlist|Pop|alternative rock|R&B|electronic|dream pop|indie pop|art pop|synth-pop}} | cultural_origins = 1980s–2000s, United Kingdom | instruments = {{hlist|Singing vocals|electric guitar|electric bass guitar|drum kit|synthesizer|electronic keyboard|DJing}} | derivatives = | subgenres = | other_topics = {{hlist|Alternative R&B|avant-pop|dark pop|electropop|experimental pop|hyperpop|noise pop|progressive pop}}
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'''Alternative pop''' (also known as '''alt-pop''') is pop music with broad commercial appeal that is made by figures outside the mainstream, or which is considered more original, challenging, or eclectic than traditional pop music.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alternative%20pop#h1 |title=Alternative Pop | Definition of Alternative Pop by Merriam-Webster |access-date=May 22, 2021 |archive-date=May 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210522224355/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alternative%20pop#h1 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''The Independent'' described alt-pop as "a home-made, personalized imitation of the mainstream that speaks far closer to actual teenage experience", and which is commonly characterized by a dark or downbeat emotional tone with lyrics about insecurity, regret, drugs, and anxiety.<ref name=independentaltpop/>
According to AllMusic, the alternative scene's "left-of-center pop" failed to experience mainstream success during the 1980s,<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.allmusic.com/style/alternative-pop-rock-ma0000002422|title = Alternative Pop/Rock Music Genre Overview|website = AllMusic|access-date = October 22, 2021|archive-date = October 22, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211022185645/https://www.allmusic.com/style/alternative-pop-rock-ma0000002422|url-status = live}}</ref> although the UK alternative pop band Siouxsie and the Banshees saw success in that decade.<ref name=Goddard>{{cite book |author=Goddard, Simon |title=Mozipedia: The Encyclopedia of Morrissey and the Smiths |entry=Sioux, Siouxsie |publisher=Ebury Press |page=[https://archive.org/details/mozipediaencyclo00godd_0/page/393 393] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-452-29667-1 |url=https://archive.org/details/mozipediaencyclo00godd_0/page/393 }}</ref> Canadian singer Avril Lavigne's success in the early 2000s, including her hit single "Sk8er Boi", helped set the stage for a subsequent generation of female alt-pop singers.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Eloise |first1=Marianne |title=From Avril Lavigne to Billie Eilish: a recent history of pop's alt-girls |url=https://thefortyfive.com/opinion/from-avril-lavigne-to-billie-eilish-a-recent-history-of-pops-alt-girls/ |website=The Forty-Five |date=October 5, 2020 |access-date=October 24, 2022}}</ref> In the late 2000s, American singer Santigold established herself as an "alternative pop hero" due to her apparent artistic conviction.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Pelly |first1=Jenn |title=Confronting Music's Mental Health Crisis |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/article/music-and-mental-health/ |website=Pitchfork |date=December 20, 2022 |access-date=December 27, 2022}}</ref>
In the early 2010s, American singer Lana Del Rey developed a "cult-like following" with her "cinematic, beat-heavy alt-pop", which was characterized by an "alluring sadness and melodrama".<ref>{{cite magazine |date=November 21, 2019 |last1=Shouneyia |first1=Alexa |title=Songs That Defined the Decade: Lana Del Rey's 'Born to Die' |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lana-del-rey-born-to-die-songs-that-defined-the-decade-8544101/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=23 October 2022}}</ref> New Zealand alt-pop singer Lorde achieved global success in 2013 and 2014, topping charts and winning awards.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Mitchell |first1=Tony |title=Lorde's Auckland: Stepping Out of 'the Bubble' |journal=Made in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand Studies in Popular Music |date=2018 |page=Ch. 3}}</ref> In 2022, American singer Billie Eilish was credited with marking the "ascendence" of alternative pop in the mainstream with her dark, downbeat pop.<ref name=independentaltpop>{{cite web |last1=Beaumont |first1=Mark |title=Billie Eilish review, Glastonbury 2022: History-making set is 90 minutes of noir-pop catharsis |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/billie-eilish-review-glastonbury-2022-b2109771.html |website=The Independent |date=June 26, 2022 |access-date=October 24, 2022}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
{{Pop music}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Alternative pop Category:21st-century music genres Category:2000s in music Category:2000s fads and trends Category:Pop music genres Category:American styles of music