Electronic rock

{{short description|Music genre}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}  {{Infobox music genre | name = Electronic rock | other_names = * Synth rock * electro rock | stylistic_origins = * Rock * electronic * musique concrète * tape music * avant-garde * pop<ref name=history>{{cite book|url=https://www.peterlang.com/view/9783653979206/14_Chapter07.html|title=Electronic Rock : On the History of Rock Music|date=10 September 2014 |isbn=9783653979206|access-date=24 November 2017}}</ref> * art rock<ref name=history/> | cultural_origins = Late 1960s | instruments = * Synthesizer * electric guitar * bass guitar * mellotron * electronic percussion * drums | derivatives = | subgenres = * Indietronica * alternative dance * dance-punk * electroclash * grebo * industrial rock * krautrock * madchester * new rave * Nintendocore * electropunk | fusiongenres = | other_topics = * Electronics in rock music * synth-pop * new wave * post-punk * progressive rock * experimental rock }}

'''Electronic rock''' (also known as '''synth rock''' and '''electro rock''') is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrumentation into their music. Electronic rock acts usually fuse elements from other music styles, including punk rock, industrial rock, hip hop, techno and synth-pop, which has helped spur subgenres such as indietronica, dance-punk and electroclash.

==Overview== Being a fusion of rock and electronic, electronic rock features instruments found in both genres, such as synthesizers, mellotrons, tape music techniques, electric guitars and drums. Some electronic rock artists, however, often eschew guitar<ref name=Oxford/> in favor of using technology to emulate a rock sound. Vocals are typically mellow or upbeat,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jxrtek_vttEC&q=electronic+rock+rock&pg=PT172|title=Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture|first=Edward|last=Macan|date=24 November 1997|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780195098877|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref> but instrumentals are also common in the genre.<ref name=SonicScoop>{{cite web|url=https://sonicscoop.com/2013/11/19/the-abcs-ofelectronic-rock-in-the-studio-the-doors-to-depeche-mode-lcd-soundsystem/|title=The ABC's of…Electronic Rock in the Studio: The Doors to Depeche Mode & LCD Soundsystem |website=SonicScoop|date= 19 November 2013|access-date=24 November 2017}}</ref>

One of the earliest composers to use electronic instruments in a rock context was Joe Meek, with the 1960 concept album ''I Hear a New World''<ref>Shade, Chris (10 April 2015). "I Hear a New World: Joe Meek Took Music to Space and Changed Production Forever." ''VICE''. Retrieved 23 October 2025 from [https://www.vice.com/en/article/i-hear-a-new-world-joe-meek-producer vice.com].</ref><ref>"Joe Meek – I Hear a New World Album Review." ''Pitchfork''. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2025 from [https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/17864-joe-meek-i-hear-a-new-world/ pitchfork.com].</ref> and the 1962 single "''Telstar''", recorded by The Tornados.<ref>Cliffe, Laurence (2017). "Joe Meek’s Telstar: Progressive Creativity and Imagination in Independent Music Production." ''Academia.edu''. Retrieved 23 October 2025 from [https://www.academia.edu/31751438/Joe_Meek_s_Telstar_Progressive_Creativity_and_Imagination_in_Independent_Music_Production academia.edu].</ref><ref>Repsch, John (1989). ''The Legendary Joe Meek: The Telstar Man''. London: Pavilion Books. ISBN 978-1-85793-114-3.</ref> These works adapted instrumental patterns to an electronic studio setting, predating the later use of technology in rock music.<ref>Cliffe, Laurence (2017). "Joe Meek’s Telstar: Progressive Creativity and Imagination in Independent Music Production." ''Academia.edu''. Retrieved 23 October 2025 from [https://www.academia.edu/31751438/Joe_Meek_s_Telstar_Progressive_Creativity_and_Imagination_in_Independent_Music_Production academia.edu].</ref>

The integration of electronic sound into rock music developed further during the mid-1960s. A notable example is the Beatles’ 1966 track "Tomorrow Never Knows", which musicologist Walter Everett describes as "an innovative example of electronic music as much as it advanced the leading edge of the rock world." Scholars and critics frequently cite the recording as a seminal work in the emergence of electronic rock, influencing later genres including new wave.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Everett |first=Walter |title=The Beatles as Musicians: Revolver through the Anthology |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1999 |isbn=978-0195129410 |pages=34-35}}</ref> In the same year, the Beach Boys employed similar innovations on the hit "''Good Vibrations''", which Trevor Pinch and Frank Trocco, authors of the 2004 book ''Analog Days'', credit with having "popularly connected far-out, electronic sounds with rock 'n' roll."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pinch|first1=T. J|last2=Trocco|first2=Frank|title=Analog Days: The Invention and Impact of the Moog Synthesizer|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CoUs2SSvG4EC|year=2009|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-674-04216-2}}</ref>

Other early acts to blend synthesizers and musique concrète's tape music techniques with rock instrumentation included Silver Apples, Fifty Foot Hose, the United States of America, White Noise, Gong,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=King of the Cosmos |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/apr/22/features.musicmonthly7 |website=The Observer |date=21 April 2007 |access-date=4 January 2020}}</ref>Syrinx, Lothar and the Hand People, Beaver & Krause and Tonto's Expanding Head Band.<ref name="Reynolds">{{cite web |last1=Reynolds |first1=Simon |title=Synthedelia: Psychedelic Electronic Music in the 1960s |url=https://daily.redbullmusicacademy.com/2018/05/synthedelia |website=Red Bull Music Academy |access-date=5 January 2020}}</ref> Many such 1960s acts blended psychedelic rock with avant-garde academic or underground influences.<ref name="Reynolds"/>

In the 1970s, German krautrock bands such as Neu!, Kraftwerk, Can and Amon Düül challenged rock boundaries by incorporating electronic instrumentation.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Demby |first1=Eric |title=OLD NEU! Albums Finally Coming Stateside |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1441197/old-neu-albums-finally-coming-stateside/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123020724/http://www.mtv.com/news/1441197/old-neu-albums-finally-coming-stateside/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 January 2015 |website=MTV News |access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> In 2004, ''Uncut'' described Kraftwerk's "incalculable" impact on electronic rock as being felt on major records like David Bowie's ''Low'' (1977) and Radiohead's ''Kid A'' (2000).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dalton |first1=Stephen |title=Kraftwerk: OK Computer |journal=Uncut |date=April 2004 |url=https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/kraftwerk-ok-computer |access-date=6 November 2023}}</ref> Since the late 2000s, electronic rock has become increasingly popular.<ref name=Oxford>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w24sDwAAQBAJ&q=%22Electronic+rock+rock%22&pg=PT144|title=Gender and Rock|first=Mary Celeste|last=Kearney|date=13 July 2017|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780190297695|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref>

==Subgenres and other terms== The term "progressive rock" (or "prog rock") was originally coined in the 1960s for music that would otherwise be described as "electronic rock,"<ref name="SonicScoop" /> but the definition of "prog" later narrowed into a specific set of musical conventions as opposed to a sensibility involving forward-thinking or experimental approaches.<ref>{{cite book|page=117|last=Robinson|first=Emily|title=The Language of Progressive Politics in Modern Britain|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LAYbDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA223|year=2017|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan UK|isbn=978-1-137-50664-1}}</ref>

Electronic rock is also associated with industrial rock, synth-pop, dance-punk, indietronica, and new wave,<ref name="SonicScoop" /> with electroclash, new rave, post-punk revival, post-rock, considered as subgenres.<ref name="Oxford" /> Sometimes, certain other electronic subgenres are fused with rock, such as trance and techno, leading to the use of the terms trance rock and techno rock, respectively.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fie47qSuTsoC&q=%22Trance+rock+rock%22&pg=PA1780|title=The Rough Guide to Rock|first=Peter|last=Buckley|date=24 November 2017|publisher=Rough Guides|isbn=9781858284576|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=v9-n6keDGDMC&q=%22Techno+rock+rock%22&pg=PA333|title=Year of Prophecy|first1=Elizabeth Clare|last1=Prophet|date=24 November 1989|publisher=Summit University Press|isbn=9780916766962|access-date=24 November 2017|via=Google Books}}</ref>

===Synth-punk=== {{Infobox music genre | name = Synth-punk | other_names = * Techno-punk<ref name="ReferenceA">Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb 1978 "L.A. PUNK ROCKERS - Six New Wave Bands Showcased"</ref> * electropunk | image = | caption = | stylistic_origins = * Punk rock * electronic | cultural_origins = Late 1970s | instruments = * Synthesizer * electric guitar * bass guitar * mellotron * electronic percussion * drums | derivatives = | subgenres = * Digital hardcore * electronic body music<ref name=hillveld>Hillegonda C Rietveld (1998) ''This Is Our House: House Music, Cultural Spaces and Technologies'' Aldershot: Ashgate. {{ISBN|978-1-85742-242-9}}</ref> | fusiongenres = | other_topics = * Industrial rock * post-punk * dance-punk * digital hardcore * electroclash * egg punk }}

'''Synth-punk''' (originally '''techno-punk''' or '''electropunk''') is a style of electronic music that mixes the aggression of punk rock with the use of synthesizers.<ref>{{cite book|last=Felix|first=Stanford|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide Music Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJ_Ql1fOCuwC&pg=PT257|year=2010|publisher=DK Publishing|isbn=978-1-101-19809-4|page=257}}</ref><ref name="Start Again 2005">''Rip It Up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978–1984''. Simon Reynolds. Faber and Faber Ltd, April 2005, {{ISBN|0-571-21569-6}} (U.S. Edition: Penguin, February 2006, {{ISBN|0-14-303672-6}})</ref> Originally pioneered by New York band Suicide, formed in 1970.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thestranger.com/slog/2016/07/18/24357413/alan-vega-agitational-vocalist-for-synth-punk-innovators-suicide-1938-2016 | title=Alan Vega, Agitational Vocalist for Synth-Punk Innovators Suicide, 1938-2016 }}</ref> Their sound over their five studio albums mixed punk rock with various electronic-based genres such as electronic rock,<ref>{{cite book |last1=DK |title=Music: The Definitive Visual History |date=2013 |publisher=Penguin |page=337 |isbn=9781465421265 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cUfyAAAAQBAJ&q=suicide+%22electronic+rock%22}}</ref> synth-pop, and disco.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/suicide-first-album-mw0000690243 |title=Suicide - Suicide Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic |website=AllMusic}}</ref> Other artists such as Californian band the Screamers were labeled "techno-punk" by the ''Los Angeles Times'' in 1978.<ref name="ReferenceA">Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb 1978 "L.A. PUNK ROCKERS - Six New Wave Bands Showcased"</ref> Rather than the usual electric guitars, the band's instrumentation included a heavily distorted Fender Rhodes electric piano and an ARP Odyssey synthesizer. The term synth-punk (or electropunk) was coined in 1999 by Damien Ramsey.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJ_Ql1fOCuwC&pg=PT257 |title=The Complete Idiot's Guide Music Dictionary: Music Explained in the Simplest Terms |date=6 July 2010 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=9781101198094 |quote=The term was invented in 1999 by Damien Ramsey to retroactively name a small subgenre of punk in which the musicians used synthesizers instead of guitars.}}</ref>

In the early 1980s, synth-punk fused with various electronic genres to create electronic body music, which would influence a number of subsequent industrial dance, industrial rock and industrial metal acts. It also influenced the hardcore punk inspired digital hardcore, which combines hardcore punk with electronic music, noise and heavy metal.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/culture/2014-05-22/ty-article/.premium/neo-nazi-fighting-musician-in-israel/0000017f-e787-df5f-a17f-ffdf3dc40000|title=Neo-Nazi Fighting Digital Hardcore Musician Comes to Israel|last=Kutner|first=Moshe|date=22 May 2014|work=Haaretz|access-date=9 July 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref name="dhr">Interview with J. Amaretto of DHR, WAX Magazine, issue 5, 1995. Included in liner notes of ''Digital Hardcore Recordings, Harder Than the Rest!!!'' compilation CD.</ref> It typically features fast tempos and aggressive sound samples.<ref name="dhr" />

Later revival instances include electronic body music,<ref name="hillveld">Hillegonda C Rietveld (1998) ''This Is Our House: House Music, Cultural Spaces and Technologies'' Aldershot: Ashgate. {{ISBN|978-1-85742-242-9}}</ref> dance punk,<ref>{{cite book|last=Felix|first=Dr. Stanford|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide Music Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lJ_Ql1fOCuwC&pg=PT257|year=2010|publisher=DK Publishing|isbn=978-1-101-19809-4|page=257}}</ref><ref name="Start Again 2005" /> and electroclash. In the 2010s, synth-punk influenced the development of an Internet microgenre known as egg punk which drew influence from the band Devo.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Salmon |first=Ben |date=2024-01-04 |title=The Rise of Second-Wave Egg Punk |url=https://www.spin.com/2024/01/second-wave-egg-punk/ |access-date=2025-10-21 |website=SPIN |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Hyper-rock=== {{See also|Hyperpop}}{{Infobox music genre | name = Hyper-rock | other_names = | stylistic_origins = * Shoegaze * hyperpop * electronic | cultural_origins = Late 2010s and early 2020s | instruments = | derivatives = | subgenres = | fusiongenres = | other_topics = * Digicore }}

'''Hyper-rock''' is a fusion genre that fuses rock music and hyperpop. It is characterized by a guitar-centric foundation combined with processed vocals, glitchy textures, and experimental sound design, resulting in a sound that differs from folktronica, indietronica, or digital hardcore.<ref name="hyper-rock3">{{Cite web |last=Feigelson |first=David |date=February 9, 2024 |title=The Emergence of Hyper-Rock |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/scene-report/the-emergence-of-hyper-rock |access-date=August 20, 2025 |website=Paste}}</ref> The term ''hyper-rock'' was coined by ''Stereogum'' journalist James Rettig. He introduced the term in a "tongue-in-cheek parenthetical" while reviewing Feeble Little Horse's album, ''Girl with Fish''.<ref name="hyper-rock3" /><ref name="sg3">{{Cite web |last=Rettig |first=James |date=2023-06-06 |title=Feeble Little Horse 'Girl With Fish' Review |url=https://www.stereogum.com/2225170/feeble-little-horse-girl-with-fish/reviews/album-of-the-week/ |accessdate=2023-06-15 |website=Stereogum |language=en-US |department=Album of the Week}}</ref>

Hyper-rock, as a distinct musical style, is considered to have emerged in the late 2010s and early 2020s, although its foundational elements and experimental precursors date back further. Early sonic experiments in the 2000s laid the groundwork for the genre. Known forerunners include Sweet Trip's ''Velocity : Design : Comfort'' (2003) is considered a significant record for the genre, blending IDM, glitch, and shoegaze. Tracks such as "Fruitcake and Cookies" and "To All the Dancers of the World, a Round Form of Fantasy" illustrate the progression from fragmented electronic textures to euphoric, guitar-driven soundscapes, elements later associated with hyper-rock.<ref name="hyper-rock3" />

Hyper-rock is primarily built around rock guitars, which may range from dense, reverb-soaked layers reminiscent of shoegaze to harsher, evolving riffs influenced by black metal. Vocals are often heavily processed, employing techniques such as pitch shifting and the use of Auto-Tune. The style also incorporates glitched-out production and electronic elements, including programmed drums, synth textures, and fragmented soundscapes. The genre reflects a fusion of influences from a wide array of musical styles. Shoegaze contributes atmospheric textures and layered guitar sounds, while hyperpop informs its high-energy, glitch-oriented approach and vocal processing. IDM, glitch, and digicore provide jittery electronic elements and fragmented sound design. Some artists integrate aspects of heavy metal, trance, EDM, vaporwave, and pop.<ref name="hyper-rock3" />

===Synth-metal=== {{Infobox music genre | name = Synth-metal | other_names = | stylistic_origins = * Heavy metal * electronic | cultural_origins = Early 1980s | instruments = * Synthesizer * electric guitar * bass guitar * mellotron * electronic percussion * drums | derivatives = | subgenres = | fusiongenres = | other_topics = * Industrial metal * cyber metal * electronicore * coldwave * electrogrind * dungeon synth * Nintendocore }}

'''Synth-metal''' is the fusion of heavy metal and electronic music. It was pioneered in the 1980s with Iron Maiden's album ''Somewhere in Time'' and Judas Priest's album ''Turbo'', both of which notably incorporate guitar synthesizers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/canberra-gigs-british-1980s-pop-stars-bananarama-to-play-southern-cross-club-20160201-gmid5c.html|title=Canberra gigs: British 1980s pop stars Bananarama to play Southern Cross Club|first=Dan|last=Bigna|date=4 February 2016|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=23 February 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Schafer |first=Joseph |date=14 April 2016 |title=Judas Priest's 'Turbo' Turns 30 |url=https://www.invisibleoranges.com/judas-priests-turbo-turns-30/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160421124243/https://www.invisibleoranges.com/judas-priests-turbo-turns-30/ |archive-date=21 April 2016 |access-date=23 February 2022 |website=Invisible Oranges}}</ref> They were both released in 1986.

Besides synth-metal, electronicore, electrogrind, coldwave and dungeon synth, heavy metal is also sometimes mixed with other electronic genres and their subgenres, inspiring terms such as electronic metal, electronic dance metal, trance metal, techno metal, and cyber metal.<ref name="MetalInjection">{{cite web|url=http://www.metalinjection.net/lists/10-current-artists-who-effortlessly-blend-metal-with-other-genres/2|title=10 Current Artists That Effortlessly Blend Metal With Other Genres - Page 2 of 2 |website=Metalinjection.net|date=2 November 2016|access-date=24 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/09/19/is-electronic-dance-metal-the-next-big-thing/|title=IS ELECTRONIC DANCE METAL THE NEXT BIG THING??? |website=Metalsucks.net|date=19 September 2012|access-date=24 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mensxp.com/special-features/today/12012-30-second-guide-to-trance-metal.html|title=30 Second guide to: Trance Metal|website=Mensxp.com|date=14 December 2012|access-date=24 November 2017}}</ref><ref name="MetalUnderground">{{cite web|url=http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=78347|title=Unearthing The Electronic Metal Underground|website=Metalunderground.com|access-date=24 November 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/fear-factory-to-release-genexus-album-in-august/ ''BlabberMouth'']</ref>{{text-source inline|date=December 2017}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

Category:Electronic rock Category:Electronic music genres Category:Electropunk Category:Fusion music genres Category:Rock music genres