Before we begin, let me clarify the title. No, rock music isn't dead in that it no longer exists. There are still tons of rock bands that make bountiful stacks of cash every year. Rock is 100% alive- but it damn sure isn't well. When I was growing up in the 90s, two phrases- that have since become archaic- distilled the essence of cool in my mind. "Sex, drugs, and rock and roll" and "party like a rock star" were two commonly spouted expressions that helped define what "cool" was supposed to be.
Rock was the anthem of the rebellious youth; it was a genre designed to wind up the establishment into frothing fits of rage from the first guitar lick. However, after the advent of gangsta rap, acts like Motley Crue, Poison, and virtually every subsequent rock band seemed toothless in comparison. How could the roguish, hell-raising hooligans within rock and roll complete with actual murderers and gang bangers in the battle for the counter culture's crown?
In the video linked above, the YouTuber known as The Punk Rock MBA explains the exact moment rock music died and why the genre's putrefaction continues to persist today.
