Timeline of alternative rock

Encyclopedia : T : TI : TIM : Timeline of alternative rock

This is a timeline of alternative rock, from its beginnings in the 1970s to the present.

1976 - 1977 - 1978 - 1979 - 1980 - 1981 - 1982 - 1983 - 1984 - 1985 - 1986 - 1987 - 1988 - 1989 - 1990 - 1991 - 1992 - 1993 - 1994 - 1995 - 1996 - 1997 - 1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - See also

1976

Newly formed bands
* The Cure
* Siouxsie & the Banshees
* U2
* XTC

Events
* Rodney Bingenheimer, the DJ for the popular Los Angeles modern rock station KROQ begins hosting his midnight show Rodney on the ROQ.

1977

Newly formed bands
* The Feelies
* X

1978

Events
* Manchester journalist and nightclub manager Tony Wilson founds Factory Records
* Rough Trade Records is founded.

1979

Events
* Bauhaus release their single for "Bela Lugosi's Dead", which is generally viewed as the first ever gothic rock song
* Touch and Go is founded

1980

Albums
* Bauhaus - In the Flat Field
* Echo and the Bunnymen - Crocodiles
* The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms

Events
* The first ever countdown by KROQ takes place.
* Sub Pop is founded as the fanzine Subterranean Pop.
* Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis hangs himself, the rest of the band continue as New Order.

1981

Albums
* Bauhaus - Mask
* New Order - Movement

1982

Albums
* Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out
* The Cure - Pornography
* Dream Syndicate - The Days of Wine and Roses
* Mission of Burma - Vs.
* R.E.M. - Chronic Town EP
* Sonic Youth - Sonic Youth
* Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes

Events
* The Haçienda nightclub opens in Manchester, England.

1983

Newly formed bands
* American Music Club
* Camper Van Beethoven
* Dinosaur Jr
* The Flaming Lips
* Green River - considered to be the first ever grunge band
* The Housemartins
* Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
* Red Hot Chili Peppers
* Soul Asylum
* They Might Be Giants
* Throwing Muses

Disbandments
* Bauhaus
* Mission of Burma

Albums
* Bauhaus - Burning from the Inside
* Big Black - Bulldozer EP
* Cocteau Twins - Head Over Heels
* New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies
* R.E.M. - Murmur
* Sonic Youth - Confusion Is Sex

Events
* WFNX, one of the first commercial stations to play alternative rock, begins broadcasting.
* WOXY, located outside of Cincinnati in Oxford, Ohio, begins broadcasting alternative rock in September 1983, billing itself as "97X: The Future of Rock and Roll". According to WOXY's website, it was the nation's sixth alternative rock station.
* R.E.M.'s album Murmur is named Rolling Stone's best album of 1983.

1984

Albums
* Cocteau Twins - Treasure
* Guadalcanal Diary - Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man
* Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade
* R.E.M. - Reckoning
* The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Red Hot Chili Peppers
* The Replacements - Let It Be
* The Smiths - The Smiths
* Violent Femmes - Hallowed Ground
* Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II
* Minutemen - Double Nickels on the Dime

Events
* Alan McGee founds the label Creation Records

1985

Disbandments
* Minutemen

Albums
* Big Black - Atomizer
* Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
* Butthole Surfers - Psychic...Powerless...Another Man's Sac
* Camper Van Beethoven - Telephone Free Landslide Victory
* The Cure - The Head on the Door
* Dinosaur Jr. - Dinosaur
* Faith No More - We Care a Lot
* Green River - Come on Down
* Hüsker Dü - Flip Your Wig
* Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising
* The Jesus and Mary Chain - Psychocandy
* Love and Rockets - Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven
* Meat Puppets - Up on the Sun
* New Order - Low-Life
* R.E.M. - Fables of the Reconstruction
* The Replacements - Tim
* The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Freaky Styley
* The Sisters of Mercy - First and Last and Always
* The Smiths - Meat Is Murder
* Sonic Youth - Bad Moon Rising

Events
* The Minutemen's D. Boon dies in a car crash on December 22nd.
* The Feelies reunite.

1986

Newly formed bands
* The Afghan Whigs
* Galaxie 500
* Goo Goo Dolls
* The La's
* Manic Street Preachers (as Betty Blue)
* No Doubt
* Pixies
* Primus
* The Sugarcubes

Albums
* Butthole Surfers - Rembrandt Pussyhorse
* The Feelies - The Good Earths
* Guadalcanal Diary - Jamboree
* Hüsker Dü - Candy Apple Grey
* Love and Rockets - Express
* New Order - Brotherhood
* R.E.M. - Lifes Rich Pageant
* The Smiths - The Queen Is Dead
* Sonic Youth - EVOL
* They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
* Violent Femmes - The Blind Leading the Naked
* XTC - Skylarking

Events
* MTV begins airing 120 Minutes, a program devoted to videos by alternative artists
* NME magazine releases the C86 cassette compilation as a premium, which becomes an important release in British indie rock.

1987

Disbandments
* Hüsker Dü
* The Smiths

Albums
* 10,000 Maniacs - In My Tribe
* Big Black - Songs About Fucking
* Butthole Surfers - Locust Abortion Technician
* The Cure - Kiss Me Kiss Me Kiss Me
* Dinosaur Jr. - You're Living All Over Me
* Faith No More - Introduce Yourself
* Guadalcanal Diary - 2X4
* Guided By Voices - Devil Between My Toes
* Guided By Voices - Sandbox
* Hüsker Dü -
* The Jesus and Mary Chain - Darklands
* Love and Rockets - Earth, Sun, Moon
* Pixies - Come on Pilgrim
* Primal Scream - Sonic Flower Groove
* R.E.M. - Document (breakthrough)
* The Replacements - Pleased to Meet Me
* The Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
* The Sisters of Mercy - Floodland
* The Smiths - Strangeways, Here We Come
* Sonic Youth - Sister

Events
* R.E.M.'s "The One I Love" unexpectedly becomes a Top Ten hit on the America pop charts, helping to increase alternative rock's mainstream profile and earning the band a major label deal.

1988

Disbandments
* Big Black
* Green River
* The Housemartins

Albums
* Butthole Surfers - Hairway to Steven
* Dinosaur Jr. - Bug
* The Feelies - Only Life
* Fugazi - Fugazi (EP)
* The Happy Mondays - Bummed
* Robyn Hitchcock - Globe of Frogs
* Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
* Morrissey - Viva Hate
* Mudhoney - Superfuzz Bigmuff EP
* Peter Murphy - Love Hysteria
* My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything
* Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Tender Prey
* R.E.M. - Green
* Pixies - Surfer Rosa
* Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation
* Soundgarden - Ultramega OK
* The Sugarcubes - Life's Too Good
* They Might Be Giants - Lincoln

Events
* Mother Love Bone and Mudhoney form from members of Green River after they break up.
* Sub Pop begins the Sub Pop Singles Club
* Hillel Slovak, guitarist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers dies from a heroin overdose
* Rolling Stone names R.E.M. "America's Best Rock 'n' Roll Band" and places them on the cover.

1989

Disbandments
* Guadalcanal Diary
* Dream Syndicate

Albums
* The Cure - Disintegration
* Faith No More - The Real Thing (breakthrough)
* The Jesus and Mary Chain - Automatic
* Goo Goo Dolls - Jed
* Guadalcanal Diary]] - Flip-Flop
* Guided By Voices - Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia
* Fugazi - Margin Walker EP
* Love and Rockets - Love and Rockets
* Meat Puppets - Monsters
* Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine
* Nirvana - Bleach
* Pixies - Doolittle
* Primal Scream - Primal Scream
* Slint - Tweez
* Soundgarden - Louder than Love
* The Stone Roses - The Stone Roses
* The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mother's Milk
* Violent Femmes - 3

Events
* New Order, Public Image Ltd., and the Sugarcubes embark on the "Monsters of Alternative Rock" tour.
* Matador Records is founded.

1990

Disbandments
* Camper Van Beethoven
* Mother Love Bone

Albums
* The Breeders - Pod
* Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas
* Fugazi - Repeater
* Goo Goo Dolls - Hold Me Up
* Guided By Voices - Same Place The Fly Got Smashed
* The Happy Mondays - Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches
* Jane's Addiction - Ritual de lo Habitual
* The La's - The La's
* Morrissey - Bona Drag
* Mother Love Bone - Apple
* Peter Murphy - Deep
* Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Good Son
* Pixies - Bossanova
* Ride - Nowhere
* The Sisters of Mercy - Vision Thing
* Social Distortion - Social Distortion
* Sonic Youth - Goo

Events
* Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone is found dead.
* The KROQ Acoustic Christmas concert airs for the first time.

1991

Newly formed bands
* Bush
* Candlebox
* Luna
* Luscious Jackson
* Oasis
* Sponge
* Stereolab

Disbandments
* Galaxie 500
* Jane's Addiction
* The Replacements
* Spacemen 3

Albums
* Blur - Leisure
* Dinosaur Jr. - Green Mind
* Fugazi - Steady Diet of Nothing
* The Jesus Lizard - Goat
* Morrissey - Kill Uncle
* My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
* Nirvana - Nevermind (breakthrough)
* Pearl Jam - Ten (breakthrough)
* Pixies - Trompe le Monde
* Primal Scream - Screamadelica
* Primus - Sailing the Seas of Cheese
* R.E.M. - Out of Time
* The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (breakthrough)
* Slint - Spiderland
* The Smashing Pumpkins - Gish
* Soundgarden - Badmotorfinger (breakthrough)
* Teenage Fanclub - Bandwagonesque
* Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog
* Throwing Muses - The Real Ramona
* U2 - Achtung Baby
* Violent Femmes - Why Do Birds Sing?

Events
* Nirvana releases Nevermind, popularizing grunge in the mainstream, especially due to the hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit".
* Temple of the Dog, made up of members of Soundgarden and the newly formed Pearl Jam, releases their only album as a tribute to Andrew Wood.
* The first ever Lollapalooza takes place.
* The first Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album is given out.
* The term riot grrrl is coined by Alison Wolfe of Bratmobile.
* In a legendary Manic Street Preachers interview by NME journalist Steve Lamacq (a man known for despising anything he sees as hype or contrivance), Richey James Edwards carved the words "4 Real" into his arm with a razor blade to prove the band's sincerity in music.

1992

Newly formed bands
* Elastica
* Everclear
* Our Lady Peace
* Reel Big Fish
* Silverchair
* Soul Coughing
* Stereophonics (as Tragic Love Company)
* Weezer

Disbandments
* The Feelies
* The Happy Mondays
* Pixies
* The Sugarcubes

Albums
* Alice in Chains - Dirt
* Alice in Chains - Sap EP
* Blind Melon - Blind Melon (breakthrough)
* Faith No More - Angel Dust
* Guided By Voices - Propellor
* PJ Harvey - Dry
* The Jesus and Mary Chain - Honey's Dead
* The Jesus Lizard - Liar
* Manic Street Preachers - Generation Terrorists
* Morrissey - Your Arsenal
* Nine Inch Nails - Broken EP
* Nirvana - Incesticide
* Pavement - Slanted and Enchanted
* R.E.M. - Automatic for the People
* Rage Against the Machine - Rage Against the Machine (breakthrough)
* Sonic Youth - Dirty
* Soul Asylum - Grave Dancer's Union (breakthrough)
* Stone Temple Pilots - Core
* Sugar - Copper Blue
* Ween - Pure Guava

Events
* Alternative rock fully breaks into the American mainstream consciousness, as albums and singles by bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Alice in Chains, R.E.M., Soul Asylum, and Nine Inch Nails reach the Top 40 of the Billboard charts.
* The grunge speak hoax appears in the November 15 issue of The New York Times.
* Trent Reznor founds Nothing Records.
* The movie Singles is released.
* The movie 1991 - The Year Punk Broke is released.
* Merge Records is founded by members of Superchunk

1993

Disbandments
* Public Image Ltd.

Albums
* Blur - Modern Life Is Rubbish
* The Breeders - Last Splash (breakthrough)
* Butthole Surfers - Independent Worm Saloon
* Dinosaur Jr. - Where You Been
* The Flaming Lips - Transmissions from the Satellite Heart
* Fugazi - In on the Kill Taker
* Goo Goo Dolls - Superstar Carwash
* Guided By Voices - Vampire on Titus
* PJ Harvey - Rid of Me
* Manic Street Preachers - Gold Against the Soul
* Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See
* Nirvana - In Utero
* Pearl Jam - Vs.
* Liz Phair - Exile in Guyville
* Porno for Pyros - Porno for Pyros
* Primus - Pork Soda
* Radiohead - Pablo Honey
* The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream (breakthrough)
* Suede - Suede

Events
* The first ever KROQ Weenie Roast concert airs for the first time.
* Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder appears on the cover of the October 25th issue of TIME Magazine as part of their feature article on the rising popularity of the grunge movement
* Nirvana plays MTV Unplugged on November 18.
* Mazzy Star has some success with the single "Fade Into You", becoming the biggest hit for dream pop in the mainstream.

1994

Newly formed bands
* Foo Fighters
* Godspeed You! Black Emperor
* Muse (as Rocket Baby Dolls)
* Sigur Rós
* Sleater-Kinney
* Snow Patrol
* Supergrass

Disbandments
* Nirvana
* Uncle Tupelo

Albums
* Alice in Chains - Jar of Flies EP
* Beck - Mellow Gold (breakthrough)
* Blur - Parklife
* Jeff Buckley - Grace
* Bush - Sixteen Stone
* Collective Soul - Hints, Allegations, and Things Left Unsaid
* Dinosaur Jr. - Without a Sound
* Green Day - Dookie (breakthrough)
* Guided by Voices - Bee Thousand
* Hole - Live Through This (breakthrough)
* The Jesus and Mary Chain - Stoned & Dethroned
* Live - Throwing Copper
* Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible
* Meat Puppets - Too High to Die
* Alanis Morissette -Jagged Little Pill (breakthough)
* Morrissey - Vauxhall and I
* Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral(most commercially successful album)
* Nirvana - MTV Unplugged in New York
* Oasis - Definitely Maybe
* Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
* Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
* Liz Phair - Whip-Smart
* Primal Scream - Give Out But Don't Give Up
* Pulp - His 'n' Hers
* R.E.M - Monster
* Soundgarden - Superunknown
* The Stone Roses - Second Coming
* Stone Temple Pilots - Purple
* Suede - Dog Man Star
* Toadies - Rubberneck (breakthrough)
* Ween - Chocolate and Cheese
* Weezer - Weezer (The Blue Album)

Events
* Kurt Cobain of Nirvana dies on April 5th; his body is found April 8th.
* Kristen Pfaff of Hole dies on June 16.
* Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" becomes a hit single; some cite it as the last major hit of the grunge era.
* Beck's "Loser" becomes a hit single.
* The Offspring releases Smash, becoming one of the best selling albums from an independent record label of all time. Along with the release of Green Day's Dookie, it repopularizes punk rock in the mainstream.
* The term post-rock is coined by Simon Reynolds to describe the music of the likes of Stereolab and Disco Inferno
* Manic Street Preachers' Richey James Edwards is admitted to a psychiatric hospital around the release of The Holy Bible and misses some shows.
* The acclaimed Anderson/Butler songwriting partnership of Suede is ended when Butler is fired from the band by Anderson.
* Weezer hits it big with "Undone (The Sweater Song)" and "Buddy Holly". The music video for Buddy Holly is included on the Windows 95 operating system disc.

1995

Newly formed bands
* Days of the New
* Matthew Good Band
* Mogwai
* The Rentals
* Wilco

Disbandments
* American Music Club
* Meat Puppets

Albums
* Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains
* Better Than Ezra - Deluxe
* Black Grape - It's Great When You're Straight... Yeah
* Blur - The Great Escape
* Collective Soul - Collective Soul
* Dishwalla - Pet Your Friends (breakthrough)
* Elastica - Elastica
* Everclear - Sparkle and Fade
* Faith No More - King for a Day... Fool for a Lifetime
* The Flaming Lips - Clouds Taste Metallic
* Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters
* Fugazi - Red Medicine
* Garbage - Garbage
* Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo (breakthrough)
* Green Day - Insomniac
* Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes
* PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love
* Mad Season - Above
* Matthew Good Band - Last of the Ghetto Astronauts
* Morrissey - Southpaw Grammar
* Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
* Pavement - Wowee Zowee
* Primus - Tales from the Punchbowl
* Pulp - Different Class (breakthrough)
* Radiohead - The Bends
* The Red Hot Chili Peppers - One Hot Minute
* The Rentals - Return Of (The Rentals)
* Silverchair - Frogstomp
* The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
* Sonic Youth - Washing Machine
* Wilco - A.M.

Events
* Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon is found dead on October 21.
* Ska becomes popular, with bands such as No Doubt, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, and Sublime seeing commercial success.
* Mad Season, a band made up of members of Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and the Screaming Trees, forms and breaks up in the same year.
* Richey James Edwards of the Manic Street Preachers disappears on February 1.
* The "Battle of Britpop" occurs between Blur and Oasis when they release their "Country House" and "Roll With It" singles on the same day.

1996

Newly formed bands
* A
* Belle & Sebastian

Disbandments
* The Pogues
* Siouxsie & the Banshees
* The Stone Roses

Albums
* Beck - Odelay
* Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
* Better Than Ezra - Friction, Baby
* Bush - Razorblade Suitcase
* Butthole Surfers - Electriclarryland (breakthrough)
* Guided By Voices - Under the Bushes, Under the Stars
* Guided By Voices - Tonics and Twisted Chasers
* Local H - As Good as Dead (breakthrough)
* Kula Shaker - K
* Manic Street Preachers - Everything Must Go (first album as a three-piece)
* Nirvana - From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah
* Pearl Jam - No Code
* Porno for Pyros - Good God's Urge
* R.E.M. - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
* Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
* Soundgarden - Down on the Upside (final album)
* Weezer - Pinkerton
* Wilco - Being There

Events
* The Smashing Pumpkins' touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin dies of an overdose on July 12 while using heroin with drummer Jimmy Chamberlin. Chamberlin is subsequently fired and the band continues as a three-piece until his return in 1999.
* Alice in Chains makes their last appearance on MTV Unplugged.
* Hype!, a documentary about the grunge scene of the early 1990s, is released.
* R.E.M. sign a new deal with Warner Bros. worth $80 million. At the time, it was the largest record contract in history.
* Bradley Nowell of the third-wave ska band Sublime dies of a heroin overdose. The band splits up soon after Nowell's death.

1997

Disbandments
* Cocteau Twins
* Porno for Pyros
* Soundgarden - believed by many to signal the end of grunge's mainstream success.
* Throwing Muses

Albums
* A - How Ace Are Buildings
* Blur - Blur
* Collective Soul - Disciplined Breakdown
* Dinosaur Jr. - Hand It Over
* Everclear - So Much for the Afterglow
* Faith No More - Album of the Year
* Foo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape
* Green Day - Nimrod
* Guided By Voices - Mag Earwhig!
* Incubus - S.C.I.E.N.C.E.
* Matthew Good Band - Underdogs
* Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West
* Morrissey - Maladjusted
* Oasis - Be Here Now
* Pavement - Brighten the Corners
* Primal Scream - Vanishing Point
* Primus - Brown Album
* Radiohead - OK Computer
* Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
* Stereophonics - Word Gets Around
* Suede - Coming Up

Events
* Jane's Addiction reunites; later that year, they disband again.
* On hiatus while Scott Weiland is in rehab, members of Stone Temple Pilots form Talkshow; the new band lasts for only a short time.
* Solo artist Jeff Buckley dies on 29 May as a result of accidental drowning in the Mississippi River.
* R.E.M. drummer Bill Berry announces his retirement; the rest of the band continue as a three-piece.
* Oasis's Be Here Now becomes the UK's fastest selling album

1998

Newly formed bands
* Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
* Doves
* Interpol
* The Cooper Temple Clause

Disbandments
* Black Grape
* Faith No More
* Lush

Albums
* Beck - Mutations
* Belle & Sebastian - The Boy with the Arab Strap
* Better Than Ezra - How Does Your Garden Grow?
* Fugazi - End Hits
* Jerry Cantrell - Boggy Depot
* Garbage - Version 2.0
* Goo Goo Dolls - Dizzy Up the Girl
* Hole - Celebrity Skin
* Manic Street Preachers - This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours
* Alanis Morissette - Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie
* Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
* Pearl Jam - Yield
* Liz Phair - Whitechocolatespaceegg
* R.E.M. - Up
* The Smashing Pumpkins - Adore
* Sonic Youth - A Thousand Leaves
* Soul Coughing - El Oso (final album)

Events
* For the first year since it began, Lollapalooza does not take place, and goes on hiatus for 6 years.
* Bauhaus reunite.

1999

Disbandments
* Blind Melon - after years of struggling to continue on without Shannon Hoon.
* The Jesus Lizard
* The Jesus and Mary Chain
* Love and Rockets
* Luscious Jackson
* Pavement
* The Verve

Albums
* A - A vs. Monkey Kong
* Beck - Midnite Vultures
* Blur - 13
* Collective Soul - Dosage
* The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
* Foo Fighters - There Is Nothing Left to Lose
* Guided By Voices - Do the Collapse
* Incubus - Make Yourself
* Matthew Good Band - Beautiful Midnight
* Muse - Showbiz
* Nine Inch Nails - The Fragile
* Pavement - Terror Twilight
* Primus - Antipop
* The Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
* Rage Against the Machine - The Battle of Los Angeles
* The Rentals - Seven More Minutes
* Silverchair - Neon Ballroom
* Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock
* Stone Temple Pilots - No. 4
* Suede - Head Music
* Wilco - Summerteeth

Events
* Despite rumors of disbanding, Stone Temple Pilots return to recording.
* The No WTO Combo attempts to play at the WTO Meeting of 1999, but are unable to do so due to conflicts with the police.

2000

Disbandments
* Rage Against the Machine
* The Rentals
* Screaming Trees
* The Smashing Pumpkins
* Soul Coughing

Albums
* Coldplay - Parachutes
* Collective Soul - Blender
* The Cure - Bloodflowers
* Elastica - The Menace
* Everclear -
* Everclear -
* Green Day -
* Modest Mouse - The Moon and Antarctica
* Oasis - Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
* Pearl Jam - Binaural
* A Perfect Circle - Mer de Noms
* Primal Scream - XTRMNTR
* Radiohead - Kid A
* Sleater-Kinney - All Hands on the Bad One
* The Smashing Pumpkins - MACHINA/The Machines of God
* The Smashing Pumpkins - MACHINA II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music (final album)

Events
* The Smashing Pumpkins have their last concert on December 2.
* The Smashing Pumpkins release MACHINA II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music for free to music downloaders on the internet.
* The Meat Puppets reunite.

2001

Newly formed bands
* Audioslave
* Franz Ferdinand
* The Libertines
* Zwan

Disbandments
* The Afghan Whigs
* Elastica
* Toadies

Albums
* Better Than Ezra - Closer
* Fugazi - The Argument
* Guided By Voices - Isolation Drills
* Incubus - Morning View
* Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American
* Matthew Good Band - The Audio of Being
* Manic Street Preachers - Know Your Enemy
* Muse - Origin of Symmetry
* New Order - Get Ready
* R.E.M. - Reveal
* Radiohead - Amnesiac
* The Shins - Oh, Inverted World
* The Strokes - Is This It
* Weezer - Weezer (The Green Album)
* The White Stripes - White Blood Cells

Events
* The Matthew Good Band breaks up. Good continues as a solo artist.
* Manic Street Preachers become first major modern band to play a gig in Cuba. The gig is attended by Fidel Castro
* Muse split from American record label, Maverick, after the label demands that the band make the album Origin of Symmetry more Radio-friendly for the US market.

2002

Newly formed bands
* Arctic Monkeys
* Bloc Party

Disbandments
* Hole
* Alice in Chains

Albums
* A - Hi-Fi Serious
* Audioslave - Audioslave
* Beck - Sea Change
* The Breeders - Title TK (final album)
* Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head
* The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots
* Foo Fighters - One by One
* Goo Goo Dolls - Gutterflower
* Guided By Voices - Universal Truths and Cycles
* Hot Hot Heat - Make Up the Breakdown
* Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights
* The Libertines - Up the Bracket
* Muse - Hullabaloo
* Oasis - Heathen Chemistry
* Pearl Jam - Riot Act
* Primal Scream - Evil Heat
* Red Hot Chili Peppers - By the Way
* Silverchair - Diorama
* Sleater-Kinney - One Beat
* Sonic Youth - Murray Street
* Weezer - Maladroit
* Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Events
* Layne Staley of Alice in Chains dies on April 5, the 8th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death.
* Jane's Addiction reunites again.
* Nirvana's "You Know You're Right", a previously unreleased song, becomes a hit single.

2003

Newly formed bands
* The Arcade Fire
* Kaiser Chiefs

Albums
* A Perfect Circle - Thirteenth Step
* Blur - Think Tank
* Cat Power - You Are Free
* The Cooper Temple Clause - Kick Up The Fire And Let The Flames Break Loose
* Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism
* Guided By Voices - Earthquake Glue
* Jane's Addiction - Strays
* Matthew Good - Avalanche
* Muse - Absolution
* Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
* The Shins - Chutes Too Narrow
* The Strokes - Room on Fire
* The White Stripes - Elephant
* Zwan - Mary Star of the Sea

Events
* The first Lollapalooza in 6 years takes place.
* Elliott Smith dies

2004

Newly formed bands
* The Dead 60s
* Louis XIV
* The Tears

Disbandments
* The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
* Stone Temple Pilots
* Suede

Albums
* A Perfect Circle - eMOTIVe
* Collective Soul - Youth
* The Cure - The Cure
* Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
* Green Day - American Idiot
* Guided By Voices - Half-Smiles of the Decomposed
* Incubus - A Crow Left of the Murder
* Interpol - Antics
* The Killers - Hot Fuss
* The Libertines - The Libertines
* Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News (breakthrough)
* Manic Street Preachers - Lifeblood
* Matthew Good - White Light Rock & Roll Review
* Morrissey - You Are the Quarry
* My Chemical Romance - Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge
* Nirvana - With the Lights Out box set
* R.E.M. - Around the Sun
* Sonic Youth - Sonic Nurse
* TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
* The Used - In Love And Death
* Wilco - A Ghost Is Born

Events
* Influential British DJ John Peel, whose advocacy helped increase the profiles of many punk and alternative acts, dies on October 25th.
* The Pixies reunite and release a new single entitled "Bam Thwok".
* Lollapalooza is cancelled due to low ticket sales.
* Brett Anderson quits Suede and reunites with former Suede bandmate Bernard Butler to form The Tears.

2005

Newly formed bands
* Dirty Pretty Things

Disbandments
* Guided by Voices
* Luna

Albums
* A - Teen Dance Ordinance
* Audioslave - Out of Exile
* Beck - Guero
* Jimmy Chamberlin Complex - Life Begins Again
* Coldplay - X&Y
* Billy Corgan - TheFutureEmbrace
* The Dead 60s - The Dead 60s
* Death Cab For Cutie - Plans (breakthrough)
* Depeche Mode - Playing The Angel
* Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
* Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better
* Garbage - Bleed Like Me
* Gorillaz - Demon Days
* Hot Hot Heat - Elevator
* Kaiser Chiefs - Employment
* Louis XIV - Best Little Secrets Are Kept
* New Order - Waiting for the Sirens' Call
* Nine Inch Nails - With Teeth
* Oasis - Don't Believe the Truth
* Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
* Supergrass - Road to Rouen
* Weezer - Make Believe
* The White Stripes - Get Behind Me Satan

Events
* Billy Corgan announces his intention to reform The Smashing Pumpkins after 5 years of disbanding.
* Audioslave become only the second major rock band to play a gig in Cuba, following Manic Street Preachers in 2001.
* Garbage announce a long hiatus after their final show supporting Bleed Like Me.
* The surviving members of Alice In Chains reform to play their first concert in nine years at a Tsunami benefit concert with former Damageplan vocalist Pat Lachman. The band launches a world tour with William Duvall taking the vocal spot, while many guests vocalists perform at various shows, including Maynard James Keenan, Billy Corgan and Phil Anselmo.

2006

Disbandments
*Sleater-Kinney

Albums
* Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
* Morrissey - Ringleader of the Tormentors
* Pearl Jam - Pearl Jam
* Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
* Sonic Youth - Rather Ripped
* Tool - 10,000 Days
* Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Show Your Bones

Events
* The Smashing Pumpkins officially reunite, issuing an announcement on their website in April.
* Grant McLennan of The Go-Betweens dies.