Britpop

Britpop was a British music movement of the mid-1990s that celebrated guitar-driven pop and a distinctly British sensibility. Emerging from the London and Manchester scenes, it grew in part as a response to American grunge and the global dominance of American alternative rock. Its sound drew on 1960s British pop and 1990s indie traditions, emphasizing memorable melodies and a direct, working-class imagery in lyrics.

Key bands associated with Britpop include Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Suede, and, to a lesser extent, Elastica and Supergrass. The period featured a media-fueled rivalry often called the Battle of Britpop, notably between Oasis and Blur, which helped propel commercially successful albums such as Oasis's Definitely Maybe (1994) and (What's the Story) Morning Glory? (1995), Blur's Parklife (1994), and Pulp's Different Class (1995).

Musically, Britpop favored crisp guitar riffs, anthemic choruses, and polished production, with lyrics that frequently referenced British life, culture, and class. The movement enjoyed widespread chart success and became a cultural phenomenon, influencing fashion and attitudes as it defined a sense of national musical identity for a time.

By the end of the decade, Britpop declined as musical trends shifted and bands pursued different directions in the late 1990s and early 2000s, a transition often described as post-Britpop. Nevertheless, Britpop left a lasting legacy on British rock and pop, shaping subsequent indie scenes and remaining a reference point for discussions of 1990s music.