progrock

Prog rock, or progressive rock, is a genre of rock music that emerged in the late 1960s in the United Kingdom. It sought to elevate rock by embracing extended compositions, concept albums, and a willingness to incorporate elements from classical music, jazz, and other traditions. Typical features include long track lengths, complex or unusual time signatures, elaborate arrangements, virtuosic instrumental performances, and the use of keyboards and studio techniques such as mellotron and synthesizers.

Early pioneers of prog rock include King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Landmark releases such as King Crimson’s In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), Yes’s Close to the Edge (1972), Genesis’s Selling England by the Pound (1973) and The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway (1974), and Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) and Wish You Were Here (1975) helped define the sound and scope of the genre.

Progressive rock diversified in the 1970s into subgenres such as symphonic prog and the Canterbury scene (Soft Machine, Caravan). The movement declined in the late 1970s and early 1980s amid the rise of punk and new wave, but a neo-prog revival emerged in the 1980s with bands like Marillion and IQ. In the 1990s and beyond, progressive metal fused heavy metal and extended forms, with acts such as Dream Theater, Tool, Opeth, and Porcupine Tree expanding the approach.

Today prog rock covers a broad, international field that blends rock, metal, jazz, and classical influences, and it continues to influence artists across genres while maintaining a dedicated but relatively niche audience.