synthrock

Synthrock is a music genre or style that blends rock's guitar-driven approach with synthesizers and electronic textures. It typically features prominent synthesizer melodies, keyboard-led hooks, and rock-based song structures, though the emphasis can vary from guitar-centric to synthesizer-led arrangements. The genre emerged from experiments in the late 1960s and 1970s as affordable electronic instruments became available and musicians began integrating them with traditional rock setups. Through the 1980s, synthrock gained wider recognition alongside new wave, post-punk, and art-rock movements, and it has continued in various forms into the present.

Key characteristics include the use of analog or digital synthesizers, sometimes sequenced bass lines, gated or electronically processed drums, and the integration of synth textures with guitar riffs and conventional rock instrumentation. The result is music that may emphasize melodic hooks from synths, or complex layered textures that support a rock energy.

Notable artists associated with synthrock include The Cars, whose early hits combined rock guitar with synth hooks; Blondie, which incorporated synthesizers into new wave rock; Talking Heads, particularly in their more electronic-era songs; Gary Numan and Tubeway Army, pioneers of synth-based rock; Ultravox and other European acts that fused synth melodies with rock phrasing. The genre has influenced later electronic and alternative acts and remains a reference point for bands seeking a blend of rock dynamics with electronic sound design.