Integrating abrasive sound with the rebellious spirit of anguished youth, noise rock is the experimental byproduct of punk rock. Akin to its predecessor, no wave, noise rock acts set out to be atonally assaulting; they introduced a new avant-garde to the music scene. Distinguished by distorted guitars and a fervent dissonance, many noise-rock bands were too dark and unconventional to penetrate the mainstream. Groups such as Big Black, Swans, and the Boredoms made a notable influence in the underground, but it took Sonic Youth's perfect concoction of melody and cacophony to really propel noise rock into more accessible territory.

Notable Artists: Big Black, Butthole Surfers, Boredoms, Melt Banana, Swans