Classic rock (also known as dad rock[2][3][4]) is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early-mid 1980s.[5][6] In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the early-1960s to mid-1990s,[7] primarily focusing on commercially successful blues rock and hard rock popularized in the 1970s–1980s AOR format.[5][8] Classic rock's focus somewhat differs from the formats oldies (focusing on the more pop-oriented hits and earlier rock and roll of the 1950s–1970s) and classic hits (focusing on pop-oriented hits and pop rock of the 1970s–1990s).[9][10]
The classic rock format became increasingly popular with the baby boomer demographic in the 1980s and 1990s.[11][12] Although classic rock has mostly appealed to adult listeners, music associated with the format gained increased exposure among younger listeners through the Internet and digital downloading.[13] Some classic rock stations also play a limited number of current releases that are stylistically consistent with the station's sound, or releases by legacy acts that are still active and producing new music.[14]
Among academics and historians, classic rock has been discussed as an effort by critics, media, and music establishments to canonize rock music and commodify 1960s–1970s Western culture for audiences living in a post-baby boomer economy. The music selected for the format has been identified as predominantly commercially successful songs by white male acts from the Anglosphere, expressing values of romanticism, self-aggrandizement, and politically undemanding ideologies. Classic rock has also been associated with rock's album era (1960s–2000s).
