Dad rock is dead – almost

Imagine yourself sitting in the back seat of your dad’s car on the way home from school –Nickelback is playing on his CD player radio. He asks you who sings this song and you have no idea, even though you’ve heard it a million times.

   “Dad rock” is a staple in almost everyone’s lives, whether they know what it is or not. It is roughly defined as music enjoyed by older generations, typically men, and is heavily influenced by classic rock.

   Suddenly, a resurgence of dad rock has swept through social media platforms. Most recently, dad rock fans have been resharing clips of Creed singing their hit song “Higher” during the 2001 Cowboys vs. Broncos Thanksgiving halftime show with the caption, “Creed. Halftime. Thanksgiving. ‘Nuff said.” 

   Comments on the video included things like, “This is where America peaked” and “Bring back halftime shows like this.” 

   So why is it that Generation Z social media users are suddenly enamored with dad rock? Why do we always wish to go back in time, even though we weren’t necessarily in the best place then – as that Creed halftime show took place only two months after 9/11? 

   I would attribute it to our constant desire to remember one of the more positive aspects of our childhood. I can remember my best friend’s dad quizzing us on System of a Down songs in his truck and my grandfather playing Queen on his boat. It’s easy to look at the past in a positive light, especially when you are looking back at a time when you were young. 

   Labeling all rock music that came out pre-2010s as dad rock could imply a parental, loving connotation, despite such music not always being loving or traditionally “comforting.” But when we associate an entire genre with our dads, we’re establishing the idea that this music is nostalgic for our childhood. 

   Nostalgia psychologically evokes that feeling of comfort along with a sense of belonging, which is often difficult for Gen Z to find with the wide array of content, aesthetics and ever-changing social groups we are subjected to. 

   Dad rock can’t be defined the same for everyone, though. Those of us born in the early 2000s may be likely to consider bands like Three Days Grace, Metallica, Evanescence, Creed, Korn or Linkin Park as dad rock, whereas someone born in the 1990s might consider it as Def Leppard, The Rolling Stones, Mötley Crüe, Journey or Queen. Those born in the 1970s might consider The Beatles, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan or Cream to be dad rock. 

   While TikTok creators have recently been posting a lot about dad rock and the shared experience of playing “name that song” with their fathers, there has not actually been a resurgence of dad rock. If anything, we are going to see a decline in dad rock in the coming years.

   Since we are so caught up on old music and constantly seeking the positive feelings that nostalgia gives us, Gen Z is putting less of an emphasis on new rock music and almost exclusively listening to older rock. 

   There are still rock bands in the making, but they do not get nearly as much attention as the rock bands of our fathers’ time. The current reigning genres are pop and hip-hop, whether you like it or not. Once Gen Z starts becoming dads, our version of dad rock will probably still be considered as the classics by the next generation.

PHOTO COURTESY OF SPACE.COM