By the late 1960s `` classic rock '' period , a number of distinct rock music subgenres had emerged , including hybrids like blues rock , folk rock , country rock , raga rock , and jazz - rock , many of which contributed to the development of psychedelic rock , which was influenced by the countercultural psychedelic and hippie scene . New genres that emerged included progressive rock , which extended the artistic elements ; glam rock , which highlighted showmanship and visual style ; and the diverse and enduring subgenre of heavy metal , which emphasized volume , power , and speed . In the second half of the 1970s , punk rock reacted by producing stripped - down , energetic social and political critiques . Punk was an influence in the 1980s on new wave , post-punk and eventually alternative rock . From the 1990s alternative rock began to dominate rock music and break into the mainstream in the form of grunge , Britpop , and indie rock . Further fusion subgenres have since emerged , including pop punk , electronic rock , rap rock , and rap metal , as well as conscious attempts to revisit rock 's history , including the garage rock / post-punk and synth - pop revivals at the beginning of the 2000s .

Question: a type of basic rock popular in the 1980s
Answer: alternative rock