Indie Pop Facts

Origins and early development

Indie pop is a music genre and subculture that combines guitar pop with a DIY ethic in opposition to the style and tone of mainstream pop music. It originated from British post-punk in the late 1970s and subsequently generated a thriving fanzine, label, and club and gig circuit. Forerunners and influences cited include the Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman, 1960s-styled guitar jangle credited to the Byrds, the Beach Boys' Smiley Smile, Paul McCartney's Ram, and power pop groups such as the dB's and Big Star.

Evolution or diversification

In later years the definition of indie pop bifurcated to also mean bands from unrelated DIY scenes and movements with pop leanings, and subgenres include chamber pop and twee pop. Indie pop primarily takes influences from post-punk, jangle pop, and indie rock and is more melodic, simplistic, and accessible than indie rock, eschewing its more abrasive aspects.

Cultural or musical significance

Indie pop is defined by its DIY ethos, upbeat melodies, and an overarching sense of authenticity and it defined itself against "charting pop". It formed an unprecedented contrast from the gritty and serious tones of previous underground rock styles and was a departure from the glamour of contemporary pop music, borrowing the stripped-down quality of punk and the sweetness and catchiness of mainstream pop. Indie pop and twee music scenes have often vocally rejected the sexist, homophobic, and racist attitudes of both mainstream and underground music scenes, although critics have noted a lack of racial diversity.