KROQ-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Pasadena, California, serving the Greater Los Angeles. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock format known as "The World Famous KROQ".
KPPC logo used during the freeform period
Alternative rock is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s with the likes of the grunge, shoegaze, and Britpop subgenres in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively. During this period, many record labels were looking for "alternatives", as many corporate rock, hard rock, and glam metal acts from the 1980s were beginning to grow stale throughout the music industry. The emergence of Generation X as a cultural force in the 1990s also contributed greatly to the rise of alternative rock.
Live, an alternative rock band from York, Pennsylvania, performing in May 2008
R.E.M., one of the first alternative rock bands, relied on college-radio airplay, constant touring, and a grassroots fanbase to break into the mainstream.
Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth performing in July 2005
Robert Smith of the Cure performing in June 2004