While its popularity has waxed and waned over the decades, hard rock remains one of the world's most enduring genres. It emerged in post-psychedelic England when the guitars became louder and more energetic while songs began focusing on a single repetitive motif or riff--usually based in blues and utilizing simplified power chords. This newfound anthemic simplicity quickly found enormous audiences around the world. Hard rock sought to convey a party mood with easily identifiable choruses that created a bond between performers and their audiences. The unprecedented success of live albums by artists like Peter Frampton and Kiss in the mid-'70s illustrated that the communal experience was central to the popularity of hard rock, so a charismatic lead singer who could sing on key and engage the audience was crucial to hard rock band's success. Almost as important was a single "guitar hero" to back up the vocalist. The bands were almost always quartets, rounded out by a solid rhythm section composed of a drummer and a bassist. Hard rock's heyday stretched from the mid-'70s to the mid-'80s, when it was overtaken by its more glamorous offspring, heavy metal. Despite insurrections by anti-establishment punk rockers and sullen alternative acts, hard rock remains ground zero for good-time rockers with guitars to this day.

Notable Artists: Grand Funk Railroad, The Who, AC/DC, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, The Black Crowes