Glam metal

Glam metal is a form of Hard Rock that arose in the early 1980s, originating mainly in the Sunset Strip Glam Metal scene of Los Angeles. Influenced by the anthemic sounds, flamboyant stage antics and androgynous aesthetics of 1970s Glam Rock and hard rock bands such as Sweet, Slade, KISS and Van Halen, the music is characterized by an emphasis on very catchy hooks and guitar riffs, sing-along choruses, and lyrics often glamourizing the "sex, drugs and rock & roll" lifestyle. Power ballads are also very common. Glam metal was pioneered by Heavy Metal bands such as Mötley Crüe, Ratt, Dokken, and Twisted Sister and was mainstreamed in 1983, when Quiet Riot's album Metal Health went to #1 on the Billboard 200 charts. Subsequently, glam metal bands started gaining heavy rotation on MTV and Rock radio, and their sound gradually became more polished and less heavy metal influenced, with bands like Poison and Warrant gaining prominence. The genre's popularity grew even further around the world with established artists like Alice Cooper and KISS adopting elements of the style. Parallel to that, bands such as Faster Pussycat and L.A. Guns also gained some minor mainstream attention with a rawer, dirtier hard rock sound that became known as Sleaze Rock.