As we celebrate Father’s Day, now is a better time than ever to tackle the topic of “dad rock.” Like all music genres, dad rock is constantly evolving, making it difficult to pin down. So what is dad rock in 2024, and what songs can you expect to hear this year during your Father’s Day drive to Bass Pro Shop?
What is Dad Rock?
In an article for Esquire, writer Rob Mitchum takes credit for popularizing the term in a 2007 review of Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky for Pitchfork. He used the term because of the album’s “basic 70s rock influences.” In the context of the review, the term is an insult, but as Mitchum acknowledged later, the term has morphed to have a life of its own. It’s used to describe “most white-guy rock music” according to Mitchum.
But since the term “dad rock” has come into popular use, the dads in question have changed. Spotify’s official “dad rock” playlist has the staples of 60s, 70s and 80s rock. Songs such as “Born in the USA” by Bruce Springsteen, “More than a Feeling” by Boston, and “Centerfold” by John Fogerty are some of the classics that pepper this playlist, which seems to agree with Mitchum. Rock music of that era has been associated with dads for quite a while, but since the term was coined, a new generation of dads has emerged.
Dad Rock in 2024
The first playlist that comes up when you search “dad rock” on Spotify is called “Divorced Dad Rock” by Gage Lippold. Instead of Springsteen, this playlist features more Linkin Park, Papa Roach and Korn. All of these artists are from a distinctly later era of heavier and angrier rock. While very different in terms of musical styles, this is all still the most popular rock of its era, just for the late 90s and early 00s. With bands like My Chemical Romance, The Killers and Fall Out Boy being added to the “Divorced Dad Rock” playlist, the pendulum is shifting even later to distinctly 2000s bands.
A recent poll from Merchoid surveyed over 3000 people on what band is the epitome of “dad rock.” The responses further exemplified the growing diversity of “dad rock,” with the top of the list featuring a mix of 00s bands (Nickelback at #1), 90’s bands (Blink-182 tied for #2 and Red Hot Chili Peppers at #4) and 80s bands (Van Halen tied for #2). In 2018, in an article for The Outline, Jeremy Gordon, Marcus Moore, Matthew Ismael Ruiz and Piotr Orlov argue for the definition of “dad rock” to be expanded beyond the typically straight and white dads, and to encompass more culturally diverse perspectives and musical tastes.
With the definition of “dad rock” being so subjective, there is no one, clear-cut way to define the genre. It seems like the only true way to find out what “dad rock” is by letting a dad show you himself.
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