1977-1979United States / Los Angeles, California

Hair Metal

Also known as Glam Metal, Pop Metal

A glossy, hook-first strain of 1980s hard rock that blurred the line between heavy metal and pop, hair metal paired arena-sized choruses with MTV-ready glamour and then faded as grunge took over.

Origins and context

The style grew out of U.S. hard-rock and club scenes that blended arena rock, glam-rock theatrics, and pop songwriting, with Los Angeles frequently cited as a major hub.

United StatesLos Angeles, California

The sound

Characteristics

Distorted electric guitars
Lead guitar solos
Anthemic choruses
Catchy pop hooks
Polished studio production
Electric bass
Drums
Occasional keyboards

History

The label usually points to a late-1970s and 1980s hard-rock scene that fused arena-sized riffs with glam-rock flash, especially in Los Angeles and other U.S. club circuits. AllMusic’s overview places the style’s rise in the 1980s, linking its popularity to MTV and to bands that paired pop hooks with heavy guitars, while also noting that the term “hair metal” was often applied derisively after the fact. By the middle and late 1980s, bands such as Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe, Poison, Def Leppard, and others had pushed the sound into the mainstream; Bon Jovi’s own archive describes the group as a glammy pop-metal outfit that moved from New Jersey clubs to global stardom, and Poison’s official site confirms the band’s late-1980s breakthrough. The style’s commercial run was cut short when grunge and alternative rock rose to the top of the charts in the early 1990s.