glam rock
what it is
Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) developed in the UK in the post-hippie early 1970s performed by singers and musicians wearing outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots that musically was a guitar-driven hard rock sound incorporating proto-punk, soul and retro rock 'n' roll influences. The flamboyant lyrics, costumes, and visual styles of glam performers were a campy, theatrical blend of nostalgic references to science fiction and old movies, while the music was a return to a simpler, rawer and more populist form of rock after the perceived excesses of the preceding psychedelic and prog rock artists (though leading acts of the Glam era David Bowie and Queen were both parts of these scenes themselves and, along with Lou Reed and Roxy Music were strongly inclined towards Art Rock). In both these ways glam informed the aesthetics and attitude of many punk/new wave bands who were to emerge a few years later.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 1 · mainstream
the pop everyone knows
level 2 · the door
big names with a sharper edge
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make glam rock a playlist
turn these 33 artists into something you can press play on.
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questions
What is glam rock?
Glam rock (also known as glitter rock) developed in the UK in the post-hippie early 1970s performed by singers and musicians wearing outrageous clothes, makeup, hairstyles, and platform-soled boots that musically was a guitar-driven hard rock sound incorporating proto-punk, soul and retro rock 'n' roll influences. The flamboyant lyrics, costumes, and visual styles of glam performers were a campy, theatrical blend of nostalgic references to science fiction and old movies, while the music was a return to a simpler, rawer and more populist form of rock after the perceived excesses of the preceding psychedelic and prog rock artists (though leading acts of the Glam era David Bowie and Queen were both parts of these scenes themselves and, along with Lou Reed and Roxy Music were strongly inclined towards Art Rock). In both these ways glam informed the aesthetics and attitude of many punk/new wave bands who were to emerge a few years later.
What are good glam rock albums to start with?
Try Transformer by Lou Reed, Electric Warrior by T. Rex, Mechanical Animals by Marilyn Manson, and Here Come the Warm Jets by Brian Eno.
Who are some women making glam rock?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/glam-rock/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making glam rock, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20