As a big fan of indie rock, I occasionally have staggering moments when I have to try to explain what the genre is. This typically happens when someone asks me what kind of music I listen to. “I listen to a lot of indie rock,” I say.

Their usual response? “What’s indie rock? What does that sound like?” Then I begin struggling to explain what exactly my favorite genre sounds like, as “indie rock” is difficult to define. While indie is short for independent, referring to artists not signed with a label, the term means something much different in the modern era. Today, it describes a particular sound, rather than an artist’s record label status.

Think of indie rock as a giant umbrella. Indie itself is the primary category, and underneath that main category are various subcategories that certain artists fall under. You have blues rock bands such as The Black Keys and Kaleo. You also have electronic artists such as Grimes and Baio. On top of that, there’s 2000s guitar bands like Interpol and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and folk-rock bands like The Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men.

There’s tons more, and perhaps that’s why indie rock can be such a confusing genre of music to describe to someone. For example, The Black Keys sounds nothing like Grimes, but many people would consider them both to be indie artists. Similarly, Interpol sounds nothing like Of Monsters and Men, but both artists are typically regarded as being indie.

Looking at how indie rock has transformed throughout the decades can help us understand how we ended up with so many subcategories of a single genre.

The indie sound can be dated all the way back to 1979, when English band The Cure released their debut LP, _Three Imaginary Boys_. The Cure is thought of as a classic in the alternative/indie rock sphere. Robert Smith and the gang have been remarkably influential to myriad artists.

The emergence of The Cure spawned similar-sounding music, and we see bands such as The Smiths and New Order arrive on the scene shortly after. This era of music is often called “new-wave” music, but it still pertains to a particular sound some would consider as indie because it didn’t really fit anywhere on the airwaves. It was also the surface of a new genre of music.

New-wave bands dominated the alternative music scene throughout the 1980s and heavily relied on both synthesizers and guitars. However, when the 1990s came around, guitars became much more prominent in the indie scene. Albums such as _The Lonesome Crowded West_ by Modest Mouse and _In The Aeroplane Over The Sea_ by Neutral Milk Hotel represent the notable guitar presence in ’90s indie rock.

In the 2000s, bands like Death Cab for Cutie and The Killers started to gain more recognition. It was also in this era that bands realized they didn’t have to pick and choose between guitars and synths, but could combine them. The Killers’ _Hot Fuss_ and MGMT’s _Oracular Spectacular_ are two great examples of this digital-analog hybrid, combining electronic sounds and organic instruments into one piece of music.

Once 2010 came, indie artists became more dependent on synthesizers and dance elements, but still used guitars. _Tourist History_ by Two Door Cinema Club represents the dance elements that were rising in popularity in indie music throughout the early 2010s. Later on in this decade, however, some artists began to solely depend on electronics, as can be seen with artists like CHVRCHES and Grimes.

As seen throughout recent history, indie music has transcended many forms of music and various instrumentations. With this rich history of indie rock, we can better understand what it really is. It’s music that abstracts certain musical conventions into something that is unique and individualistic. Indie music embraces the unusual aspects of commonly heard music, and that’s why I’m such a huge fan of it. I love its artistic value and how it continues to evolve without becoming stagnant.

I’m eager to see where it goes next and what the future holds for this genre. Indie rock is so diverse that it’s hard to predict the next step. My guess? Indie rock will continue to widen its range of subgenres and it will show greater diversity under the incredible range of indie music.