Glam Metal Music: History and Sounds of Glam Metal Music

Glam metal is a subgenre of hard rock that combines pop hooks, heavily amplified guitars, and androgynous styles, such as big hair and makeup. Also known as pop metal and—somewhat derisively—hair metal, the genre spawned many Billboard Top 40 hits and a steady stream of MTV music videos.

While rarely approaching the intensity of speed metal bands like Metallica or hardcore thrash metal bands like Slayer, glam metal artists like Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Ratt, and Whitesnake often bested them in album sales and pop radio airplay. For much of the 1980s and early 1990s, glam metal dominated the hard rock scene before eventually ceding ground to grunge and alternative rock.

While glam metal conjures images of the 1980s Sunset Strip, its roots go deeper. And at its peak, it thrived on a national scale.

• Glam metal origins: The seeds of glam metal were sown in the 1970s when bands like KISS, Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith dominated the charts with a mixture of blues-based hard rock, catchy choruses, and androgynous lead singers. Queen, T. Rex, and David Bowie were also influential to glam metal, as were punk rockers the Sex Pistols and New York Dolls. Meanwhile, the sludgy heavy metal of Black Sabbath and nonstop riffing of AC/DC and Judas Priest inspired legions of budding guitarists, bassists, and drummers.
• Hard rock meets pop sensibility: By the late 1970s and early 1980s, the overdriven guitar sounds of '70s hard rock began to merge with the pop sensibility of new wave and even disco. Ozzy Osbourne left Black Sabbath and embarked on a poppier solo career. KISS proteges Van Halen made waves on LA's Sunset Strip, but with catchy tunes that equaled guitarist Eddie Van Halen's technical virtuosity.
• Epicenter in Los Angeles: As the 1980s unfolded, rock bands descended upon Los Angeles. Pennsylvania’s Poison settled in Hollywood, where it would record hits like "Nothing But a Good Time" and the power ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn." Perhaps the biggest crossover success between the heavy metal and MTV pop scenes was Mötley Crüe, who scored hits with records like 1983’s Shout at the Devil and 1989’s Dr. Feelgood. Other LA-based glam metal bands included Dokken, L.A. Guns, Quiet Riot, Ratt, Stryper, Great White, Faster Pussycat, and W.A.S.P.
• Glam metal outside of LA: Outside of Hollywood, glam metal bands succeeded in many locales. San Francisco's Night Ranger recorded a smash hit, "Sister Christian;" New York gave rise to White Lion and Winger; New Jersey had Bon Jovi and Twisted Sister; Kix came from Maryland; Philadelphia was home to Cinderella; Chicago had Enuff Z'Nuff; Slaughter’s origins were in Las Vegas. Glam rock also went abroad to the UK (Def Leppard, Quiet Riot), Germany (the Scorpions), and Finland (Hanoi Rocks).
• Harder than hair metal: Meanwhile, other hard rock bands hung around the fringes of glam metal while maintaining a rougher edge. Guns N' Roses and Van Halen occupied a similar scene in Hollywood but eschewed makeup and singalong choruses. New Jersey’s Skid Row grew up in the shadow of Bon Jovi, but charted a course toward pure heavy metal (despite frontman Sebastian Bach's magazine-cover looks). Texas legends Pantera began as a glam metal outfit, but achieved its enduring rock music identity when it shifted to a grinding form of hardcore thrash.

By the early 1990s, MTV and FM radio shifted focus to grunge and alternative rock, which was performed by bands that took their cues from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, and punk rock. While glam metal’s mainstream era ended, glam bands still enjoy a niche within the larger rock music scene.

Glam metal albums and bands each had unique style, but tended to share several key characteristics.

1. 1. Guitar-based rock music: The typical glam metal song is based around an array of guitar riffs, backed by bass, drums, and the occasional keyboard. Flashy guitar solos are common.
2. 2. Performed by men with androgynous looks: The vast majority of glam metal rockers are men. However, taking a page from KISS, these groups frequently employ heavy makeup, big hair, and tight spandex clothing. Glam metal vocalists, such as Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe and Poison’s Bret Michaels, embraced this androgynous look.
3. 3. Simple lyrics built for singalongs: Many of the biggest hair metal hits are built around singalong group choruses with simple rhymes and heavy repetition.
4. 4. Pop sensibility: Despite instrumental similarities with hard-edged bands like Metallica, the stars of glam metal prioritize pop hooks, which helped them crack the Billboard charts in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Glam metal bands appeared on the scene starting in the late 1970s, and new ones, like Sweden’s Crashdiet, continue to pop up. Some of the most notable glam metal bands include:

1. 1. Bon Jovi: Both a singer and a rock band from New Jersey, this eponymous band was established in the early 1980s.
2. 2. Def Leppard: An English band formed in Sheffield in 1977, known for their hit “Photograph.”
3. 3. Poison: Formed in Pennsylvania, this Bret Michaels-led band is known for songs such as “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and “Nothin’ But a Good Time.”
4. 4. Mötley Crüe: This Los Angeles band was known for their androgenous looks and wild off-stage antics.
5. 5. Ratt: Another early LA glam metal band, Ratt was known for having two virtuoso guitarists and a number of MTV hits.
6. 6. Quiet Riot: Initially founded in 1973, Quiet Riot came to prominence following their 1983 single “Cum On Feel the Noize."
7. 7. L.A. Guns: First formed in 1983, this band was once fronted by Axl Rose of Guns N’ Roses.
8. 8. Slaughter: This Las Vegas band had multiple hit singles, including "Up All Night.”
9. 9. Winger: This New York City-based band combined elements of glam metal and progressive rock in the 1980s and ‘90s.
10. 10. Kix: Formed in Maryland, Kix were known for their tongue-in-cheek brand of glam metal.
11. 11. Cinderella: This Pennsylvania band had several hits in the ‘80s.
12. 12. Twisted Sister: Formed in New Jersey in 1973, Twisted Sister was known for their theatrics and slapstick music videos.
13. 13. Great White: An LA band known for hits like “Once Bitten, Twice Shy” and “House of Broken Love.”
14. 14. White Lion: Vocalist Mike Tramp and guitarist Vito Bratta formed White Lion in New York City in 1983.
15. 15. Night Ranger: A San Francisco group that gained popularity in the 1980s.
16. 16. Dokken: An American band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. The group’s hits include “In My Dreams” and “Burning Like a Flame.”

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