What is rock music?: An answer in 8 sentences

In the simplest terms, rock music can be identified as a sub-genre of popular music which developed in America and Europe in the 1950's. Many believe Elvis Presley was one of the pioneers of rock music (Hawkins, 2009). Generally, rock music can be identified as "hard-edged music performed with electric guitars, bass, and drums and usually accompanied by lyrics sung by a vocalist." (Grierson 2007)

Rock music itself contains several sub-genres. These may include grunge bands such as Nirvana, Britpop acts such as Oasis, indie music such as The Killers, alternative music such as Smashing Pumpkins, punk rock bands such as Blink 182 or electronic bands such as Cut Copy. Essentially, the term rock music encompasses these and many other genres of today's music. Anything that cannot be classified as country, R&B, Classical or Dance music can most likely suitably be labeled as rock music. As a result, this blog page contains a wide scope for analysis and comment.