Sells like Teen Spirit

This account of modern rock music “skillfully articulates the brutal social truths that compel young people to create meaning and subculture out of chaos” (Donna Gaines, author of Teenage Wasteland).

In Sells Like Teen Spirit, Ryan Moore tells the story of how music and youth culture have changed along with the economic, political, and cultural transformations of American society over four decades. By attending concerts, hanging out in dance clubs and after-hour bars, and examining the do-it-yourself music scene, Moore gives a riveting, first-hand account of the sights, sounds, and smells of “teen spirit.”

Moore traces the histories of punk, hardcore, heavy metal, glam, thrash, alternative rock, grunge, and riot grrrl music, and relates them to wider social changes that have taken place. Alongside the thirty images of concert photos, zines, flyers, and album covers in the book, Moore offers original interpretations of the music of a wide range of bands including Black Sabbath, Black Flag, Metallica, Nirvana, and Sleater-Kinney. Written in a lively, witty style, Sells Like Teen Spiritsuggests a more hopeful attitude about the ways that music can be used as a counter to an overly commercialized culture, showcasing recent musical innovations by youth that emphasize democratic participation and creative self-expression—even at the cost of potential copyright infringement.

“Brilliantly situates the histories of several musical styles within the political, economic, and social changes that led to the development of an assortment of rock subgenres . . . engaging.” —Journal of Youth and Adolescence