Electronic Rock

Electronic rock, also commonly referred to as synthrock, electrorock or digital rock, is rock music generated with electronic instruments. It has been highly dependent on technological developments, particularly the invention and refinement of the synthesizer, the development of the MIDI digital format and computer technology.

In the late 1960s rock musicians began to use electronic instruments, like the theremin and Mellotron, to supplement and define their sound, by the end of the decade the Moog synthesizer took a leading place in the sound of emerging progressive rock bands who would dominate rock in the early 1970s. After the arrival of punk rock a form of basic synth rock emerged, increasingly using new digital technology to replace other instruments. In the 1980s more commercially oriented synth pop dominated electronic rock. In the 1990s big beat and industrial rock were among the most important new trends and in the new millennium the spread of recording software led to the development of new distinct genres including indietronica, electroclash, dance-punk and new rave.