A few days ago, I came across a reference to Wall of Voodoo, which eventually made me realize that (a) they were often classified as “college rock,” and (b) I hadn’t heard anyone use the term “college rock” in earnest for probably close to 30 years.

So if your child were to appear before you, with doe-eyes innocence, and to ask you what college rock was, how would you show him or her?

I could come up with about half a 12-song sampler (no more than one song per band) before drawing a blank. I tried to focus on signature songs.

Wall of Voodoo “Mexican Radio”
REM “Radio Free Europe”
Oingo Boingo “Dead Man’s Party”
10,000 Maniacs “Hey Jack Kerouac”
World Party “Ship of Fools”

. . . Then what? Something by Guadalcanal Diary? The Hoodo Gurus? I can’t even name songs by either band. I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard anything by The Housemartins, but maybe they belong on the comp?

So what would be on your college rock sampler? No need to like any of the songs (I don’t like several on my sampler). You’re trying to educate.

And if this isn’t your jam, feel free to try another defunct genre/marketing term. Frat rock. Acid rock.

(I’m bored.)

College rock to me is really proto-alternative. Both are kind of nebulous, artificial labels for bands that don't have top ten, pop radio, broad appeal, but aren't gnarly enough to be part of some metal, hardcore etc scene. Really I see a lineage: New Wave, College Rock, Alternative, Indie Rock. It's almost impossible to decide when one ends and the other begins.

I'll take any of the above, but add:
Buffalo Tom, Replacements, later Husker Du, Meat Puppets, Morphine, Dinosaur Jr, Guided By Voices, Moving Targets, Engine 88. I'll think of a bunch more in the next 24 hours, I'm sure.

Wood Goblin wrote: Sun Feb 01, 2026 6:33 pm A few days ago, I came across a reference to Wall of Voodoo, which eventually made me realize that (a) they were often classified as “college rock,” and (b) I hadn’t heard anyone use the term “college rock” in earnest for probably close to 30 years.

So if your child were to appear before you, with doe-eyes innocence, and to ask you what college rock was, how would you show him or her?

I could come up with about half a 12-song sampler (no more than one song per band) before drawing a blank. I tried to focus on signature songs.

Wall of Voodoo “Mexican Radio”
REM “Radio Free Europe”
Oingo Boingo “Dead Man’s Party”
10,000 Maniacs “Hey Jack Kerouac”
World Party “Ship of Fools”

. . . Then what? Something by Guadalcanal Diary? The Hoodo Gurus? I can’t even name songs by either band. I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard anything by The Housemartins, but maybe they belong on the comp?

So what would be on your college rock sampler? No need to like any of the songs (I don’t like several on my sampler). You’re trying to educate.

And if this isn’t your jam, feel free to try another defunct genre/marketing term. Frat rock. Acid rock.

(I’m bored.)

of the ones you listed:

Mexican Radio
Hoodoo Gurus's "I Want You Back" was popular.

College when? I was in college in the 90s but had been listening to college radio (KFSR, Fresno State Radio fucking ruled) since 1984 probably. At that time it was something like:

Dead Milkmen "Big Lizard"
Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun" [or anything from S/T]
Anything from X before "Ain't Love Grand"
REM "Can't Get There from Here"
Let's Active "In Little Ways" (HUGE hit in Fresno)
Heaven 17 "Let Me Go"
Siouxsie & the Banshees "Cities in Dust"
Book of Love "I Touch Roses"
The Cult "She Sells Sanctuary" (the Cult later becomes accepted as frat rock)
The Replacements "Unsatisfied"
Dramarama "Anything, Anything"
Husker Du "Flip Your Wig"

Replacements "Left of the Dial" is the ultimate college rock song. Or The Cure's "Friday I'm in Love."

My friend got me this when I was 18 in the early 2000s and it fucked me all up. I already knew about a bunch of the bands but it helped set me on a path for sure.

Left of the Dial

01 R.E.M.– Radio Free Europe 4:05
1.02 The Jam– Going Underground 2:56
1.03 The Cure– A Forest 4:54
1.04 Dead Kennedys– Holiday In Cambodia 4:38
1.05 The Passions– I'm In Love With A German Film Star 4:01
1.06 The Replacements– I Will Dare 3:19
1.07 Mission Of Burma– That's When I Reach For My Revolver 3:52
1.08 X (5)– Johnny Hit And Run Paulene 2:49
1.09 The Jesus & Mary Chain*– Just Like Honey 3:01
1.10 Depeche Mode– Black Celebration 4:53
1.11 The Dream Syndicate– Tell Me When It's Over 3:33
1.12 Red Hot Chili Peppers– Hollywood (Africa) 5:03
1.13 New Order– Temptation 5:43
1.14 Japan– Ghosts 4:32
1.15 Magazine– A Song From Under The Floorboards 4:11
1.16 Aztec Camera– Oblivious 3:11
1.17 Hüsker Dü– Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely 3:32
1.18 Black Flag– Rise Above 2:26
1.19 Wall Of Voodoo– Back In Flesh 3:42
1.20 The Go-Betweens– Cattle And Cane 3:59
2.01 The Pretenders– Message Of Love 3:28
2.02 Ultravox– Vienna 4:39
2.03 Dinosaur Jr.– Freak Scene 3:37
2.04 The Smiths– This Charming Man 2:43
2.05 Ministry– Stigmata 5:44
2.06 Lone Justice– Ways To Be Wicked 3:25
2.07 Killing Joke– Wardance 3:48
2.08 Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark– Enola Gay 3:30
2.09 The English Beat*– Mirror In The Bathroom 3:06
2.10 The Raincoats– Fairytale In The Supermarket 2:59
2.11 The Smithereens– Behind The Wall Of Sleep 3:22
2.12 Minutemen– Political Song For Michael Jackson To Sing 1:31
2.13 The Dead Milkmen– Punk Rock Girl 2:37
2.14 Concrete Blonde– Still In Hollywood 3:45
2.15 Joy Division– Love Will Tear Us Apart 3:27
2.16 Violent Femmes– Blister In The Sun 2:24
2.17 Meat Puppets– Lake Of Fire 1:57
2.18 The dB's– Amplifier 3:07
2.19 Prefab Sprout– When Love Breaks Down 3:44
2.20 The Cramps– Goo Goo Muck 3:05
2.21 The Sisters Of Mercy– This Corrosion 4:29
2.22 XTC– Senses Working Overtime 4:50
3.01 Echo & The Bunnymen– The Cutter 3:53
3.02 Bad Brains– Pay To Cum 1:26
3.03 The Sugarcubes– Birthday 3:59
3.04 Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians– Madonna Of The Wasps 3:06
3.05 Faith No More– We Care A Lot 4:03
3.06 Sonic Youth– Teen Age Riot 6:56
3.07 Gang Of Four– To Hell With Poverty 4:59
3.08 The Feelies– Fa Ce-La 2:01
3.09 They Might Be Giants– Ana Ng 3:21
3.10 The Chameleons– Swamp Thing 5:56
3.11 Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds– The Mercy Seat 5:08
3.12 Rain Parade– I Look Around 3:06
3.13 The Psychedelic Furs– All That Money Wants 3:47
3.14 The Church– Under The Milky Way 4:59
3.15 Public Image Limited– Rise 6:18
3.16 Love And Rockets– Kundalini Express 5:51
3.17 Green On Red– Gravity Talks 2:38
3.18 Throbbing Gristle– Adrenalin 3:55
3.19 The Stone Roses– She Bangs The Drums 3:43
4.01 Pixies– Monkey Gone To Heaven 2:56
4.02 The The– Uncertain Smile (Original 7" Version) 4:54
4.03 Bauhaus– Bela Lugosi's Dead 9:34
4.04 Siouxsie & The Banshees– Christine 2:59
4.05 Minor Threat– Straight Edge 0:46
4.06 Lyres– I Want To Help You Ann 2:30
4.07 Beat Happening– Our Secret 2:48
4.08 Jane's Addiction– Jane Says 4:53
4.09 Julian Cope– World Shut Your Mouth 3:34
4.10 Kate Bush– Running Up That Hill 5:00
4.11 The Gun Club– Sex Beat 2:48
4.12 Camper Van Beethoven– Take The Skinheads Bowling 2:30
4.13 Suicidal Tendencies– Institutionalized 3:49
4.14 Cocteau Twins– Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops 4:11
4.15 Happy Mondays– 24 Hour Party People 4:38
4.16 Hoodoo Gurus– I Want You Back 3:11
4.17 Descendents– Suburban Home 1:42
4.18 The Pogues– A Pair Of Brown Eyes 4:53
4.19 The Three O'Clock– Jet Fighter 3:27
4.20 Butthole Surfers– Moving To Florida 4:32
4.21 Billy Bragg– A New England 2:13

Wood Goblin wrote: Sun Feb 01, 2026 6:33 pm So if your child were to appear before you, with doe-eyes innocence, and to ask you what college rock was, how would you show him or her?

I would show them a video by The Mighty Lemon Drops.

Just give them Doolittle by the Pixies.

The one college rock album to rule them all. Kind of the apotheosis of 80s underground music before it turned into capital A alternative.

I get Sirius XM in my car, and I sometimes listen to First Wave (80's alternative) with Richard Blade, Swedish Egil, etc. I'd just put that on for them.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Mon Feb 02, 2026 12:52 am My friend got me this when I was 18 in the early 2000s and it fucked me all up. I already knew about a bunch of the bands but it helped set me on a path for sure.

Left of the Dial

Wow, does anyone know how I can get home; it seems I’m stuck in 1987.

Never mind, I’ll just stay here.

I must have been half asleep when I wrote my initial post, because I’d *completely* forgotten how the college rock tag was applied to the Replacements,
Dino Jr, Husker Du, and others. Guh!

And I agree that any college rock sampler worth its salt would include “Left of the Dial,” probably as the opening track!