1950s: The 1950s is the decade when rock first appeared. Back in those early stages, it was basically blues with an electric guitar. The main artists who made rock and roll popular were Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Buddy Holly, and Little Richard.
1960s: The "British Invasion" brought artists like The Beatles to America. The Beatles took inspiration from the artists of the 1950s and made it their own. After The Beatles, artists like Pink Floyd, The Who, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream became popular. Other genres of rock like progressive rock, folk rock, and heavy metal emerged.
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1970s: Led Zeppelin started in the 60s, but became really popular in the 70s. Artists such as David Bowie, The Eagles, and Queen started in the 70s. Punk was also born in the late 70s with artists like The Ramones, The Sex Pistols, and The Clash to make it popular.
1980s: The 80s is most popular for its hair bands with Van Halen, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and Mötley Crüe being some of the more popular hair bands. Indie/alternative rock showed up in the late 80s and was very popular with college students.
1990s: The 90s was the decade for grunge and alternative rock. Some of the popular grunge bands of the 1990s were Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains.
2000 - Present: There are so many sub-genres that I don't even want to attempt listing all of them. Alternative rock is as popular as ever. Pop rock is also really popular with artists like Fall Out Boy, All-American Rejects, Ashlee Simpson, Avril Lavigne, and so many more.