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The 'adult alternative' pop music and radio format of the 1990's

i feel like this stuff is still under-theorized as a sociocu...
Hyperactive vibrant point
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
i feel like it represented the post-cold war totalization of...
Hyperactive vibrant point
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
there were also bands in other genres which saw the rise of ...
Hyperactive vibrant point
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
...
Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
...
Passionate Bat Shit Crazy Dysfunction Gunner
  03/11/26
Toad the Wet Sprocket sucked.
Orange double fault
  03/09/26
Wait -
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
...
Cocky deranged box office bbw
  03/10/26
...
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
what if God was one of us? just a slob like one of us?
stimulating godawful travel guidebook
  03/09/26
philosophy is just the talk on the cereal box.
Orange double fault
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
good call. that song came out in 1989 and sort of presages t...
stimulating godawful travel guidebook
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
...
twinkling theater stage
  03/10/26
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pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
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pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
This shit was king in that weird interregnum between grunge ...
Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter
  03/09/26
180
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
Lmao
galvanic church
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
it was still big in the 00's for a while. matchbox twenty, ...
Hyperactive vibrant point
  03/09/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/09/26
Good call, there was that last cohort of white people who wa...
Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
...
house-broken swashbuckling quadroon mental disorder
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
tbh pearl jam was already kinda soy and paved the way for sh...
Primrose Boyish Parlor Mad Cow Disease
  03/10/26
Funny I don’t really like Pearl Jam but love Eddie Ved...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
Lmao, I’d forgotten it’s a statue sitting at a t...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
His ukulele album is great too, and I hate Pearl Jam.
zippy shaky menage striped hyena
  03/11/26
They all copied his voice — Silverchair, Candlebox, ST...
Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter
  03/10/26
Been a while since I listened to silverchair diorama, ty
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
Creed
Primrose Boyish Parlor Mad Cow Disease
  03/10/26
180!
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
...
Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
who will saAAAAaave your soul
house-broken swashbuckling quadroon mental disorder
  03/10/26
18000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
Train, Nora Jones, pretty much whatever we want.
adventurous out-of-control state son of senegal
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
Our local radio station was like this I swear they played 10...
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
I have so little familiarity with Gen X or even most millenn...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
180
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
I like some of those Cardigans singles but I can never remem...
drunken clear cruise ship
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
Was that “AOR”
Gaped hall
  03/10/26
Album oriented rock.
adventurous out-of-control state son of senegal
  03/10/26
*Autoadmit oriented
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
wtf does that even mean though
Cerebral swollen place of business filthpig
  03/10/26
I enjoyed this poast-moniker synergy FWIW
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
Before AOR, artists didn't release LP albums, they just sold...
adventurous out-of-control state son of senegal
  03/11/26
Also back in the 60's 'hip' and 'groovy' DJ's on new-fangled...
Orange double fault
  03/11/26
I thought that was “MOR” which is definitely a m...
Gaped hall
  03/11/26
180 thread in movie terms, this era probably Beginnin...
Heady cruel-hearted market
  03/10/26
The big singles off the Singles s/t were all grunge not adul...
Orange double fault
  03/10/26
Tfw no Suzanne Vega musical genius mommy gf...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
https://www.xoxohth.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843779&mc=...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
I always forget that's her but that's a great example too.
Orange double fault
  03/10/26
Tyty :-)
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
no; Tom's Diner was very much a young person/MTV Grind/middl...
Deep base
  03/10/26
Now THAT's what I call the finer points of XOXOhth scholarsh...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
you could be dance and adult alternative contemporary like E...
Orange double fault
  03/10/26
<3<3<3
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
*soft club aestheticboi tp
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
I don’t care for Suzanne Vega tbh. “Pop-folk&rdq...
Gaped hall
  03/11/26
i'm not sure how well the adult alternative format 'maps' to...
Hyperactive vibrant point
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
This is just a function of the glut of mid-budget middle bro...
Primrose Boyish Parlor Mad Cow Disease
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
...
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
IN THE HOUSE OF STONE AND LIGHT
twinkling theater stage
  03/10/26
Okay, I lol'd
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
...
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
I'm listening to 10,000 maniacs right now and its filling me...
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
"and sega genesis was giving nintendo serious competiti...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
one of their biggest hits was literally called 'trouble me.'...
Hyperactive vibrant point
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
MORE THAN THIS
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
180
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
This music felt like the world of tired grownups. Coffee bre...
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
>manageable but joyless The aural equivalent of our cy...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
...
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
not joyless so much but a vague sense that something isn&rsq...
Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
of course compared to the Current Year tp
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
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Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
i remember a 90's car commercial (may have been lexus) which...
Hyperactive vibrant point
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pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
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twinkling theater stage
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pearly violent theater mother
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Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
THESE ARE THE DAYS YOULL REMEMBER
house-broken swashbuckling quadroon mental disorder
  03/10/26
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pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
...
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
Isn’t that song literally about how great everything i...
Cerebral swollen place of business filthpig
  03/10/26
10,000 men of Autoadmit tp
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
It's a band
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/11/26
(Tp)
pearly violent theater mother
  03/11/26
180
Lascivious pontificating nowag
  03/11/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/11/26
Tbf they only had that one song
Gaped hall
  03/11/26
I had such a crush on natalie merchant. I imagine she had a ...
Passionate Bat Shit Crazy Dysfunction Gunner
  03/11/26
I view this as an MTV vs VH1 war, where MTV was for kids loo...
wonderful antidepressant drug institution
  03/10/26
...
pearly violent theater mother
  03/10/26
i really like 10,000 maniacs and feel like they are getting ...
Titillating harsh sanctuary mood
  03/11/26


Poast new message in this thread



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:04 PM
Author: Hyperactive vibrant point

i feel like this stuff is still under-theorized as a sociocultural and marketing phenomenon. superficially, it was the music industry's pivot from the 'adult contemporary' format which was struggling after the 80's. but it grew well beyond that into a sprawling industry with some of the best-selling albums in US history, like hootie's first record.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730628)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 10:51 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730942)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:04 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730629)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:09 PM
Author: Hyperactive vibrant point

i feel like it represented the post-cold war totalization of pop culture into a specific set of products. 'adult alternative' wasn't really a single coherent sound or category; it was a kind of catch-basin for different marketing goals. 'grunge' was too harsh for a lot of consumers, so they got grunge-'adjacent' acts like counting crows and collective soul instead.

'jam bands' were too diffuse and difficult to edit for radio, so the AA format developed DMB and blues traveler and so on.

the riot girl stuff was too unpolished, but AA could take some of those notions and fold them into sheryl crow and melissa etheridge and so forth.

'roots rock' was too niche. bring in hootie. and on and on.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730641)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:18 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730669)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:30 PM
Author: Hyperactive vibrant point

there were also bands in other genres which saw the rise of AA and said "give me some of that." goo goo dolls, for example. they started back in the 80's as a metal-adjacent rock band. they decided at some point around 1992 that they did not want to compete with the grunge acts, and they polished their sound into smoother rock-based power-pop, eg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRbWasL1kac

this did okay for them, but they knew they could go further. and that's what they did by 1995, with their first AA mega-hit ('Name').

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730705)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:40 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730732)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:24 PM
Author: Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732841)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:24 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732843)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 11th, 2026 2:47 PM
Author: Passionate Bat Shit Crazy Dysfunction Gunner



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49735006)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:09 PM
Author: Orange double fault

Toad the Wet Sprocket sucked.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730640)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:18 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

Wait -

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730670)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 10:58 PM
Author: Cocky deranged box office bbw



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733642)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 2:03 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732061)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:11 PM
Author: stimulating godawful travel guidebook

what if God was one of us? just a slob like one of us?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730650)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:13 PM
Author: Orange double fault

philosophy is just the talk on the cereal box.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730658)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:18 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730671)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:24 PM
Author: stimulating godawful travel guidebook

good call. that song came out in 1989 and sort of presages the format OP talks about by 5 or 6 years.

i love 'What I Am', though. it's of a higher quality than 'Dishwalla' and the AC stuff that came in the 90s.

one of the few guitar-based top-40 songs of the era that was not a 'hard rock'/Alt rock crossover, just straight pop rock. it gives you a sense of what 80s/90s top 40 would have sounded like if it had never been 'Urbanized.' if the cultural currents that produced 70s 'soft rock' had persisted.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730693)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:39 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730730)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 10:30 PM
Author: twinkling theater stage



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733546)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 10:32 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733552)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:18 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730674)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:18 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730675)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:21 PM
Author: Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter

This shit was king in that weird interregnum between grunge and nu metal. It was like “we can’t go from Pearl Jam to Limp Bizkit right away, so here’s some Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730688)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:39 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

180

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730731)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:40 PM
Author: galvanic church

Lmao

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730735)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:51 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730766)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:43 PM
Author: Hyperactive vibrant point

it was still big in the 00's for a while. matchbox twenty, for example. in fact, i'd say that coldplay was the last huge AA act. those guys eventually got edged out by pop-rap and other genres.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730748)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 9th, 2026 9:51 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49730767)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 11:55 AM
Author: Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter

Good call, there was that last cohort of white people who wanted new rock but was turned off by the Scumminess of nu metal. So the AA genre limped along a few more years.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731645)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 12:21 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731738)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 12:05 PM
Author: house-broken swashbuckling quadroon mental disorder



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731674)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 2:03 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732056)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 12:07 PM
Author: Primrose Boyish Parlor Mad Cow Disease

tbh pearl jam was already kinda soy and paved the way for shittier post-grunge bands

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731680)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 1:21 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

Funny I don’t really like Pearl Jam but love Eddie Vedder’s 2? Solo acoustic albums (into the wild and the one with the album cover at the bottom of the ocean)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731903)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 1:28 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

Lmao, I’d forgotten it’s a statue sitting at a typewriter underwater, highly ZOZO-coded tp

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731922)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 11th, 2026 11:58 AM
Author: zippy shaky menage striped hyena

His ukulele album is great too, and I hate Pearl Jam.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734551)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 1:26 PM
Author: Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter

They all copied his voice — Silverchair, Candlebox, STP, Collective Soul, Bush etc.

I don’t care for PJ but Eddie Vedder was the most influential / ripped-off rock vocalist since like Robert Plant.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731920)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 1:29 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

Been a while since I listened to silverchair diorama, ty

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731925)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:09 PM
Author: Primrose Boyish Parlor Mad Cow Disease

Creed

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732765)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:13 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

180!

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732787)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:20 PM
Author: Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732823)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:22 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732834)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 12:05 PM
Author: house-broken swashbuckling quadroon mental disorder

who will saAAAAaave your soul

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731673)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 12:22 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

18000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731739)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 1:18 PM
Author: adventurous out-of-control state son of senegal

Train, Nora Jones, pretty much whatever we want.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731891)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 1:19 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49731899)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 2:05 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag

Our local radio station was like this I swear they played 10,000 Maniacs and the Cardigans every hour for about 7 years. Made me fantasize about doing pogroms on gen x

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732069)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 2:06 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

I have so little familiarity with Gen X or even most millennial music for better or worse that I keep having to check that artist names ITT are real and not X(O) parody, lmao

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732072)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 2:23 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag

180

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732119)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:07 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732756)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 10:19 PM
Author: drunken clear cruise ship

I like some of those Cardigans singles but I can never remember the name of the band. I always get them confused with The Cranberries and then I'm like, no, that's not it

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733504)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 10:20 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733513)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 2:11 PM
Author: Gaped hall

Was that “AOR”

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732084)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 2:51 PM
Author: adventurous out-of-control state son of senegal

Album oriented rock.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732229)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:07 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

*Autoadmit oriented

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732758)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:21 PM
Author: Cerebral swollen place of business filthpig

wtf does that even mean though

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733518)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:23 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

I enjoyed this poast-moniker synergy FWIW

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733523)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 11:06 AM
Author: adventurous out-of-control state son of senegal

Before AOR, artists didn't release LP albums, they just sold singles and EPs.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734447)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 11:08 AM
Author: Orange double fault

Also back in the 60's 'hip' and 'groovy' DJ's on new-fangled 'FM' stations would actually play full albums a lot.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734449)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 11:13 AM
Author: Gaped hall

I thought that was “MOR” which is definitely a music “genre” as well.

What a fraud industry lol

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734467)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 2:23 PM
Author: Heady cruel-hearted market

180 thread

in movie terms, this era probably

Beginning - Singles / Slackers

Zenith- Reality Bites / Kicking and Screaming

End - High Fidelity or Garden State?

maybe I'm just describing Gen X generally

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732117)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 3:11 PM
Author: Orange double fault

The big singles off the Singles s/t were all grunge not adult alternative contemporary.

The real start of adult alternative contemporary was 'Luka' by Suzanne Vega.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732286)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:08 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

Tfw no Suzanne Vega musical genius mommy gf...

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732762)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:09 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

https://www.xoxohth.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843779&mc=26&forum_id=2

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732764)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:15 PM
Author: Orange double fault

I always forget that's her but that's a great example too.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733491)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:20 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

Tyty :-)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733515)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:29 PM
Author: Deep base

no; Tom's Diner was very much a young person/MTV Grind/middle school dance oriented song from that era. it was not in the Adult Contemporary vein.

her other material was more AC, though, a la Natalie Merchant etc.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733543)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:33 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

Now THAT's what I call the finer points of XOXOhth scholarship, tyft

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733555)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:34 PM
Author: Orange double fault

you could be dance and adult alternative contemporary like Everything but The Girl 'Missing'

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733557)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:49 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

<3<3<3

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733620)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:49 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

*soft club aestheticboi tp

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733622)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 12:07 PM
Author: Gaped hall

I don’t care for Suzanne Vega tbh. “Pop-folk” stuff like hers is just for girls too homely to be legit pop stars, which - much as it pains to admit - they would have much preferred to be

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734563)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:11 PM
Author: Hyperactive vibrant point

i'm not sure how well the adult alternative format 'maps' to films, since movies were sort of the last 90's stronghold of the big 80's adult contemporary power ballad (the bodyguard, titanic, armageddon, etc.).

aesthetically, it reminds me of early-90's films which were set almost inexplicably in seattle (since it had become trendy by then) but made no reference to grunge or music which had given the city its trendy reputation. sleepless in seattle and disclosure in particular.

disclosure was marketed as a 'techno-thriller' to help ride the cyberpunk trend, but the tech elements were muted, and it was actually a romantic drama. not exactly a bait-and-switch, but you can see the marketing goals.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732779)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:13 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732785)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:14 PM
Author: Primrose Boyish Parlor Mad Cow Disease

This is just a function of the glut of mid-budget middle brow 90s movies. They all used the city as a "character". Shit was filmed in New Orleans, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis, etc. and had a very strong sense of place.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732795)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:16 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732809)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:31 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732880)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:31 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732883)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 3:01 PM
Author: twinkling theater stage

IN THE HOUSE OF STONE AND LIGHT

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732253)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:08 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

Okay, I lol'd

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732763)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:29 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732865)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:30 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732869)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:15 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag

I'm listening to 10,000 maniacs right now and its filling me with that same dreadful feeling from childhood like the songs are so dour and made to feel so serious and weighty meanwhile these faggots had the most prosperous peaceful still white country imaginable and college cost like $2000 per year and sega genesis was giving nintendo serious competition

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732804)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:16 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

"and sega genesis was giving nintendo serious competition"

Wasn't expecting this last part, tyvmft

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732811)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:18 PM
Author: Hyperactive vibrant point

one of their biggest hits was literally called 'trouble me.'

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732817)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:19 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732822)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:21 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag

MORE THAN THIS

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732830)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:23 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

180

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732835)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:25 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag

This music felt like the world of tired grownups. Coffee breath, cloudy afternoons, divorce, waiting rooms, Volvos, chain bookstores, office park sadness. An aural reminder that your future is manageable but joyless

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732848)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:29 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

>manageable but joyless

The aural equivalent of our cybermonastic life without rachmiel since he went out for cigs tp

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732863)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:31 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732877)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:26 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733533)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:31 PM
Author: Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter

not joyless so much but a vague sense that something isn’t right, there’s some dot I’m not connecting

of course compared to the Current Year it seems ridiculous but who could have known that then

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732881)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:32 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732884)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:32 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

of course compared to the Current Year tp

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732886)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:34 PM
Author: Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732896)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:35 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732901)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:36 PM
Author: Hyperactive vibrant point

i remember a 90's car commercial (may have been lexus) which was set at night with a troubled-looking middle-aged guy pacing around and seeming vexed until he looked at his car payment and discovered that it was 'only' $395 a month (or something similar). at which point he smiled and seemed relieved. i found it kind of horrifying at the time for reasons i couldn't possibly have explained back then.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732909)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:47 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732970)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:16 PM
Author: twinkling theater stage



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733495)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 10:20 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733511)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:21 PM
Author: Sticky Theatre Trump Supporter



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732827)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:23 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732836)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:24 PM
Author: house-broken swashbuckling quadroon mental disorder

THESE ARE THE DAYS YOULL REMEMBER

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732842)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 6:24 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732845)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:25 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732851)



Reply Favorite

Date: March 10th, 2026 6:29 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49732867)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:22 PM
Author: Cerebral swollen place of business filthpig

Isn’t that song literally about how great everything is at that moment?

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733520)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 10:24 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

10,000 men of Autoadmit tp

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733528)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 2:56 AM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag

It's a band

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733964)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 10:54 AM
Author: pearly violent theater mother

(Tp)

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734399)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 2:38 PM
Author: Lascivious pontificating nowag

180

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734979)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 2:41 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734987)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 11:13 AM
Author: Gaped hall

Tbf they only had that one song

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49734470)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 2:58 PM
Author: Passionate Bat Shit Crazy Dysfunction Gunner

I had such a crush on natalie merchant. I imagine she had a hairy bush

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49735049)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 7:56 PM
Author: wonderful antidepressant drug institution

I view this as an MTV vs VH1 war, where MTV was for kids looking for the latest cutting edge music (whether that be Nirvana or Britney Spears or KORN) vs VH1 which was for music someone over the age of 16 could listen to.

The VH1 market no longer exists because adults can instantly stream any music from the youth at any time - so you don't need bands like Matchbox 20 / Train / Third Eye Blind who appeal to 25-50 year olds.

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733172)



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Date: March 10th, 2026 8:16 PM
Author: pearly violent theater mother



(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49733246)



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Date: March 11th, 2026 3:12 PM
Author: Titillating harsh sanctuary mood

i really like 10,000 maniacs and feel like they are getting trashed itt

(http://www.autoadmit.com/thread.php?thread_id=5843757&forum_id=2...id.#49735078)