How Hair Bands Roared in the 1980s

Ruled the Sunset Strip, and Ultimately Fell to Grunge

The big hair, tight spandex, and on-stage theatrics, aesthetics of the glam-metal, or “hair-band” movement that had prominence during the raging 1980s, and it didn’t just appear. No, it grow and blossomed from a mixed of earlier rock ‘n roll influences, from a hungry generation of LA musicians, and the rise of MTV that influenced culture globally. These bands, through the blending of heavy guitar riffs, ripping solos, big and insane vocal ranges, tied in with glamorous visuals, created one of the most memorable eras in the history of rock.

The Birth of the Movement

The hair band movement took shape in the early part of the 1980s building on the glam rock theatrics from the ‘70s, hard-rock guitar heroics inspired by Van Halen, and a rebellious, party-centric attitude inherited from both punk and classic rock genres. The one thing that set the hair bands apart from mainstream established acts, was their focus on image. It was outrageous, with big hair, makeup, lots of leather, and spandex, and maybe a fish net or two, and these weren’t the side details, either.

These were elements that were part of the brand. With launch of MTV in 1981, the paradigm had shifted quite significantly in the world of music, and bands that had that exciting look suddenly dominated the airwaves, a massive side effect from featuring a music video to the masses. By then, visual appeal on video became just as important as musical ability.

Gound Zero, aka The Sunset Strip

Like hitting a main vein, the Sunset Strip pumped major blood into Hollywood, as it was the movements main center piece of attraction. Venues like the Whisky a Go Go, the Roxy, and Gazzarri’s On the Strip, hosted bands nightly, and big hair, spandex, and leather can be seen stretching down the Blvd., as the sidewalks and cross walks were packed with fans, musicians, promoters, and A&R record label scouts, looking for the next recording phenom.

Light poles, and telephone poles where entirely covered with flyers, as the competition was fierce as bands competed for the best time slots, and venues. The nightlife on the Sunset Strip was more than that, it was a thriving rock ’n roll ecosystem. Show after show, bands were gaining a good following and building reputations that got fat enough for some to garner direct major recording deals. During the 1980s, for a few key years, the rock universe was centered on the Sunset Strip.

The Golden Era

Rolling into the mid-to-late 1980s, the mainstream culture was dominated by hair bands. Loud and riotous bands like Mötley Crüe, Quiet Riot, GNR, Ratt, Poison, and Def Leppard filled arenas and blew up MTV. Some massive hits were created by these bands, defining a generation. From electrifying high-energy rock ‘n roll anthems to some of the decade’s most iconic power ballads. Living the rockstar lifestyle, they were wild, loud, and unapologetically glamorous, all of which became part of rock ‘n roll mythology.

The Fall: Grunge Changes Everything

By the time the 1990s rolled around, the hair band scene was oversaturated. The sound was a wash of similar sounding, and similar looking bands that spilled over the charts. The formula had become stale and too predictable. Big hair, big guitars, big choruses, and big asses were starting to feel outdated.

Enter Grunge. The anti-glamour, unapologetic, and explosive movement like a juggernaut, and success that contained the seeds of its own demise and decline. This shift came with the quickness. Like a heart attack, the Seattle band scene broke through into the mainstream like a hot shot in 1991-1992, with bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, and others, hailing from the great state of Washington. Their unpolished image and their raw sound instantly made glam metal rock appear outdated almost overnight.

Like a door being kicked in, everything embraced by hair bands was outright rejected by Grunge. It was a counterculture move: no flashy spandex outfits, or leathers, no Hollywood excess, no party-anthem styled lyrics. Instead, it was emotional, grounded, and introspective. The impact and rift were immediate! Like a record skip, MTV changed rotation practically overnight, labels dropped glam-metal acts like a hot potato, tours began to shrink or just collapse, and the Sunset Strip nightclub scene lost its alure and crowds. In its wake, the Grunge movements impact, in just a couple of years ended the hair band era.

A Lasting Legacy

The glam metal rock of the 1980s never really disappeared, or its influence. Grunge may have seem to take its place in the beginning, but after the dust settled, it all became part of the landscape within the musical sphere. Today, many hair bands are still touring, and younger fans are discovering the era of head banging rock through playlists and documentaries.

As a symbol of on of rock’s most influential, and explosive theatrical movements, the Sunset Strip remains the mecca that it is. The big, teased hair, spandex, leather, and loud riffing guitars of the hair‑band era may have been brief, but its impact, on many levels, visually, musically, and culturally is still unmistakable. Rock on!