In the wake of Nirvana's almost accidental mainstreaming, the bands that didn't want to be make it big went back into their enclaves to produce diverse sounds based on the post-punk rock of the 1980s. Independent of major recording labels, their macho albums spotlighting the guitar and harking back to Punk rock have become cult classics. Key Artists: Superchunk and Yo La Tengo.
Read more: the ListenSmart article on this style.