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The history of rock ‘n’ roll, rock music, and its visual culture is marked by transformative moments that reshaped music and society. Emerging in the 1950s, rock ‘n’ roll fused blues, gospel, and country, with pioneers like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard electrifying audiences and challenging racial and social norms. The 1960s saw rock evolve into a countercultural force, epitomized by The Beatles’ British Invasion, Bob Dylan’s poetic lyricism, and the psychedelic experimentation of Jimi Hendrix and The Doors, amplified by iconic festivals like Woodstock. The 1970s and 1980s brought diversification: punk’s raw rebellion (The Ramones), heavy metal’s theatrics (Led Zeppelin), and glam rock’s flamboyance (David Bowie, Queen). Visually, rock culture became inseparable from its sound—album art like Pink Floyd’s *The Dark Side of the Moon*, stage spectacles (KISS’s makeup, Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust), and MTV’s 1981 launch, which turned videos like Michael Jackson’s *Thriller* into global phenomena. These moments not only defined musical eras but also mirrored societal shifts, embedding rock as a soundtrack to rebellion, identity, and artistic innovation.
The history of rock ‘n’ roll, rock music, and its visual culture is marked by transformative moments that reshaped music and society. Emerging in the 1950s, rock ‘n’ roll fused blues, gospel, and country, with pioneers like Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard electrifying audiences and challenging racial and social norms. The 1960s saw rock evolve into a countercultural force, epitomized by The Beatles’ British Invasion, Bob Dylan’s poetic lyricism, and the psychedelic experimentation of Jimi Hendrix and The Doors, amplified by iconic festivals like Woodstock. The 1970s and 1980s brought diversification: punk’s raw rebellion (The Ramones), heavy metal’s theatrics (Led Zeppelin), and glam rock’s flamboyance (David Bowie, Queen). Visually, rock culture became inseparable from its sound—album art like Pink Floyd’s *The Dark Side of the Moon*, stage spectacles (KISS’s makeup, Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust), and MTV’s 1981 launch, which turned videos like Michael Jackson’s *Thriller* into global phenomena. These moments not only defined musical eras but also mirrored societal shifts, embedding rock as a soundtrack to rebellion, identity, and artistic innovation.