How in the world have I never stumbled across this “genre” before? Seriously, something called “divorced dad rock” has been screaming to be mentioned in this blog since its inception! Admittedly, it’s one of those manufactured genres, like yacht rock; but that doesn’t make it any less legitimate.
I came across the term “divorced dad rock” last night in TikTok; and, as I am a divorced dad, I thought I would give it a look.
As I came of age in the late 80s and early 90s, I tend to look at some of the alternative, hard rock / metal of this time as paling in comparison to the music of my high school years. But the truth is, the rock genre is on life-support in 2025. Today, I would would give almost anything to have new material from some of these bands; instead of today’s Auto Tuned pop dreck.
I laugh at “divorced dad rock“ because it’s a funny label, and I laugh at because it’s true. Scrolling through this particular, Spotify playlist, I found it many of the songs listed there are actually on my own Spotify playlists that I use while I’m running, walking, or working out! The truth is, I like a lot of this music. But it makes sense. A lot of it is from that time earlier in my life.
This particular playlist contains a lot of hard rock from the late 90s and early 2000s, with artist, including, but not limited to: Staind, Limp Bizkit, Saliva and, of course, Creed and Nickelback.
Doing some research on Divorced Dad Rock, I came across another sub-genre: Butt Rock. Often thought of as an offshoot, or even an overlay, of Divorced DadRock Butt rock is a musical genre that is a little bit lighter, and more radio-friendly than the songs that songs that might fall under DDR. The name but rock is derived from the tagline “nothing but rock!” That can be found on many radio stations up and down the dial throughout the United States. Of course, Butt Rock is another topic for another blog post…
Is Divorced Dad Rock for real? Let’s see how long of a shelflife it has. This might be one of those things that becomes Internet buzzworthy for about 15 minutes. But then again, it may turn into something like yacht rock, where people are making documentaries about it nearly 40 years later
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, 👍 comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier, related posts:
- Teacher Armor and the Saturday Clearing
- The Extra Day: A Ten-Year Memory
- Of Training Wheels and Christmas Lights
- Charity Starts at Home (And I’m Back in My Childhood One)
- The Muscle of Empathy
The article “Divorced Dad rock: If the Shoe Fits…” first appeared in Rebuilding Rob.
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