alt-country

noun

alt-coun·​try ˈȯlt-ˈkən-trē 

: country music that is produced by performers who are outside the mainstream of country music and that is typically regarded as differing from mainstream country in being less polished, more original, and more eclectic especially in incorporating influences from such genres as rock, folk music, blues, and punk

Examples of alt-country in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Backed by her alt-country band the Wistfuls, the voice of rising Asheville singer-songwriter Hannah Kaminer swirled around Wicked Weed’s Funkatorium, spilling out onto the bustling South Slope district nearby. —Garret K. Woodward, Rolling Stone, 9 Aug. 2024

Wilco leader Tweedy loved the photograph and chose it as the 2002 album cover, the unique yet familiar towers reflective of the band’s stark sonic departure from alt-country to eclectic, psychedelic indie-rock, while still holding their origins dear. —Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Aug. 2024

Kinky Friedman, the tongue-in-cheek humorist and alt-country musician of the Texas Jewboys, has died, bandmate Little Jewford confirmed to The New York Times. —Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 27 June 2024

When Uncle Tupelo, an Illinois band that was enormously influential on the development of the alt-country movement, broke up in 1994, four-fifths of their final lineup quickly formed Wilco. —Al Shipley, SPIN, 22 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

short for alternative country

First Known Use

1993, in the meaning defined above