The Best College Rock Album of Each Year From 1976

What were the best albums of the college rock era? In this list, we’ll revisit some of the albums that were championed by college rock stations through the years ranging from 1976 to 1990, before grunge brought alternative music into the mainstream.

First of all, it should be noted that much like grunge, there were bands making music that fit what would become “college rock” before it was recognized as such. Though there’s no definitive date for the beginnings of “college rock,” most point to 1983 as the year in which people really started to credit these university-based stations as tastemakers that were helping to push the development and recognition of acts such as R.E.M., The Replacements, The Cure, U2 and more that would later garner broader attention.

It’s also interesting to note the evolution of college rock, which in the beginning seemed to spotlight the post-punk explosion of 1976 and 1977, teased the ’80s new wave explosion, gave birth to a wave of jangle pop rock bands and embraced the dark synth acts of the mid-’80s before giving airtime to bands that would portend the ’90s grunge boom.

If you ever wanted to see where the next trends in music were coming from, college rock radio was often the place to look.

READ MORE: WTF Is College Rock? 10 Songs That Defined The Era

As we state later in this piece, college rock stations didn’t go away in the ’90s, but the arrival of grunge and mainstream alternative stations essentially ushered in a new era of music. It was one in which the underdog mentality was no more as the desire for a broader and larger platform was now readily available.

College rock stations still continue to spotlight emerging bands, but now it seemed like the bridge to broader acceptance was more readily available.

So who had the best albums for each year of the college rock era? Join us as we take a look at some of the early examples and most critically hailed works from alternative world between 1976 and 1990