I think it would have been more upbeat and also less of a "shock value" culture. Rap would be less popular but there would also be less hanging on with post grunge and less emo. Rock would be more like the Killers on the lighter end and on the heavier end you would see more of bands like like Avenged Sevenfold, Billy Talent, and Disturbed.

In all honesty, while 9/11 had a HUGE cultural impact, I'm not sure if it would have made that much of a difference on the music scene.  Things were already beginning to move into a Rap/R&B direction in 2001 (though Rock was still hanging in there pretty well compared to now).  It took a bit longer for that to come to fruition, but the transition was already under way I think.

All in all, I think it would have been basically the same. 

All in all, I think it would have been basically the same.


Especially since 9/11 did not have such of an impact in other countries, but cultural trends were still followed, for example in Europe.

I don't think it affected music.

It didn't effect music that much, the whole commercialized bling-bling rap was already coming in during the late 90s and there was already a bit of a shift in the music scene around mid-2001. As I stated in a previous thread, we still had late 90s style teen pop coming out as late as 2004.
The Iraq War, however, did have a great effect on rock music, with Green Day's American Idiot and System of a Down's peak in popularity being prime examples of this.

I think music would've been more fun and upbeat instead of it being more depressing.

I think music would've been more fun and upbeat instead of it being more depressing.
There was a lot of fun and upbeat music in the 2000s...

I didn't notice any effect 911 had on music, fashion, ect., furthermore the mood of alarm it created during it's immediate aftermath didn't last either, in fact in many ways people never had it better(until the '08 financial crisis). Bush told americans to go SHOP, SHOP, SHOP and shop they did(and going much further into debt).

The Great Recession/Second Depression whatever has had much more longer lasting and intensive impact IMO on the american public/globally and it coincided with a historic election year too.

I didn't notice any effect 911 had on music, fashion, ect., furthermore the mood of alarm it created during it's immediate aftermath didn't last either, in fact in many ways people never had it better(until the '08 financial crisis). Bush told americans to go SHOP, SHOP, SHOP and shop they did(and going much further into debt).

The Great Recession/Second Depression whatever has had much more longer lasting and intensive impact IMO on the american public/globally and it coincided with a historic election year too.
I agree, a lot of pop culture, music, and fashion didn't really seem that different from the late 90s until around 2004/2005.

This has been asked before and I don't think music would have changed much with or without 9/11.  Certain songs with political messages probably wouldn't have been popular.  For instance there would have been no "Where Is The Love" by the Black Eyed Peas.  There would have been no "Mosh" by Eminem in 2004.  There are probably a few others that wouldn't have existed.  Hero by Enrique Iglesias would have probably barely charted and nobody would remember it today.  The style of music though would have likely been the same and much of the trends that defined the '00s style were already in place before 9/11.  Lil' Jon, master of ringtone rap, had his first smash in Summer of 2001 with Bia Bia. 

Teen pop was already fading out by Summer 2001

The songs that were created in June 2001 came out in late 2001/early 2002
it was going to sound like that regardless

I'll be very honest. Even before 9/11, songs from 2001 didn't really have a "Y2K" vibe IMO. I feel like most of 2001 was already early 2000's culturally. Yeah, there were some 90's leftovers but it was still mostly early 2000's.

I'll be very honest. Even before 9/11, songs from 2001 didn't really have a "Y2K" vibe IMO. I feel like most of 2001 was already early 2000's culturally. Yeah, there were some 90's leftovers but it was still mostly early 2000's.


I think the transition to clean up the Y2k era to get rid of everything happened around of the time the Shrek movie was released,
a week before 9/11 I have said on here that that the pop culture climate felt more darker and more adult. Britney Spears Slave 4 U
came out a week before 9/11, and was even featured on the 2001 VMAS days before 9/11 were to occur.

I remember flipping thru mtv and mtv 2 in the mornings the week prior to 9/11 and some of the music videos were

- Sum 41 Fat Lip
-  Nelly Furtado  -Turn off the light
- I'm Real Jlo & Ja Rule
-Fallin Alicia Keys
-Usher u remind me
- American Hifi Flavor of the Week


A few teen pop hits were played, Such as Mandy's Crush, Nysnc Dirty Pop, Anything Jessica Simpson related
but that was about it, and was less often these would even be played

I'll be very honest. Even before 9/11, songs from 2001 didn't really have a "Y2K" vibe IMO. I feel like most of 2001 was already early 2000's culturally. Yeah, there were some 90's leftovers but it was still mostly early 2000's.
Yeah, never thought of 2001 as being particularly 90s music-wise and you already had pop songs like "Family Affair" and "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" which wouldn't have been too out-of-place later in the decade. You also had Britney Spears trying to mature up her sound with "I'm a Slave 4 U", setting the precedent for teen pop's death in the following year.

Yeah, never thought of 2001 as being particularly 90s music-wise and you already had pop songs like "Family Affair" and "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" which wouldn't have been too out-of-place later in the decade. You also had Britney Spears trying to mature up her sound with "I'm a Slave 4 U", setting the precedent for teen pop's death in the following year.

Yup, the transition was already underway in mid 2001, but the Fall of 2001 a full week before 9/11 the transition was complete.
I mark the 2001 vmas as the first official date of the culture change. That VMAS felt more adult and darker than the prior ones in
the Y2K era.


My first week back to school in Fall 2001 I knew something in the air felt different. Also when I came back everyone was going thru
puberty and sounded different lol

I didn't notice any effect 911 had on music, fashion, ect., furthermore the mood of alarm it created during it's immediate aftermath didn't last either, in fact in many ways people never had it better(until the '08 financial crisis). Bush told americans to go SHOP, SHOP, SHOP and shop they did(and going much further into debt).

The Great Recession/Second Depression whatever has had much more longer lasting and intensive impact IMO on the american public/globally and it coincided with a historic election year too.


By early 2002 we were starting to get back to normal

Yeah it's kind of impressive of how 2002/2003 american pop doesn't particularly scream 'escapism' unlike the early 2010s did, really.

Yeah it's kind of impressive of how 2002/2003 american pop doesn't particularly scream 'escapism' unlike the early 2010s did, really.


The 2008 economic collapse effected us more than 9/11 it seems, both were terrible, but in the scope of fast changes
the 2008 struck us harder. (as a collective)

By early 2002 of course u had the flags everywhere and everything and tributes and etc etc but it seemed like American
pop culture consumerism went back to semi normal during that time, despite a very minor recession.

9/11 didn't particularly affect the direction of music. There were a few patriotic songs released by country artists and the like, but no really big deal.  For a while it DID affect what could be played, however. There was the infamous Clear Channel memorandum to it's radio stations, listing 165 "lyrically questionable" songs it strongly suggested it's stations not play in the aftermath of 9/11. Some of the "suggestions" on the list are clearly ridiculous. "O Bla Di O Bla Da" by the Beatles? What does that have to do with anything?  ???

Here's the list of songs and further information about the "ban":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Clear_Channel_memorandum

9/11 didn't particularly affect the direction of music. There were a few patriotic songs released by country artists and the like, but no really big deal.  For a while it DID affect what could be played, however. There was the infamous Clear Channel memorandum to it's radio stations, listing 165 "lyrically questionable" songs it strongly suggested it's stations not play in the aftermath of 9/11. Some of the "suggestions" on the list are clearly ridiculous. "O Bla Di O Bla Da" by the Beatles? What does that have to do with anything?  ???

Here's the list of songs and further information about the "ban":

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_Clear_Channel_memorandum


Many tv shows were edited as well at the time

Is this like when that Republican dude (I forgot her name) who said he listens to country because it had a better reaction to 9/11 than rock did?

Is this like when that Republican dude (I forgot her name) who said he listens to country because it had a better reaction to 9/11 than rock did?


it kinda did, I remember country music getting an upstick at the time,
No one I knew listened to it tho lol

Many tv shows were edited as well at the time


It's because they didn't want The Twin Towers to be shown.

It's because they didn't want The Twin Towers to be shown.


yup even the simpsons episodes were edited

yup even the simpsons episodes were edited


Can they still do it now after 17 years? ???