This subject may have come up at some point or another on this site, so I may be recycling topics. Still it's a subject I'm curious about since I wasn't alive at the time. So this question will mostly be for those old enough to remember. A lot of people claim that hair metal died when Nirvana's Nevermind came out and grunge was starting to become popular. But I've also heard from people that hair metal was already starting to decline around 1988/1989, and Nirvana simply finished it off (sort of). I'm sort of inclined to believe the latter, but as I mentioned earlier, I wasn't alive back then so I can't say for sure.

Bump.

I'd say that hair metal peaked in 1987, around the time Def Leppard released Hysteria and the singles off Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet were huge hits.

I'd actually go with 1988 due to Bon Jovi's New Jersey being another mega album, most of the hits of Hysteria/Guns 'n Roses debut hit the charts,  MTV's Headbangers' Ball starting to become popular, and more of a saturation taking place in terms of bands and radio airplay. But 1987-1990 was its extended peak, and it was actually somewhat more popular in 1984 (Ratt, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Night Ranger, Autograph, Bon Jovi's debut) than it was in 1985-86, which seem to be more "corporate pop" dominated.

I'd actually go with 1988 due to Bon Jovi's New Jersey being another mega album, most of the hits of Hysteria/Guns 'n Roses debut hit the charts,  MTV's Headbangers' Ball starting to become popular, and more of a saturation taking place in terms of bands and radio airplay. But 1987-1990 was its extended peak, and it was actually somewhat more popular in 1984 (Ratt, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Night Ranger, Autograph, Bon Jovi's debut) than it was in 1985-86, which seem to be more "corporate pop" dominated.


This is an interesting theory but very spot on :P. It's like hair metal hit it big around 1984ish, but it took a little seat back around 1985/1986ish. Then it was revamped around 1987 and was popular until about 1990ish. I do notice a difference between the hair metal bands from like 1982-1984 and the ones from 1987-1990. The latter seems a lot more popish, I guess.

This is an interesting theory but still very spot on :P. It's like hair metal hit it big around 1984ish, but it took a little seat back around 1985/1986ish. Then it was revamped around 1987 and was popular until about 1990ish. I do notice a difference between the hair metal bands from like 1982-1984 and the ones from 1987-1990. The latter seems a lot more popish, I guess.