Sleaze Rock

Sleaze rock emerged in the 1980s as a raw, blues-inflected subgenre of glam metal and hard rock, tracing its lineage to the swagger of 70s acts like *Aerosmith* and the punk-glam fusion of *New York Dolls*. It rejected the polished production of its pop-metal contemporaries, favoring a grittier sonic texture built on overdriven guitars, muscular rhythms, and raspy, streetwise vocals. Lyrically, it explored themes of urban decay, hedonism, and cynicism. The genre achieved massive commercial success in the late 1980s, spearheaded by *Guns N' Roses*' seminal album "Appetite for Destruction", shaping a rawer branch of mainstream rock.