 In the early 2000s , a new group of bands that played a stripped down and back @-@ to @-@ basics version of guitar rock emerged into the mainstream . They were variously characterised as part of a garage rock , new wave or post @-@ punk revival . Influences ranged from traditional blues , through new wave to grunge . The music ranged from the atonal tracks of bands like Liars to the melodic pop songs of groups like the Sounds , popularising distorted guitar sounds . They shared an emphasis on energetic live performance and used aesthetics ( in hair and clothes ) closely aligned with their fans , often drawing on fashion of the 1950s and 1960s , with " skinny ties , white belts [ and ] shag haircuts " . There was an emphasis on " rock authenticity " that has been seen as a reaction to the commercialism of MTV @-@ oriented nu metal , hip hop and " bland " post @-@ Britpop groups . Because the bands came from across the globe , cited diverse influences and adopted differing styles of dress , their unity as a genre has been disputed . For historian of garage rock Eric James Abbey , these were diverse bands that appropriated , or been given , the label " garage " to gain a degree of credibility . 
