The ‘rocker’ style has become popular as a result but can still be a pretty general term that covers quite a few different styles which all have their basis within different genres.
The rocker style represents independence and brawn, it can be a rugged look that can be both cool and moody, or it can be something simple that represents your music taste.
If you want that punk attitude that makes you stand out from a crowd, a rocker look can be great to show the world who you are.
There is a fair share of rocking girl bands these days, so there has never been a better model to follow.
In this article we are going to suggest a few different ‘rocker’ styles that can inspire your own style and outfits.
Glam
When we think of rocker women, one woman comes to mind – Bobbie Brown.
She was the original rocker chick back in the 80s after she became known as the ‘Cherry Pie’ girl after appearing in Warrant’s video for their hit song of the same name.
Her performance was so visceral she basically made her name from it.
Her own story is quite the trip through rock and roll history, check out her book ‘Dirty Rocker Boys’ for more.
But her big blonde hair, sultry red stained lips and icy blue eyes were stuff of your fathers dreams back in the eighties.
The crazy hair, cut off denim shorts, big leather boots, and leather jackets, she basically made this style popular.
Having dated Jani Lane as well as Motley Crue’s Tommy Lee you can find plenty of paparazzi shots of the outfits that she was wearing in this period.
One picture with Tommy Lee shows her wearing pinstripe suit pants with suspenders and a white top underneath, another great rocker chick look that doesn’t let up on the glam.
Together they were the original Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly rocker couple, both are examples of how to be an edgy rocker Style that remains chic and sexy.
Punk
Punk itself is a huge genre that has many different cliques and subcultures within it, having already been a subculture of rock itself.
But there are many styles that have come from the punk world, many of which we still see today.
This modern trend of ripped clothes that people make fun of now as Balenciaga sell $400 ripped t-shirts you could make yourself, this is all a mutation of this original punk style.
Even what most people consider to be a ‘skater’ style is actually rooted in both rock and punk music too.
So ripped jeans are a dead on match for his style, and can really make you day to day casual outfits still carry a rocker charm.
Wear a baggy band tee, of your favorite rock band, on top to complete your casual rocker and punk aesthetic.
Go classic punk and go back to the UK where this sort of style originates, tartan trousers, big curb stomping boots with a well fitted t-shirt, look up The Sex Pistols for Euro Punk history.
The classic tank top with the sleeves ripped off is another classic punk look that goes well with denim and leather.
The great thing about this sort of style is that you can go DIY crazy and take the less worn path to rocker fashion, rather than buying loads of new clothes.
Or you can go more American Punk which is more leather, more crazy hairstyles, and leans more into the gothic punk vibe. Misfits are a classic American punk band that have a very unique style.
Leather wrist bands, spikes, mohawks, leather pants, even bigger curb stomping boots, these are all facets of this unique style that draws from the worlds of motorcycle clubs, horror films and can sometimes even lean into the gothic look.
Goth
The gothic looks and style is another one rooted in the rock genre but goes as far back as the 1800s.
This hints at part of the gothic style which always harks back to the sort of pre 20th century style. This also has its roots in horror films like the American punk style.
We’re classically thinking Bauhaus, The Cure, and for a more modern style seek out Marilyn Manson, or Evanescence. Kat Von Dee is a celebrity who still rocks this gothic, emo look to this day and looks great.
For girls you can really get creative here, old style burlesque dresses, long gloves, bold makeup, and all black everything.
Color doesn’t appear too much in the gothic look unless it’s an acid green on dark purple, most outfits are some combination of white and black.
Pinstripe pants are a low key but classic gothic look, even a ruffled blouse along with this could complete a gothic but low key look.
Although you can get wild with hats, veils, corsets, chokers. Megan Fox, the self proclaimed princess of darkness, demonstrates this look often with MGK.
Emo
Emo is another manifestation of both punk and goth, but while gothic styles hark back to pre 20th century fashion, emo has a similar vibe but is more of a modern sentiment.
If you grew up in the 2000s then you will know all about the ‘emo’ look. We’re thinking Linkin Park, Paramore, Avril Levigne, Bullet For My Valentine, My Chemical Romance and many more.
Emo has manifested itself even more recently within the hip hop world with characters such as Lil Peep and Juice WRLD embracing the same ‘emo’ style.
This style is a combination of a few things, in America it’s kind of a mix of goth, skate culture, and other influences.
Fingerless gloves, crazy hairstyles which are often dyed, piercings, black lipstick, knee length socks, chains, and just generally over the top behavior. Just look for Hayley Williams when Paramore were at their peak.
The emo look has started to make a comeback in hip hop as mentioned, and more and moe of the new generation of TikTok and ‘E-Girls’ has resurrected this style with more modern influences.
Biker
The biker look is one that is common in Metal music thanks to the fame and success of Motley Crue who really helped to popularize this look alongside other bands like Motorhead and more recently in Black Label Society.
This style is ofcourse born in leather. But it also includes heavy and dark make up, often big 80s hair although you can go more modern, as well as a world of fun accessories like biker caps, more leather wristbands, fishnet tights, more denim, leather boots and more.
Look at any of Motley Crue’s groupies and you can see that type of style that was popular at the time, particularly Bobbie Brown and Pamela Anderson as they tried to assimilate themselves into this style while dating some of the band.
Classic Rock N Roll
The ancestral style of rock is sourced from this original genre of rock n roll, Chuck Berry, Duane Eddy, Buddy Holly, and other groups who were all about twisting, shaking and shouting.
For women, this is the classic sort of 0s pin up style, which means lots of classic hair cuts, big dresses with large skirts you can hold onto while you twist in hells. Cherry red lipstick, fun eyewear, head scarfs, they are all part of this classic rock look.
This style is still popular today and while maybe not something you would bother with while at the shops, many people love getting dressed up in this pinup style for fun classic rock and roll nights where people celebrate this 40s and 50s style and culture.
60s And 70s Rock
Of course, we couldn’t mention rock style without going back to the groovy 60s and the 70s summer of love.
Bands such as Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles dominate this period of Rock history.
This style you could summarize as ‘hippie’ but covers quite a few bases in this period where a lot was changing around the world – Woodstock is probably the epicenter of this style and a great historical point to look back at for its fashion, music, and culture.
This takes a less edgy look to Rock and softens it up with the free love of hippies.
Flared pants, long natural hair, natural makeup, waistcoats, long flowy skirts, big circular sunglasses, suede jackets, corduroy.
It was a great time and many still rock this timeless look to this day for how freeing it can make you feel, and the egoless culture it entailed.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there are so many different styles which were born from the general genre of ‘rock’.
There are many many more that have emerged from the genre which aren’t covered but we feel these were the most fashion heavy styles which came from Rock music.
These styles often go through phases and still rear their heads in our modern culture to this day, we wouldn’t have hip hop without rock n roll, nor most popular music, so it’s a great place to look for inspiration for music and fashion as many of these styles are the basis of more modern looks, especially in the fashion world.
We hope these descriptions of different rock styles can inspire your outfits and help you gain a historical outlook on the different fashions and cultures which have influenced what we see around us today.
Hi, my name is Jenna Reign and I have teamed up with my best friend, Sam, to deliver you all of the style secrets to help you stay ahead of the trends. We both met in fashion school and have been inseparable ever since!
Despite our deep love for fashion, even we found it difficult navigating our closets when trying to leave the house for the first time since the pandemic was announced. Were the trends still evolving, or did they get put on hold like the rest of the world?
