Indie Pop

Indie pop bands offered a pretty, saccharine alternative to the aggressive punk and macho indie rock of the 1990s. Inspired by English groups like the Pastels, the Vaselines and Orange Juice, indie popsters made their own feel-good confections: simple, introspective, playful love songs that worked the simplicity of punk without the anger. The sound emerged from England's Sarah Records, with albums by Boyracer, the Field Mice and Heavenly.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest and California, Beat Happening paved the way for mostly female indie bands like Cub, the Softies and Lois, all of whom created fun and playful pop as a counterpoint to the politicized anger of the riot grrrl movement. Rather than addressing feminism and race and sexuality issues, indie pop bands focused on childhood fascinations like fluffy animals, nature, candy and the kind of love that doesn't go wrong.