Editing Alternative rock (section)

=== Britpop ===
{{Main|Britpop}}

With the decline of the Madchester scene and the unglamorousness of shoegazing, the tide of grunge from America dominated the British alternative scene and music press in the early 1990s.<ref name="British alt-rock"/> As a reaction, a flurry of British bands emerged that wished to "get rid of grunge" and "declare war on America", taking the public and native music press by storm.<ref>{{cite web|last=Youngs |first=Ian |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4144458.stm |title=Looking back at the birth of Britpop |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322180006/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4144458.stm |archive-date=March 22, 2018 |url-status=live |website=BBC News |date=August 15, 2005|access-date=July 19, 2009}}</ref> Dubbed "[[Britpop]]" by the media, and represented by [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]], [[Blur (band)|Blur]], [[Suede (band)|Suede]], and [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]], this movement was the British equivalent of the grunge explosion, in that the artists propelled alternative rock to the top of the charts in their home country.<ref name="British alt-rock"/>

Britpop bands were influenced by and displayed reverence for British guitar music of the past, particularly movements and genres such as the [[British Invasion]], [[glam rock]], and [[punk rock]].{{sfn|Harris|2004|p=202}} In 1995, the Britpop phenomenon culminated in a rivalry between its two chief groups, Oasis and Blur, symbolized by their release of competing singles "[[Roll with It (Oasis song)|Roll With It]]" and "[[Country House (song)|Country House]]" on the same day on 14 August 1995. Blur won "[[The Battle of Britpop]]", but they were soon eclipsed in popularity by Oasis, whose second album, ''[[(What's the Story) Morning Glory?]]'' (1995),{{sfn|Harris|2004|p=xvii}} went on to become the third best-selling album in the UK's history.<ref>{{cite news | date=November 16, 2006 | title=Queen head all-time sales chart | work=BBC News | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6151050.stm | access-date=January 3, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070204064437/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6151050.stm | archive-date=February 4, 2007 | url-status=live}}</ref>