Divorced Dad Rock

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About

Divorced Dad Rock is an internet slang term most often used to define rock, hard rock and nu-metal bands that were popular in the late '90s and mid-2000s through the early 2010s, which are perceived to be stereotypically listened to by divorced dads. While the term was first used online as early as 2012, it became popularized in reference to bands including Stain'd, Hinder, Nickelback and Linkin Park in 2022, becoming a commonly used term on TikTok in early 2023. The term is a spin on the genre "dad rock," encompassing a wide range of rock and metal bands from as early as the 1970s to the early 1990s. Many bands considered "divorced dad rock" are also considered "butt rock," meaning rock and hard rock bands lacking artistic merit.

Origin

The earliest use of the term "divorced dad rock" online was posted by Twitter^[1] user @Jerkstorecaller on December 5th, 2012, writing, "I forgot: Is AC/DC 'high school football rock' or 'divorced dad rock?'" The term was used numerous times on Twitter^[2]^[3] over the following years in reference to musical groups including Iron Maiden and Coldplay. On May 25th, 2019, Redditor u/twister_rocket posted a meme to /r/starterpacks^[4] about "divorced dad energy," including the logo for the band Stain'd, a rock band popular in the early to mid-2000s, garnering over 300 upvotes in four years (shown below, left).

On July 3rd, 2020, Twitter^[5] user @faymedinuh shared a screenshot of a "divorced dad rock" playlist on Spotify, writing, "You’ve heard of 'dad rock' but have you heard of 'DIVORCED dad rock'?" gaining over 50 likes in three years (shown below, right).

Spread

The term became increasingly prevalent leading into and throughout the early 2020s. It was largely popularized on TikTok. On March 8th, 2022, TikToker^[9] @brysonandrewdavis posted a video showing numerous songs considered "divorced dad rock," garnering over 1.7 million views in a year (shown below).

On April 10th, Twitter^[6] user @hawkhatesyou posted, "I would like to thank anybody who has ever made a divorced dad rock playlist for getting me through every tough time I’ve ever had," garnering over 1,300 likes in 10 months. On May 19th, Redditor daveguitarhero posted a playlist to /r/SpotifyPlaylists^[7] sharing a "Divorced Dad Rock" playlist on Spotify,^[8] garnering around 10 upvotes in nine months. The playlist has since been liked over 39,000 times on Spotify (shown below).

On February 10th, 2023, TikToker^[10] @possum_hub posted a video ranking several divorced dad rock songs, garnering over 500,000 views in three weeks (shown below, left). On February 25th, TikToker^[11] @dir7ydom posted a video set to "Lips of an Angel" by Hinder about divorced dad rock, garnering over 1.3 million views in three days (shown below, right). That day, Facebook^[12] page Dylan Lee Wickwire shared the Divorced Dad Rock Spotify playlist, gaining over 4,400 shares and 700 reactions in three days.