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Glite Dictionary
acid rock

acid rock

1 5.7
A 1960s rock style with long guitar solos and unusual sounds often linked to drug use
  • noun
  • /ˈæsɪd rɑk/
  • Archaic
translation icon : rock ácido
  • The album showcases the unique sound of acid rock, blending electric guitar solos with experimental effects.

Examples

  • Many fans still celebrate acid rock for its improvisational style and psychedelic themes.

  • "We made that clear up front, that they're going to need to do everything from soft folk music to screaming acid rock music, and they were totally into it," Jim says.

    Blog text (14)

  • So after your hip hop show it would be acid rock, Before that it'll be roots reggae.

  • The most extreme of these subsets has been called, among other things, "acid rock" or "thrash metal," while other heavy metal groups and songs have literally crossed over to what is now often considered mainstream pop/rock music.

    Academic text (2008)

  • The music festival featured several bands known for their energetic acid rock performances.

Synonyms

psychedelic rock
vsacid rock
  • NSFW
1 4.8

Rock music from the 1960s with unusual sounds and effects that suggest drug experiences

emphasizes extended improvisation and experimental sounds often linked to drug-influenced listening

Surface Forms

acid rock singular
acid rocks plural

Morphology

acid + rock

The compound is directly compositional: 'acid' (LSD/psychedelic drug) modifies 'rock' (the music genre), so a learner who knows both words can infer it denotes rock music associated with acid/psychedelic influence. This follows a straightforward modifier+noun pattern common across languages and varieties of English, making the meaning predictable to a B1 learner familiar with the constituents.

Etymology

Acid rock may come from the 1960s when some rock bands played long, loud, and strange-sounding music that matched the feeling of the drug 'acid' (LSD). People used acid for the drug feeling and rock for the music, so acid rock came to mean 'a style of rock music' with long jams and strange, dreamy sounds.