Heartland rock

The genre is exemplified by singer-songwriters Tom Petty, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, and John Mellencamp and country music artists, including Steve Earle and Joe Ely.

[2] In terms of style, it often uses straightforward rock music, sometimes with elements of Americana with a basic rhythm and blues line-up of drums, keyboards and occasional horn section instruments like a saxophone.

However, this common definition may represent an oversimplification given that Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A. made heavy use of synthesizers,[3] most notably on the hit singles "Dancing in the Dark", "Glory Days" and the title track.

[8] It has been characterized as a predominantly romantic genre, celebrating "urban backstreets and rooftops",[9] and its major themes include alienation, despair, "unemployment, small-town decline, disillusionment, limited opportunity and bitter nostalgia".

[21] Kid Rock's 2008 hit "All Summer Long" was inspired by Seger's classic "Night Moves" as well as "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd and "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon.

MacKinnon cited bands in this style as including Social Distortion, the Replacements, the Bouncing Souls, Hot Water Music, Dave Hause, Lucero, Against Me!, the Lawrence Arms, the Menzingers, Japandroids, the Gaslight Anthem and Gang of Youths.