Yungblud Says Rock Must Embrace Influences Again
Yungblud has argued that modern rock has drifted into a dead end by turning its back on obvious influences, saying the genre needs to rebuild a sense of continuity between generations. Speaking during a Grammy U Masterclass appearance, the 28-year-old musician framed the issue as both an artistic and cultural divide, with younger bands facing backlash for wearing classic inspirations openly.
Yungblud said the problem is that, for roughly the past 15 years, rock has “ridiculed the reference point,” and he contrasted that with earlier eras where lineage was celebrated—citing examples like The Rolling Stones drawing from blues pioneers and Oasis taking cues from The Beatles, as Ultimate Guitar reported.
He also pointed to online fan culture as a barrier, saying he sees young groups who want to sound like Led Zeppelin (like Greta Van Fleet) get “slagged off” in comment sections, even though he views that kind of influence as a positive sign. In his view, obvious musical DNA should be treated as part of rock’s tradition rather than evidence of a lack of originality.
Building on that idea, Yungblud cited his own cross-generational collaborations—particularly his work with Aerosmith—as proof that borrowing and sharing can still push the genre forward, adding that different generations will inevitably reshape the same inspirations into something new. His stance echoes earlier moments where he pushed back on being labelled “the future of rock” while still advocating for the scene’s survival.
Yungblud closed by describing rock as a “sacred genre” built on evolution—from blues to rock, then punk, grunge, and nu metal—and said the scene risks stagnation if older and younger artists remain divided instead of supporting each other publicly and creatively.
