Hard Rock established itself in the 1970's when bands like Led Zeppelin for example got away from the more acid rock bands like Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Iron Butterfly who were more psychedelic and less blues. It was Led Zeppelin who set the prototypical hard rock sound that would be imitated from the 1970's to the present. Hard Rock is also much more commerical friendly than Heavy Metal.
Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Queen, AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Blue Oyster Cult, Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, Heart, Deep Purple, Mountain, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots.
by XXBonScottXX March 20, 2005
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Hard Rock is just classic rock that's often a little too hard and rocking for the ladies who prefer more mellow stuff which is cool.Classic rock includes any rock from the 60's and 70's such as psychedelic rock,acid rock,hard rock,progressive rock,progressive hard rock and maybe some metal before it became such a trendy fad and before Mtv fagged it up beyond repair and the underground dicks didn't help either with the possible exception of "some" thrash metal.Classic rock was more blues influenced and soulful than today's metal which is too stiff and stupid and dark and goth and evil to be enjoyable.

Let's do this right with no faggy hair metal or grunge tards...

Led Zeppelin
Rush (started out as hard rock and hard progressive rock)
Ted Nugent
Aerosmith
AC/DC
Nazareth
Heart
BTO (listen to songs like "Not Fragile" and "Welcome Home")
BOC
Thin Lizzy
UFO
Scorpions (old stuff before the dark times,before metal)
Cream
Black Sabbath
Alice Cooper
Queen (if you don't think so it's because you haven't listened closely enough)
Deep Purple
Ozzy with Randy
Jimi
Van Halen (the original Van Halen only)
Pat Travers
April Wine
Triumph

Hard Rock is very closely associated with rock,classic rock,progressive rock and progressive hard rock,as well as with psychedelic or "acid" rock and "Southern Rock" as well.

If your girlfriend likes it then it might be rock or classic rock or pop rock or maybe Southern Rock.But if your girlfriend says "can we listen to something else?" then it's probably too hard for her ears,too long,too progressive and has too many solos for her.Hence, "Hard Rock."

All rock is good as long as we're talking about classic rock which really is what all of this is.Classic being pre-Mtv rock and hard rock and southern rock and prog rock and prog hard rock and acid rock or psychedelic rock,but not really metal except for maybe barely a litle bit.Bands that were rock or hard rock or metal before Mtv could still pass as classic rock.If I had to list all classic rock bands then I would be here for fucking ever.
Hard Rock was meant to be played loud without shame or embarassment.Something that just doesn't hold true to most of today's rock and metal.Hard Rock played loud sounded good and was a true test of the quality of a good stereo.Back then stereo had equalizers unlike today's piece of shit stereos which are almost always devoid of a good EQ and usually come with a stupid fucking "bass boost" button.
by Smokin October 15, 2005
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Music genre typically confused with Heavy Metal. The general difference between it is with speed and type of singer.
Some Heavy Metal bands will sometimes produce Hard Rock, and Hard Rock, Rock and Heavy Metal can get confused between each other by fans from time to time.
Bands like Linkin Park fall into Hard Rock, while mainstream people may call it Metal.

Hard Rock generally consists of an overdriven guitar, lyrics often addressing sorrow or hate (maybe relating to real events), drums, bass guitar and sometimes a second singer. A feature which seperates Hard Rock from metal is screaming. Hard Rock rarely uses the typical screaming we think of when we think "Metal". Instead Hard Rock will often have more of a growling sound on words to emphasise - a loud one, though.
Guy 1: What kind of music do you listen to?

Guy 2: Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. But not Death Metal, that shit's trash.
by morristhegoat July 18, 2018
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Horrid music that is similar to heavy metal. Led Zeppelin was considered the fathers of hard rock. Fans of hard rock were like punx but they were more violent and they had no purpose.
Hard rock bands are Led Zeppelin, Quiet Riot, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Def Leppard, and Motley Crue.
by Freak Face February 10, 2005
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Short for "Hard Rock Hotel-ing", hard rocking is when you have a living space all to yourself for an extended amount of time and you know you will be undisturbed, so you are comfortable enough to walk around naked and erect, or "hard as a rock" as if you are alone in a hotel, and masturbate wherever you want, whenever you want. Similar to the known Hard Rock Hotel.
Chad: "Bro, the fam is going away for a week, got the house all to myself!"
Bob: "That's sick, bro! Are you gonna be hard rocking the whole time?"
Chad: "That's disgusting bro, but probably"
by brosephsinsky June 28, 2023
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5 of the smartest scientists in the world got together and decided to answer the meaning of life scientifically. They worked hard, and got to one answer: Why is the rock hard? Since they were scientists, they knew the answer, but the wanted the real answer. Their boss told them that they had to start all over 11 months of hard work. They retired themselves that day and became philosophers.

Definitions of Hard Rock:

-A question that can be answered scientifically, but is supposed to be a philosophic question
-Someone very awesome to the point there must be a NEW word to describe them
-All the scientists that helped create the Why is the rock hard? are automatically hard rocks.

Definition of Soft Rock:

-Someone who is a sad person and has no personality, as we ALL know, soft rocks can NEVER be rocks, or hard rocks (the way they are supposed to be).
-Someone who only listens to hardcore classical music.
-A normal boring question with a normal boring answer.
Hard rocks are awesome people.
by XDHAI!!!!!! May 13, 2015
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