The trends from previous decades culminated in the dominant form taken by pop music in the 1980s: New Wave. This style was dominated by upbeat, danceable songs anchored primarily by keyboards and drum machines, instead of the guitars that had been the hallmark of rock 'n' roll for decades. Along with this came a colorful, high-impact visual style influenced by punk and disco fashions and occasionally using simple, repetitive choreography. Finally, light shows and early digital effects were used to help create a self-consciously "futuristic" atmosphere. Music video, then in its infancy, was widely used to present all of these elements as a cohesive package; the importance of MTV in this era as a conduit for musical and visual fashion cannot be overstated.
No one star dominated the 1980s in the way that Elvis Presley did the 1950s, or the Beatles the 1960s. Instead, a large number of acts achieved stardom and saw their popularity grow and fade during the decade. A good example is Duran Duran, which had emerged in England in 1981 and quickly became a sensation on both sides of the Atlantic through stylish and elaborate music videos. Another is Devo, which had begun in Ohio in 1973 but did not become successful until the music video market provided an audience for the group's surreal, satirical short films. Other successful acts in the New Wave vein include the Talking Heads and Blondie (both of which began in the punk scene in New York City), Culture Club, the Cars, Men At Work, the Human League, Depeche Mode, Cyndi Lauper and the Thompson Twins.
While the era was marked by the New Wave bands, there were several artists from earlier periods who reinvented themselves in the 1980s to great success. At the top of this list is Michael Jackson, whose childhood fame with the Jackson Five laid the foundation for his massive success with the solo albums "Off The Wall," "Thriller" and "Bad." "Thriller" became the biggest-selling album of all time; Michael Jackson became a superstar and remained so until his death. Other stars from the 1970s that successfully reinvented themselves during the '80s included David Bowie ("Let's Dance"), Bruce Springsteen ("Born in the U.S.A.") and Tina Turner ("Private Dancer").
Other stars that first appeared in the 1980s went on to become increasingly important in the future. The most influential of this group was Madonna, whose first album in 1982 set the stage for greater success with "Like A Virgin" and the albums that followed; more importantly, however, her constant reinvention of her image and her sharp business sense have helped her to stay relevant and successful far longer than most of her early contemporaries. Other icons that first emerged at this time included Whitney Houston and Prince.
While New Wave was the most important new trend to appear in the 1980s, there was plenty of music that built on older styles. Hard rock and heavy metal were particularly important during this period. The earlier heaviness of Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath diverged into the pop-based theatricality of Motley Crue, Quiet Riot and Ozzy Osbourne; the more aggressively musical heavy metal of Dio, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest; and the brutal speed-metal of Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer. Punk, as well, continued to have a huge influence under the surface, with the hardcore of the Dead Kennedys and Black Flag.
While all this was going on, other trends were beginning to appear that would dramatically reshape music in the 1990s and beyond. So-called alternative rock first emerged in the early '80s, with bands such as R.E.M. and Violent Femmes incorporating folk influences into their guitar-based pop music, while Sonic Youth, Hüsker Dü and the Replacements began as punk bands but started bringing classic rock sounds into their work. Alternative rock was a tiny movement in the 1980s but became a major force in the 1990s with bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
Finally, rap and hip-hop first began to gain prominence in this era. Early rappers such as Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash helped to push the underground genre into wider awareness, but the first act to become widely famous outside the underground was probably Run-D.M.C., which blended rap with hard rock to enormous success. Other acts that brought rap to the forefront in this time were LL Cool J, Public Enemy, N.W.A. and the Beastie Boys.