Rock is the mouthpiece of young people, the musical embodiment of conflicting moods tearing them apart, a conflict with generally accepted norms. This dual nature determines the contradictions, the "sawtooth" development of the genre. In fact, the entire history of rock consists of similar cycles, at the beginning of each of which - rebellion, protest, the birth of new styles and new values, the emergence of bands and performers-founders of the style, and then - a gradual process of "domestication".

Rock music as a cultural phenomenon has given rise to the so-called "rock and roll lifestyle", a certain style of behavior and a system of life values, a kind of philosophy. Nevertheless, the subcultures that have arisen on the basis of various currents of rock music sometimes have little in common. Rock music has a relatively high thrill (drive). It can give an individual freedom from established social principles and stereotypes, from the surrounding reality.