Pop-metal became a global phenomenon in the 1980s as a revolt against the fluffy synthesizer-dominated sounds that ruled pop charts, but while its artists got rid of the synthesizers, they kept the fluff. Like their slightly grittier but no less sartorially flamboyant hair metal counterparts, pop-metal artists began performing in clubs along Los Angeles' Sunset Strip where they fused the androgynous hedonism of the '70s glam movement with the instrumental flash of heavy metal. By creating a party atmosphere and offering faint nods to '50s rock 'n' roll showmanship, bands like Ratt, Cinderella, and Poison shot to global success at an alarming rate, while even lesser known groups like Trixster, Winger, and White Lion sold millions. At the end of the decade, Guns N' Roses emerged as the most successful and credible exponent of the genre with its mutliplatinum album Appetite for Destruction, but soon after the emergence of grunge ended the brief reign of pop-metal.

Notable Artists: Poison, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Ratt, Warrant