The rise and fall and rise again of country music

Adeleine Whitten
Jul 28
5 min read

It's been a strange few years for music.

Radio is becoming less and less popular. 99¢ singles came and went. Streaming is now the most common way people listen. Some of the biggest hits of the 2020s were discovered – or created – entirely on TikTok. Vinyl records were replaced with tapes, with CDs, with iPods, with Spotify, only to be replaced with vinyl again. Concert tickets now cost the equivalent of a full month's rent. Stan Twitter keeps us in the know on our favorite artist's every move.

But, to me, the most surprising development of all is the mainstream comeback of a genre I thought was permanently on its way out: country music.

The most controversial genre of my childhood

I'm sure country music wasn't taboo in every household in the 2000s and 2010s, but it sure was in mine. Despite growing up in an agriculture-focused town just ten minutes from one of the biggest country music festivals in the midwest, the genre was essentially prohibited in my house.

My parents have been known to abandon full carts of groceries in the store because they couldn't take the country music playing over the speakers for one second longer. The day our local jazz station switched to country might as well have been a national day of mourning for the grief it caused. I vividly remember listening to my favorite country-pop hits on repeat during the infrequent hours I was home alone… because nobody could know my traitorous ways.

The genre may not have been as controversial outside my house, but it still wasn't all that uncommon to hear people describe their music taste as "anything but country." Dedicated fans of rock, rap, and punk music regarded their deeper-than-you'll-ever-realize lyrics significantly higher than country's woeful tales of blue-collar struggles. And don't even get Gen X started on the pop/hip-hop-influenced bro-country of the mid-2010s, which brought us songs like Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise," AKA "the most generic song you've ever heard."

But somewhere along the way, the tides changed.

From alienating to record-breaking

In 2019, "Old Town Road" gave Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus the highest certified song ever, achieving 14-times platinum status in the United States. In 2023, Morgan Wallen's One Thing at a Time spent 19 consecutive weeks topping the Billboard 200, breaking the record for the most weeks any country album has spent at number one. Even this year, Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" tied for the longest time ever spent at number one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.

It's not just that country artists are gaining more popularity, either. While we're used to seeing country singers transition into mainstream pop to reach a wider audience (see: Taylor Swift, Maren Morris), it was rare to see the opposite. That is, until about a year ago.

For musicians looking to appeal to younger listeners, the wider audience is country – just ask Beyoncé, Post Malone, Lana Del Rey, Yung Gravy, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter (along with her new BFF Dolly Parton), and the multitude of other artists suddenly exploring the genre. It's what the people want, and artists aren't afraid to try it on for size.

Country beyond the music

But it's not just the music defining today's country resurgence – it's the entire culture.

I dare you to visit Nashville for one weekend and count how many bachelorette parties cheer their way down Broadway these days. You can't go to a music festival without seeing at least a few people in 10-gallon hats and matching boots, no matter what genre you're there to hear. Cleveland, OH, now has two (2) country-themed bars – right next to each other. And in 2022, Fox revived the international reality TV show Farmer Wants a Wife in the U.S., and hundreds of women have since applied to don their rubber coveralls and leave their city lifestyles behind for good.

It would be one thing if these bits of southern influence were short-lived online trends. But they've transcended the internet and stuck around, ingraining themselves as a staple of Gen Z culture.

And how did this happen, you might ask? I've got a few theories.

The memes

Accounts like Cowboy Cats on Instagram, which boasts over 400,000 followers to date, will give you just a snippet of the memeification of country culture in recent years. Hats and boots have been photoshopped onto nearly every animal out there, and phrases like "y'all," "howdy," "yeehaw," and "partner" are making their way into Gen Z's everyday vernacular.

In short, it's fun and quirky to be country right now. And yes, the music is part of that.

The rebellion

In the same way the kids of the 1960s listened to rock 'n' roll to defy their parents, Gen Zers like me who grew up in country-less households may see listening to this genre as its own sort of rebellion. And for the younger half of the generation still living at home and discovering who they are, it's a rite of passage to listen to music their parents hate. (The only difference is that nobody's playing country music backwards and claiming to hear satanic messages.)

The artists

We used to discover new music based on the genres we already liked. But in the age of Stan culture, people love the artists despite the genre(s).

More and more musicians have found longevity in their careers by taking risks – exploring new sounds, collaborating with artists who have vastly different fan bases, and blending genres you'd never dream would work together (see: hick-hop). And fans haven't just stuck with them through their evolutions – they've given them their unconditional dedication and support. So if Taylor Swift dusts off her cowgirl boots and starts singing about pickup trucks again, we all follow suit.

The message

One of the biggest criticisms of country music is its simplicity. Many popular country songs are about either having fun (cold beer on a Friday night, anyone?) or innuendos disguised as everyday country livin' (spoiler alert: he's not really singing about a big green tractor). But between record unemployment for young adults, extreme political divide, and shockingly high rates of mental health conditions, Gen Z could use a little simplicity.

The last thing people want after a long day of struggling is to listen to music about other people struggling with the same complex things. Gen Z needed something a little lighter, and country music has given it to them – complete with plaid wrapping and a denim bow.

So, yes, trends come and go, and this one is unlikely to stick around forever. But with the current state of the world, is there really any harm in imagining a simpler life filled with cow milking, crop watering, and fishing with the boys on the weekends?

And, realistically, this trend can only end one way – when Gen Z's kids want to rebel and choose something even more out of pocket. A resurgence of yacht rock, maybe? Guess we'll have to wait and see.