When you think of the first decade of the 21st century, what music comes to mind? Is it the schoolgirl uniforms of pop-singing sensations and the coordinated moves of boy bands? Or is it the gangster swag of rappers and R&B divas making a comeback? Maybe it’s none of the above – or maybe it’s a little bit of everything. Defining a decade all depends on who you ask.

The ’90s brought a host of artists to the pop culture forefront who would find success in the next decade, but only one genre stands out: grunge. The music of Seattle-bred bands donning plaid, like Nirvana and Pearl Jam, were plastered all over the scene.

But what is the current equivalent? It could quite possibly be hip-hop.

The increase of urban music is seen everywhere. Recent years are dominated by two turn tables and a microphone or rather pro2s and a booth. When The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won five Grammys in 1998, it was a sign of things to come. Later OutKast won Best Album in 2004 and analysts consider 2000 to 2007 to be the prime time for the genre. Two rappers had hits at the box office from the music based on their lives and a slew of emcees introduced products like sneaker lines and energy drinks.

“Hip-hop is definitely the stand out genre of this decade,” says Communication junior Christina Imaranezor, who is currently interning with Atlantic Records.

“I think it’s a ripple effect from the ’80s, (where) everyone was down with hip-hop,” she says, noting that the trends tend to be cyclical. “Disco was poppy, then hip-hop, then pop music and now it’s back to hip-hop, though it never really died out.”

But with the return of Green Day and the success of bands like Fall Out Boy, the growing punk movement is undeniable.

“You associate a decade with music that’s no longer popular,” says Peter Debelek, rock music director for WNUR. He says he thinks punk rock – a style that cooled off but came back again – is the decade’s standout. “Pop punk/fashion punk dominated American media,” he explains. “Even traditional pop singers like Avril Lavigne and Ashlee Simpson were dressing like fashion punks to get in on the trend.”

But if the definition rests on music that is no longer popular, perhaps pop takes the cake. Who can forget the Mickey Mouse Club members turned super stars, all mass-produced by Lou Pearlman out of Florida? Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears and *NSYNC dominated Billboard charts. The rise was accompanied by a slew of teen movies, from Ten Things I Hate About You to She’s All That. But despite the high SoundScan reports, the teen thing is no more.

“It could be people getting fed up with artificial pop music,” says incoming A&O chair Forrest Wickman. “(Record) labels have the technology to make anybody sound good.”

Billboard charts show the era really can’t be pinned down to one genre. Practically every genre is fighting for the top spot: from hip-hop and R&B to rock to punk to rap to country. Luckily, we still have three more years years to determine what will be the sound of our decade.

Medill junior Niema Jordan is a PLAY writer. She can be reached at [email protected].