The alternative format has been implemented in a variety of ways. The hard edged modern rock version may include talk­ ups, sounders, and contesting similar to Contemporary Hit Radio (CHR). Adult Alternative Album (AAA) is essentially an album-oriented rock format, but with an alternative playlist. College alternative radio, where much of the sound found its original support, often takes an eclectic approach. Other variants may include shock jocks, techno music, or music with urban appeal.

     Although the alternative radio movement emerged in the 1990s, its lineage extends back through the punk rock/new wave movement of the late 1970s and progressive radio of the late 1960s to rebellious rock and roll radio of the 1950s. Each of these movements emerged from a fervent subculture demonstrating a certain disdain for what was perceived as popular music at the time. Characterized by garage bands, small venue live performances, and low budget recordings distributed by independent labels, alternative's back-to-basics approach, rejection of glitzy production, and youthful self-expression have paradoxically had popular appeal as Music Television (MTV), college radio, and rock promoters began successfully packaging and selling the new musical genre to an increasingly fragmented market. Commercial radio success, initially in the San Francisco and Seattle areas, the popularity of alternative music on college campuses, and digital distribution-including MP3 audio files on the internet-have all contributed to the vibrancy of the alternative format.

     Alternative has also been known as the anti-format, associ­ated with independent, community stations focused on political issues and social change, such as those operated in the U.S. by the Pacifica group. It may also refer to those global broadcasters with alternative worldviews and alternative means of distribution, such as the internet.