The mainstream means the ideas, music and styles enjoyed by the widest general audience, rather than a small underground scene. In the late 1970s, new wave music began far from the mainstream, in clubs and independent record shops. Within a few years, artists like Belinda Carlisle, Billy Idol and Boy George had carried it to the top of the charts. The docuseries New Wave tells how alternative culture entered the mainstream between 1977 and 1987.
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Mentioned in: Boy George, Belinda Carlisle, Billy Idol and More Rock (and Rule) the ’80s in “New Wave” Doc—See the Trailer! (Exclusive)