Classic alternative is a radio format focusing on alternative music from the late 1970s to early 1990s, with particular focus on the early days of MTV.
Music Choice added 1990s' alternative to its classic alternative station in late 2011.
New Wave: A major part of this category, especially early bands like The Cars and Talking Heads.
Power pop: Bands such as The Knack and The Romantics are often included in this category.
College rock: The major building block of alternative music, and thus artists in that genre are played often. The early works of R.E.M. (in particular), The Replacements and They Might Be Giants usually show up on classic alternative stations,.
British alternative and post-punk: Common on many classic alternative stations, and often added for variety. Artists include New Order, The Smiths and U2. With the usual exception of The Cure, Gothic rock bands such as Killing Joke and Bauhaus are uncommon.
Grunge: Sometimes played on classic alternative stations, but more often found on modern rock stations. Includes artists such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam.
Synthpop: Bands such as Duran Duran, The Human League and Information Society and songs like "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls and "Take On Me" by a-ha are essential on classic alternative stations.
Shoegaze: Bands such as My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Ride, Cocteau Twins, and Jesus and Mary Chain. Uncommon, and depends on the amount of post-punk played on the station.
New Romantic: Bands such as Pet Shop Boys
Ska revival: Bands such as Madness and The English Beat
Indie pop: Very rare on classic alternative stations, but may appear on jock-staffed stations whose staff prefer the music. Artists include The Field Mice and Orange Juice.
Punk:Punk rock can be played on rock radio sometimes; Some punk bands rathered not played their song on the radio despite their success. Artist include Green Day, The Offspring, Ramones, and The Clash
Some stations with an "all-'80s" format have added elements of the 1980s and '90s classic alternative format to their regular playlist. Cox's KHPT in Houston and WPOI in Tampa are prime examples of all-'80s stations that heavily relied on artists such as Peter Schilling, The Cranberries and New Order. KHPT flipped to a classic alternative format after its run as an all-'80s station. The same goes for KJAQ in Seattle, one of the first stations in the country to try this format.
Digital cable music service Music Choice (originally DMX) provided a station labelled New Wave for several years. The station was later renamed "Retro-Active", and later Classic Alternative, all of which played seventies to eighties new wave, post-punk, synthpop, etc. After several years, the station filtered in 1990s (and even sometimes post-millennium) artists. However, an artist like David Bowie can often fit in classic alternative because he meets the criteria.
