I've been listening to Sirius XM's Alt Nation and XMU since I signed up a couple of years back. Alternative rock these days seems to be so melodic and pop - I guess it's an about face from what grunge was, but I would describe it more as power pop or maybe even new wave.
I think you only need to have listened the last 5 or 6 years to recognize the change. A lot of the music is very similar to the 80's alternative featured on First Wave. Some of those older bands like the Cure, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Echo and the Bunnymen, Oingo Boingo and X would fit right in on Alt Nation. A lot of music critics consider the 80's to be the worst of times for popular music. How would you describe today's alternative? Is it the worst of times all over again, or do you like getting back to catchy melodies and hooks?