They've remained mutually exclusive factions of popular music for over a decade or more with fans of each diametrically opposed to one another's entire way of life. Indie rockers rarely miss an opportunity to mock the husky growl and donkey croon of Modern Rock. Conversely, modern rockers are prone to get down right pissed off when observing those wussy indie rockers in their thrift store threads whining over yet another of life's frustrations.
Personally, it reminds me a great deal of the rap/metal rivalry of the late '80s. I can't speak for other rural areas of the time, but in the sleepy Southern town of Harvest, Ala., you either dug one or the other. Looking at the way things turned out, perhaps it was better that way. After the 1990s collaboration betwixt Anthrax and Public Enemy on "Bring Tha Noize," the flood gates were opened, and many consider this to be the forefather of the dreaded rap rock genre that would reign supreme over high schools and frat houses a decade later.
