Indie rock, a subgenre of rock music, is often used to refer to bands that are on small, independentrecord labels or who aren't on labels at all. In the 1980s, these bands were referred to as "alternative, since they were quite alternative to mainstream rock at that time. However, indie rock was effectively launched when Nirvana broke into the mainstream along with several other bands, taking the "alternative" label with them, ironically enough. "Indie rock" tends to be an umbrella term covering everyone from the Elephant 6 collective to the Pixies to the Cocteau Twins; the main thing tying these bands together is their existence in the underground. Some related genres include emo, lo-fi, alternative rock, twee pop and Britpop.