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In the 70s, Brazil experienced a period of transformation in music, marked by the tightening of the military regime. Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil went into exile in London, where they recorded important albums. Rita Lee began her solo career, while Mutantes followed a trajectory until their dissolution in 1978. Important musical events emerged, such as the New Jerusalem Experimental Music Fair. Other bands and artists emerged in different parts of the country, such as Secos & Molhados, Raul Seixas and the punk movement. The end of the decade saw the emergence of groups that combined elements of MPB, Tropicalismo and Clube da Esquina, as well as the Punk Rock movement, which emerged as a critique of the military regime.

In the 1980s, Brazil witnessed the emergence of punk rock, driven by the first independent label, Punk Rock Discos, and events such as "O Começo do Fim do Mundo". The period was also marked by the popularization of rock, with independent bands and films by Lael Rodrigues. Important concert venues emerged, and bands like Blitz, Gang 90, Ira!, RPM and Ultraje a Rigor stood out. The São Paulo punk movement and Vanguarda Paulista left their marks. In the south, Engenheiros do Hawaii and Não de Nós achieved success, while in Minas Gerais Sepultura gained prominence in thrash metal. Rock in Rio in 1985 was a milestone in Brazilian music. The decade ended with the loss of Raul Seixas in 1989.

During the 90s, the band Dorsal Atlântica released "Searching for the Light", considered the first Brazilian concept album and a "Thrash Opera", inspired by the book "1984" by George Orwell. Festivals and record label support helped emerging bands. Side projects such as Os Britos, and bands such as Skank, Jota Quest and Pato Fu and new sounds emerged, such as the Manguebeat movement in Recife, led by Chico Science & Nação Zumbi, gained prominence, as well as the instrumental surf rock scene. Humor was highlighted by groups such as Raimundos and Mamonas Assassinas. Bands like Sepultura and Angra gained international recognition, while Cidade Negra, O Rappa and Charlie Brown Jr. represented new styles.

In the 2000s, Brazilian rock went through several significant changes and events. The Latin Grammy category was created for albums in Portuguese, won by Paralamas do Sucesso. New bands emerged, such as Nx Zero, and others underwent line-up changes, such as Raimundos and Charlie Brown Jr. Skank experimented with new styles before returning to their roots. Brazil also saw the beginning of international shows by punk bands, with emphasis on Attack Frontal. In the underground, bands such as Cachorro Grande, CPM 22 emerged, and Pitty gained media prominence. Los Hermanos released the album Ventura in 2003, which would be acclaimed as one of the best Brazilian albums. In heavy metal, bands like Shaman and Mindflow gained international recognition, while Angra underwent changes in its lineup. Minas Gerais was home to a prolific rock scene, with bands like Graveola and Lixo Polifônico.

The Brazilian alternative music scene saw the emergence of several bands exploring a variety of styles, such as indie, stoner rock, MPB and psychedelia. Bands such as Vivendo do Ócio, Selvagens à Procura de Lei, Vespas Mandarinas, O Terno, Boogarins, Maglore, Far from Alaska, Apanhador Só, The Baggios, Dona Cislene, Marrero, Terno Rei and Ego Kill Talent gained prominence. Furthermore, there were artists revisiting the national rock repertoire of the 80s and the emergence of "colorful bands". The group Malta, winner of the Superstar program, had an ephemeral success, as did other bands revealed by the program, such as Suricato, Move Over, Supercombo, Scalene and Versalle. Despite the absence of rock in mainstream media and radio, the emergence of radio stations dedicated to the genre, such as 89 FM Rádio Rock, in São Paulo, helped keep the rock scene alive.

Charlie Brown Jr. was a Brazilian rock band formed in 1992 in the city of Santos, by Chorão (vocals), Champignon (bass), Marcão Britto (guitar), Thiago Castanho (guitar) and Renato Pelado (drums). The band ended its activities in 2013, when at dawn on March 6 of that year, Chorão was found dead in his apartment in São Paulo, due to an overdose of cocaine. In September of the same year, Champignon also committed suicide at his home, also in São Paulo, at dawn on the 9th of that month. Despite the great relationship with the city of Santos, Chorão was actually born in the capital of the state of São Paulo.

Priscilla Novaes Leone (Salvador, October 7, 1977), better known by her stage name Pitty, is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, producer, writer, businesswoman, presenter and multi-instrumentalist. Singer since the age of 17, Pitty started her professional career in 1997, acting as a drummer for two years in the punk rock band Shes; despite performing some shows, the band did not record any album. in 2003 their first single, "Máscara". The song gained heavy rotation on radio. In 2003, she released her first solo studio album, Admirável Chip Novo, selling 250,000 copies and becoming the best-selling rock album of 2003 in the country. Among his greatest hits are songs such as: "Admirável Chip Novo", "Teto de Vidro", "Equalize", "Anachrônico", "Déjà Vu", "Na sua Estante" and "Me Adora".

Engenheiros do Hawaii was a Brazilian rock band formed in 1985 in the city of Porto Alegre by Humberto Gessinger (vocals and bass), Carlos Stein (guitar), Marcelo Pitz (bass) and Carlos Maltz (drums), which achieved great popularity with their lyrical and critical songs. Humberto Gessinger and Carlos Maltz were architecture students at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul and the band's name came up to satirize engineering students who wore surfer shorts, with whom they had a certain rivalry.

Legião Urbana was a Brazilian rock band formed in 1982 in Brasília by Renato Russo and Marcelo Bonfá. The group also featured Dado Villa-Lobos and Renato Rocha in its best-known formation. With the death of Renato Russo on October 11, 1996, the group ended its activities eleven days later. Renato Russo's favorite Legião Urbana song is "Giz", from the album "O Descobrimento do Brasil". On January 14, 1995, the band's last show was held and the presentation took place at the Reggae Night house, in Santos (SP)

Barão Vermelho is a Brazilian rock band formed in 1981 in Rio de Janeiro. Together with the bands Legião Urbana, Os Paralamas do Sucesso and Titãs, it is considered one of the most influential bands in national rock and responsible for popularizing the genre in the 1980s. Cazuza joined the band at the suggestion of Leo Jaime. The first show took place in 1981 and in 1982 they released the album Barão Vermelho, whose most important songs stand out: "Bilhetinho Azul", "Todo Amor Que Thereir Nessa Vida", "Ponto Fraco" and "Down em Mim".

Capital Inicial is a Brazilian rock band formed in 1982 in the city of Brasília, by Dinho Ouro Preto (vocals), Fê Lemos (drums), Flávio Lemos (bass) and Yves Passarell (guitar), in addition to Robledo Silva (keyboards) and Fabiano Carelli (guitar), backing musicians. The first LP, Capital Inicial, was released in 1986 and featured tracks such as "Música Urbana", "Psicopata", "Fátima", "Veraneio Vascaína", "Leve Desespero". Dinho is the son of diplomats. Before moving to Brasilia, he lived in Geneva, Switzerland. He is a fan of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.

Renato met Fê Lemos, a young drummer passionate about English and American punk rock, in 1978. Together, they formed Aborto Elétrico, alongside André Pretorius, son of an ambassador from South Africa. The group's first show marked the beginning of the punk movement in Brasilia, known as Turma da Colina, which featured Plebe Rude, Os Paralamas do Sucesso and other local bands.

In 1993, the band Jota Quest was founded in Belo Horizonte (MG) with the name "J. Quest", an abbreviation of the animation "Jonny Quest" from the 1960s. With the growing success, the members decided to change the name to " Jota Quest" to avoid a lawsuit due to the title of the animation. There is also a theory that the origin of the band's name came from Tim Maia, who called it "Jota Quest".

The show for the release of the album "Skank" (1993) was held at Expresso Canada, a land located in the Jardim Canada region. All 11,000 tickets were sold. Despite the heavy rain, the band and the audience were not shaken and continued with the presentation. Bassist Lelo Zanetti had his face stamped on the cover of the band's second album, entitled "Calango" (1994). The album's name was inspired by the typical dance from the north of Minas Gerais.

Since its first edition, in 1995, Skank has participated in the Rockgol soccer tournament on MTV Brasil. The team from Minas Gerais was considered one of the best in the championship, being three times champion of the event. Named SK91 Futebol, the band's team had members of the band and friends, and went beyond Rockgol, challenging teams made up of journalists, former players, members of technical committees of Minas Gerais teams and companies in their city.