Rockin' Out presents a comprehensive social history of popular music in the United States that takes the reader from the invention of sound recording to the promise of the Internet, from the formative influence of blackface minstrelsy and heyday of Tin Pan Alley to the present day sounds of singer-songwriters, pop country crossovers, contemporary hip hop, the Latin pop explosion, the rise of television idols, the return of protest music, and the myriad of rock styles from the garage to the digital studio. 
Organized chronologically and thematically around particular genres/styles of music, Rockin’ Out offers an analysis and critique of the music itself as well as its production, marketing, dissemination, and reception. Accessibly written, this text addresses such dimensions as race, class, gender, ethnicity, technology, copyright, and the political economy of the music industry as they affect the development of the music.