Are we in for a period of harder, heavier rock? Maybe, maybe not.

Now that we’re going to get Trump V2.0, what will this mean for music? For decades, a Republican in the White House meant a resurgence in hard and heavy music (especially rock) as young people rebelled against conservatism. I’ve written about this quite a bit (here’s a recent example).

Because I was dead wrong in predicting that the first Trump administration would result in the return of rock to cultural pre-eminence, I’m even more skittish about predicting anything for the next four years. And the more I think about it, the more confused I get.

Any resurgence in rock will be led by the US, the largest music market and the biggest exporter of popular culture in the known universe. It’s also a very divided nation when it comes to politics with both sides dug into their positions. And if we can believe the stats from last month’s election, Republicans aren’t just old, white people. Voters from across demos and ethnicities turned out for Trump.

This creates a problem for both record labels and radio stations. Do they risk sticking their necks out by promoting angry music aimed at Trumpers and MAGAs? No label head or program director wants to alienate any potential audience and/or annoy corporate masters. Agitating your audience can cause all kinds of problems.

Some will be bold and take a stand, but there will be the inevitable backlash. And because American political divisions are more entrenched than ever, that backlash has the potential to be greater than ever before.

Who will take a chance raging against the conservative machine, the Project 2025 agenda, and the MAGA world in general? And what will the reaction will be?

It’s going to be an interesting four years. Maybe.