In the late 1970s and 1980s, one of the most popular forms of rock and roll was heartland rock. It was characterized by a straightforward musical style, a concern with the average American life, and a conviction that rock music had a social or communal purpose beyond just entertainment.

The most prominent heartland rockers during this period were Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, and Tom Petty. John Fogerty's solo work also fit the mold, with his Creedence Clearwater Revival having been a notable heartland antecedent. Various other artists were also sometimes given this label, although the lack of any purely musical definition makes an exact delineation of heartland difficult.

The quintessential heartland rock album was probably Indiana-native Mellencamp's Scarecrow , with its depictions of struggling family farmers, odes to small town life, tales of the passing of generations, and tributes to the redemptive power of rock 'n' roll.

In concert, heartland rock often took the form of crowd-rousing anthems, leading to comparisons with arena rock.

Heartland rock faded away as a recognized genre by the early 1990s, as rock music in general lost influence with younger audiences and as heartland's artists turned to more personal works.