Meanings
- uncountableentertainmentA smooth, melodic form of soft rock music of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Yacht rock from the 1970s floated over the aisles like a bad storm cloud, dumping torrents of Christopher Cross and of the band that gave me sweaty nightmares, Steely Dan.
2012, Jenn Bennett, Summoning the Night (Arcadia Bell), Simon and Schuster, →ISBNSynonyms: West Coast Sound, adult-oriented rock, AOR
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA smooth, melodic form of soft rock music of the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Origin
A retronym, suggesting the stereotype of a yuppie listening to the music while out sailing.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
yacht rock. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yacht%20rock
“yacht rock.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yacht%20rock. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “yacht rock,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/yacht%20rock.
Source: yacht rock on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.