The one genre that could probably beat rap music for its sheer amount of feuds is rock. Classic rock tends to lean beef-heavy, but that could have just been the drugs.
In comparison, indie rock beefs are a little whinier. They’re also usually a lot less physical (unless you’re a member of The Brian Jonestown Massacre). So, considering these three rock feuds of the past, here’s who we think would win if they were knock-down, drag-out fist fights.
Pavement Vs. Pitchfork
In 2010, indie rock darlings Pavement were scheduled to play the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago. The festival weekend was also streamed live on the website, and Pavement was set to close out that Sunday. Those who attended in person got to see them. Everyone streaming from home missed out, though, as the stream went dark before the set.
After thorough investigations from several journalists, the theory was that guitarist Scott Kannberg had beef with Pitchfork and refused to authorize the recording. Apparently, Kannberg wasn’t a fan of Pitchfork’s less-than-savory reviews of his side project, Preston School of Industry.
Kannberg eventually came forward to explain that the band “only found out the day of the show about the live webcast, and I personally thought that it was not something that Pavement should do.” But the rumored beef between Kannberg and Pitchfork is clearly still something that occasionally floats around online.
When considering who would win in a fist fight, I’d probably go with Pitchfork. But only by default, because I think it would be difficult to get Kannberg or anyone else in Pavement to care enough to square up. This will come up again in a moment.
Pearl Jam Vs. Ticketmaster
While not strictly an indie rock beef, Pearl Jam notoriously took on Ticketmaster in 1994, proving that the ticket sellers were causing problems way before the Live Nation merger monopolized live music.
More than 30 years ago, though, Pearl Jam filed a lawsuit claiming Ticketmaster attempted to hinder the band’s low-cost tour. They cited exorbitant fees and called out the company’s monopoly on the live music industry. Sound familiar?
Pearl Jam canceled their tour in protest, but their attempts to fight the man didn’t go very far. Still, the fight against Live Nation and Ticketmaster continued into the present day, where a verdict came through in April 2026.
As for Pearl Jam’s chances of besting a corporeal representation of Ticketmaster in a physical fight? My money is firmly on Pearl Jam kicking Ticketmaster’s a** up and down the street.
Billy COrgan Vs. Pavement
Pavement returns with an indie rock beef that actually predates the Pitchfork debacle. The 1994 track “Range Life” from Pavement’s album Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain included a Smashing Pumpkins name-drop.
Billy Corgan apparently took it to be a diss about his band. The lyrics were, “Out on tour with the Smashing Pumpkins / Nature kids, I, they don’t have no function / I don’t understand what they mean / And I could really give a f—k.”
Corgan was allegedly so p***ed off that he had Pavement dropped from the 1994 Lollapalooza lineup (they played when Sonic Youth headlined the next year, however). He went even further to publicly claim that the name-drop was “rooted in jealousy.”
However, Stephen Malkmus said in 1999 that the reference was literally because he found Corgan’s band’s name “kinda silly.” Imagining this fight, that old Pavement indifference returns. I’d consider this one a draw, and in my mind, Billy Corgan is pacing the ring, fists up like an old-timey boxer, while Pavement yawns in the corner.
The post 3 Indie Rock Beefs: Who Would Win in a Fist Fight? appeared first on VICE.
