The first U.S. Rocker, from December 1989.

U.S. Rocker, the legendary rock and metal magazine, is available once more. For free. Like it’s the 1990s all over again!

For the first time all 101 issues of Northeast Ohio’s #1 free metal, punk and underground music magazine—published between 1989-1998—are online.

“We really loved what we did, and loved music—still do—and wanted to help bring it to the masses,” says co-founder Trent Weller, pictured above with Sweet F.A. back in the day. “We were young, we were full-energy—and we were at all the greatest shows.”

Download U.S. Rocker now

This historic music publication, founded by Brenda Mullen and Trent Weller, and later edited and published by yours truly, was the work of hundreds of dedicated writers, photographers, artists and cartoonists.

Read the oral history of U.S. Rocker‘s early years, 1989-93

U.S. Rocker documented the outsider sounds of metal, punk, grunge, noise, goth, indie, emo, underground and local Cleveland-area music at a time when these genres got no mainstream media coverage. 10,000 copies of U.S. Rocker were distributed throughout Northeast Ohio on the first Friday of every month for over a decade. Now you can re-live the glory!

The final U.S. Rocker, October 1998.

It’s easy to get U.S. Rocker

You don’t have to wait…

1. Follow this link: US-Rocker.com
2. Browse the issues: Filter buttons & search box make it fast
3. Add to cart: Add multiple issues—there are no limits here, man!
4. Check out: Your name & email address are required at checkout (this helps us block spammers)*

*All your information remains private—we will not sell or share your personal information.

Paper copies are still available as well (postage and shipping are included). Select your preferred delivery method—free PDF download or paper—before you check out.

Jam out while you read

While scanning, uploading and tagging each issue of U.S. Rocker, I dropped the staff’s most-recommended tracks into a playlist. The rules were: the track had to be from the year that the band was first mentioned in The Rocker, and only track per band was allowed.

The 1989-93 playlist is ready to rock you!

Listen to U.S. Rocker staff‘s favorite music from the first five years—over 360 bands

If YouTube is your thing, there’s even more music over there:

Watch 460 of U.S. Rocker‘s most-recommended bands ’89-93 on YouTube

Listen to the tracks sequentially and they tell the story of U.S. Rocker’s formative years. Or press shuffle and enjoy the anarchy.

Watch U.S. Rocker writers’ favorite videos from the official ’89-93 playlist

Thank you to Anastasia Pantsios for lending issues from the first five years, everyone who contributed to the magazine and—in particular—to the oral history of the early years. Do not miss that. It’s gonna blow your mind!

Read co-founder Brenda Mullen Mintie’s death announcement

Brenda Mullen in her own words

U.S. Rocker cover artist Stephen Kasner, RIP

Check out the U.S. Rocker crew at South By Southwest 1996

Watch ’90s Cleveland bands & more on my YouTube (please subscribe)

Don’t miss the incredible, never-told-before tale of U.S. Rocker‘s early years, 1989-93