Back in the '90s, few alt-rock frontmen built personas as macho and brawl-ready as Screaming Trees' Mark Lanegan and Afghan Whigs' Greg Dulli.

NPR: 'Idle Hands' and the Hammer of the Gods

For more than 20 years, the alt-rock duo They Might Be Giants has been playing clever and contagious music for fans of all ages.

NPR: Here Comes They Might Be Giants

Alt-J 's debut, "An Awesome Wave" (Canvasback), mixes alt-rock, electronica, experimental a cappella vocals and folk in a clever album that zigs and zags with each track.

WSJ: Lost in the Trees, Frank Ocean, John Fullbright and Other Best of 2012

Listen to Radiohead's 1993 debut "Pablo Honey, " for example: It's a nice alt-rock album, but it doesn't come close to suggesting how dynamic and adventurous the band would become.

WSJ: Meet the Generationally Biased

Nada Surf has been plugging away since the mid-'90s, beginning as an alt-rock one-hit wonder (with the novelty song "Popular") and ultimately morphing into a rare creature: an indie-pop band that traffics in uplift and empathy.

NPR: Nada Surf: Five Minutes of Feeling Good

With Saturday's headliner Phoenix, the French alt-rock group, and the beloved-but-familiar Red Hot Chili Peppers closing the three-day weekend on Sunday, it seemed as if Coachella had settled on lesser acts after failing to, or choosing not to, book the recently rejuvenated David Bowie or the Rolling Stones, who will headline this summer's Glastonbury Festival in England.

WSJ: The State of Things | Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival | Jim Fusilli

However Alt-J's experimental art-rock album An Awesome Wave and London singer Jessie Ware's debut Devotion have been tipped for success by rival bookmakers Paddy Power.

BBC: Plan B and Hawley named Mercury favourites