Madchester was a rock genre that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The music that emerged from the scene mixed indie rock, psychedelic rock and dance music. Artists associated with the scene included The Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays, the Inspiral Carpets, 808 State, James, The Charlatans, A Guy Called Gerald and other notable bands.

Similar scenes emerged in other parts of the country (such as Grebo which was similar in style but more punk-based and scuzzier, with less emphasis on psychedelia and which could be slightly more socially aware), but mainly the north, while the south was more focussed on other evolving styles such as shoegaze.