MTV’s music program 120 Minutes first premiered in 1986.
The late-night program was created as a showcase for alternative, underground, and independent music that received less exposure on MTV’s more mainstream daytime schedule. Its two-hour format allowed room for full interviews, performances, and music videos from emerging or unconventional artists.
Over the years, 120 Minutes became associated with alternative rock, college rock, new wave, punk, and electronic music. The show’s importance came partly from its role as a bridge between MTV’s mass audience and scenes that were not always represented in the channel’s highest-rotation programming.
The title refers to the program’s intended two-hour duration, not to a launch year or chart position. Viewers sometimes confuse it with Headbangers Ball, another MTV music program that focused more specifically on heavy metal and hard rock.