Ever since the movement’s utopian awakenings during the peace-and-love days of the hippies, Christian rock has engendered plenty of stylistic variety. But in the ’80s and ’90s it began to splinter into competing trends and distinct subcultures. Stryper’s life-affirming anthems, searing licks, and glass-shattering shrieks brought pop metal to Christian youth, while Jars of Clay’s ruminative lyrics and edgy arrangements pulled the young and faithful into the orbit of alt-rock. Christian rock has since successfully marched toward mainstream acceptance, and in the 21st century, the lines between the sacred and secular have been blurred thanks to a wave of crossover superstars. In addition to nu-metal bruisers P.O.D. and the punkish Relient K, Evanescence helped launch Christian rock to the top of the pop charts with a bold sound indebted to goth and symphonic metal.