Depende talaga sa context. Kung ang status quo ay lulong sa "pop," anything "not pop" should qualify as alternative. But then if we question the validity of the "alternative" tag, we should also question the validity of "pop" as a label. Battle lines get blurred all the time because music artists don't make music to conform to labeling systems and trends. (Not the GENUINE artists, anyway.)
Acts usually qualify as "alternative" either through musical innovation or lyrical content
for as long as the resulting material challenges the sensibilities of the status quo. Ang problema kasi sa nakasanayan nang classification ay dinidikta ito for the most part ng business side ng industriya. Labels/tags are simply industry gimmicks designed to reinforce the marketing strategies of major players by maneuvering the listening public into falling for sales pitches and subscribing to business hype.
Real artists (even outside the field of music) shouldn't allow themselves to be influenced and held hostage by packaging/labeling gimmicks - and
neither should consumers. It doesn't matter whether one is shopping for goods in an actual supermarket or in the marketplace of musical ideas. We need to critically educate ourselves so we can make independent and informed choices. Mahirap at delikado kasi magpadala sa music industry hype when it comes to defining and establishing music preferences/taste especially when the primary objective of that industry is to make money, not art.
