Bon Jovi WAS a hair band...now they are a shitty pop band along the likes of Daughtry, Nickleback and Ashlee Simpson.....i like Bon Jovi though im seeing them in July...but their last few records BLOW
I would consider Bon Jovi a hair band all the way up to Slippery When Wet. After that, with the release of New Jersey, Keep the Faith, and subsequently These Days, they basically became what I call an 'American Hard Rock' band. Although, beginning with Crush in 2000, they went back to their Pop/Rock roots and added a modern edge/twist to their sound (whether one likes this change or not is purely opinion).
But anyways...
I have never considered Guns N' Roses a 'Hair Metal' band. They might have looked the part in 1985-1986 but they certainly did not have that particular sound. They had what fans smell instantly, and that is
realness. For fuck's sake, just look at this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Poi9zDM1wYHair Metal? I think not. While GN'R not being that defining blow to Hair Bands' credibility in the '80s, they definately did bring to the spotlight something different to the table as mainstream Rock had been deluded to a mere 'party-like' artform. What I'm speaking of is
freshness; freshness to a homogeneous Rock atmosphere. Music fans knew they had something different with Guns N' Roses. Though, while the Seattle movement of late '91 certainly fleshed out a
definate Guitar-led culture entrenched by substance unto the limelight, GN'R's success did foreshadow a sort of coming for this type of music.
Like many have said, thought GN'R did not choke Hair Metal's air supply; they provided for the moment.