Musicians Shirley Manson of Garbage and Liz Phair have both singled out JD Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye as a formative literary influence, highlighting how the book's portrayal of teenage alienation resonated with them as young people. Manson has spoken of relating to protagonist Holden Caulfield's rebellious angst as a "difficult teenager", even referencing the novel in Garbage's 2005 music video for "Why Do You Love Me". The enduring appeal of the book, 75 years after publication, lies in Holden's complicated, contradictory nature, which continues to resonate despite some dated elements of the story.

Manson has said she read her father's old copy of the novel, which she never returned, and that she saw her own alienation reflected in Holden, going so far as to mimic his habit of calling people "phoney". Phair, in a list of favourite books for One Grand Books, called it "probably my favourite book of all time" for its raw, modern-sounding language, and described Holden as a prototype for later brooding, James Dean-style anti-heroes, whom she credited with "the dawning of the age of emo". The article also notes the novel's more uncomfortable modern reading, pointing to Holden's evident privilege and the book's largely male fanbase.