1. In the musical sense, yacht rock refers to the highly polished brand of soft rock that emanated from Southern California between 1976 and 1984. The term is meant to suggest the kind of smooth, mellow music that early yuppies likely enjoyed while sipping champagne on their yachts. 2. Significant “yacht rockers” include Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins, Christopher Cross, Steely Dan, Toto and many more.