It’s like porn — you know it when you (hear) it. Local musicians debate an elusive genre.

If fractured philosopher Yogi Berra worked for Pitchforkmedia.com, he might unleash this doozy on the blogosphere:

“Nobody listens to indie rock anymore. It’s too popular.”

And the ex-Yankee catcher would have a point. Applied to countless bands, “indie rock” is a label loved by some, resented by others and defined in different ways.

Craig “Dodge” Lile is a tastemaker in the culture, thanks to his online My Old Kentucky Blog and weekly show on satellite radio’s Sirius XMU station — which prides itself on playing tomorrow’s cult classics today. But once an adventurous listener tracks down the next big thing, it’s not long before that discovery is old news.

“Finding that new band is so exciting,” Indianapolis resident Lile says. “But will you still love them tomorrow? We’re so fleeting with our loyalty.”

As a musical style, indie fits quirky and cerebral acts such as Sufjan Stevens and Indiana’s own Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s.

As a way of doing business, indie is a do-it-yourself model not confined to any genre. Extend the nickname to the more formal “independent,” and any act not signed to a major label can stake a claim.

Indie rock’s roots trace to alternative music of the ’90s and college rock of the ’80s, with an appreciation of the underground.

Backlash also has been consistent through the years. “Elitist snob” is an insult not foreign to Lile, and the blogger says he understands the sentiment.

“For any person who’s really obsessively into music, there’s a pride you take in being ahead of your peers,” he says.

Lile holds up Arcade Fire, the Decemberists and Bon Iver as three modern acts that represent the best in indie rock (even if the Decemberists make music for corporate Capitol Records).

The ability to follow a vision and not worry about a recording’s popularity is Lile’s litmus test for indie. A band can sell as few as 2,000 copies and sustain buzz in the blogosphere, he says.

Lacking the mainstream impact of alternative’s platinum-selling heyday, indie’s future seems safe as long as there are musicians who would rather be self-reliant than sell-outs.

“It’s silly, to some degree,” Lile says. “Every band and every fan of bands should want to ascend to that next level. But if a band loses touch with that sound that made them popular, I understand why fans abandon them.”

Ben Masbaum

When Lafcadio vocalist-bass player Ben Masbaum is asked to define indie rock, he talks about preserving a tradition.

“I’m involved in something that stemmed from people like me doing it,” he says. “If you know how to play a song, just get out there and do it yourself.”

Lafcadio plays heavy and unpredictable music, a stop-and-start collision of metal and indie rock.

“Our guitarists, Jon Daily and Zach Peterson, listen to grindcore and thrash,” Masbaum says. “But our drummer, Karl Hofstetter, and I never have been completely influenced by metal. Our spastic songwriting comes from that.”

Hofstetter owns the Joyful Noise label that releases Lafcadio recordings, and he’s also a member of conventional indie rock band the Abner Trio. Masbaum plays guitar in experimental instrumental quintet A Caesar Holiday (which also features Peterson).

Aware of the interconnected nature of the Indianapolis music community, Masbaum recalls a show promoted as “Incest Fest.” Every act included at least one member who played in another act on the bill.

“That’s a negative if other bands can’t progress unless they know somebody,” he says. “At the same time, it’s kind of a family and we help each other out.”

Hear Lafcadio: www.myspace.com/lafcadiomusic

See Lafcadio: April 9 at the Melody Inn, 3826 N. Illinois St.

Jill Weiss

Indie rock means more than fashion and posturing to We Are Hex vocalist Jill Weiss, but there’s no shortage of those things in indie rock.

“You can walk down the street and see 30 kids that look like they should be at the show later,” she says. “Then there are eight kids at the show. It’s like, what do those other kids do?”

We Are Hex will release its debut album “Gloom Bloom” April 7. It’s a shadowy sonic statement influenced by U.K. acts Joy Division and the Jesus and Mary Chain, issued on the band’s own Hex Haus label.

“As the big record labels are crumbling around us, it’s going to affect people who are in it for money or attention or to look cool or whatever,” Weiss says. “We’re still going to be left. The people that are going to be left are the people in the basements.”

Basements are a fine place to play a show, according to Weiss, who mentions the Melody Inn as a supportive venue for local acts.

“If we’re talking about indie rock as an ethic, Indianapolis has a great indie rock scene,” says Weiss, whose band will play a Punk Rock Night show April 25 at the Mel. “It’s building a collective of people who are trying to do everything for themselves and for each other.”

Hear We Are Hex: www.wearehex.com, where “Gloom Bloom” is streamed in its entirety.

See We Are Hex: April 25 at the Melody Inn, 3826 N. Illinois St.

Chris Bauchle

Same as Sunday vocalist Chris Bauchle identifies with the part of indie rock that turns musicians into do-it-yourself entrepreneurs.

“You’re 100 percent responsible for your own fate,” Bauchle says. "A label won’t look at you unless you have a solid recording and you have a buzz across the U.S.

“To me, indie rock is getting to that point and then saying, ‘Why do we need the label?’.”

Formed in 2005, Same as Sunday issued its “Anthems From a Standing Eight” album last year and attracted coverage in Alternative Press magazine.

In May, the band will record five songs in New York and release an EP.

While Same as Sunday works independently, its over-the-top pop-punk sound has little in common with arty buzz bands Animal Collective or Vampire Weekend.

“A lot of people would frown on the idea that we’re an ‘indie rock’ band,” Bauchle says.

At the same time, Same as Sunday is a natural candidate to play Warped Tour, the ultimate caravan for outsiders.

“The lineup has loads of mainstream acts,” says Bauchle, referring to this summer’s roster that includes major-label bands Saosin and Forever the Sickest Kids. “But the festival maintains that indie foundation.”

Hear Same as Sunday: www.myspace.com/sameassunday

See Same as Sunday: May 29 at the Sanctuary, 9030 E. 96th St., Fishers.

Grey Granite

Indie rock represents freedom to Grey Granite, who describes his style as hip-hop/electro/soul/rock — “or put it backwards, and it will work, too,” he says.

He says new acts rarely break through in the kingdom of Jay-Z, but it’s easier in the realm of Radiohead.

“One thing that’s great about indie rock is that you can be an unknown band and people enjoy your music,” Granite says. “If you’re an unknown hip-hop artist, everybody is like, ‘Why don’t I know who he is? He must not be that good.’.”

With Indianapolis-based producer J. Brookinz, Granite made worlds collide with 2008 mash-up album “Grey Granite Amplifies the Killers.”

While the iTunes Store sells tracks from the project, Granite and Brookins also collaborate on the Web site Heavy gunblog.com — a do-it-yourself aggregator of local art, film and music.

“I want to put a blueprint out in front so bands and artists can say, ‘Hey, if we do this, that and the third, we’ll have a way in. Somebody has opened the door so that eyes are actually on this city,’.” Granite says.

Hear Grey Granite: www.myspace.com/greygranite

See Grey Granite: April 17 at The Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave.

Are they or aren’t they?

There’s no certification process for indie rock status, so it’s not easy to know where a band stands in the vague realm of public opinion. Craig “Dodge” Lile of My Old Kentucky Blog helped Indy.com weigh the evidence for three popular acts:

Death Cab for Cutie

Why they’re indie: Melodic band grew to prominence while signed to non-corporate label Barsuk Records. Lile says Death Cab still appeals to “post-emo kids” in their late teens and early 20s.

Why they’re not: Songs have been licensed to many TV and film projects, and Death Cab made a jump to major-label Atlantic Records in 2004. Also, vocalist Ben Gibbard is engaged to movie star Zooey Deschanel.

The verdict: No longer indie.

Bon Iver

Why he’s indie: Bon Iver, otherwise known as singer-songwriter Justin Vernon, generated buzz for fragile folk songs “completely on his own,” Lile says. Based in out-of-the-way Eau Claire, Wis., Vernon brings Auto-tune voice modification into the woods on new EP “Blood Bank.”

Why he’s not: ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” picked up Bon Iver music, and some listeners might be offended by the use of Auto-tune — regardless of commercial context.

The verdict: Still indie.

Radiohead

Why they’re indie: U.K. band doesn’t take orders from anyone else. Radiohead abandoned a successful guitar-rock formula midway through its career for increased electronic textures, and listeners were allowed to name their own price — even free — for current studio album “In Rainbows.”

Why they’re not: Multi-platinum sales and outsider principles rarely coexist.

The verdict: “They certainly still have all their indie cred,” Lile says. “They’re mainstream; they’re everything in one. They’re the ultimate winner.”

Indie-rific events

The local concert calendar boasts plenty of underground attractions. Here are five highlights:

Friendly Fires, White Lies

English buzz bands specialize in agitated dance tunes.

April 2, at Radio Radio, 1119 E. Prospect St., (317) 955-0995, www.futureshock.net.

William Fitzsimmons

Low-key folk singer hails from Jacksonville, Ill.

April 13, at Radio Radio, 1119 E. Prospect St., (317) 955-0995, www.futureshock.net.

Peelander-Z

Punk band created its own “Japanese Action Comic” genre.

April 21, at the Melody Inn, 3826 N. Illinois St., (317) 923-4707, www.melodyindy.com

Russian Circles

Chicago-based trio plays brutally intense instrumental music.

April 23, at Radio Radio, 1119 E. Prospect St., (317) 955-0995, www.futureshock.net.

Atmosphere

DJ Ant and MC Slug are distinguished veterans of outsider hip-hop.

May 19, at the Vogue, 6259 N. College Ave., (317) 239-5151, www.ticketmaster.com