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The first issue of The Rocket newspaper, reporting on the local music scene, was published as a special edition of the free alternative weekly Seattle Sun on October 1979. Frustrated by the lack of support among senior staffers at the Sun for covering the emerging music scene in Seattle, arts editor Robert Ferrigno and art director Bob Newman raised money to found their own publication. The Rocket ran initially as a free, monthly adjunct to the Seattle Sun, but was popular enough to become self-supporting within a year. Editor Ferrigno stated the paper’s mission in its first issue: "We believe the local music scene to be vibrating with life, multi-faceted and responsive to a wide range of audiences. We will cover national acts like The Cars, but remain committed to supporting local music."

With its increasingly popularity, The Rocket increased its distribution from monthly to bi-weekly in 1994. In 1991, a Portland edition was launched, though it was essentially identical in content to the Seattle edition, except for its club listings. The Rocket was sold to BAM Media in San Francisco in 1995, and after BAM’s decline, to David Roberts, publisher of the Illinois Entertainer, in 2000. In spite of Roberts’ pledge to revitalize the paper, the last issue of The Rocket was published on October 18, 2000.