Start here · no exam
You can like the hit
Deep cuts are optional. Hits are valid entry points. No apology required.
Someone online will ask if you know the B-side. You do not owe them a quiz score.
Most rock fans start with a radio chorus, a film cue, a parent's CD, or a short clip of an old riff. That is normal distribution, not a lesser origin.
A simple habit: play the landmark track on a band page once without multitasking. Then play one neighbor—related band, pioneer genre, or a member who left and started over. Do that a few times a week and your map fills in faster than comment-section shaming suggests.
Gatekeeping runs on shame because shame is cheap. Curiosity is slower. Tropes on this site name the rituals—"creative differences," "classic lineup," "you had to be there"—so you can spot them without taking the exam.
Bring the taste you have. Expand it later. Nobody grades your receipt.