Green’s Dictionary of Slang

unimportant, insignificant, pathetic; thus wimp rock n., weedy rock music, as opposed to loud macho cock rock under cock n.³ ; also as adv.

1971		D. Anderle Outlaw Blues at www.rocksbackpages.com 🌐 Brian was taking a great deal of slamming at that time from the heavy critics about them being, you know, ‘Wimp-rock,’ and ‘ball-less rock,’ and ‘high school sopranos’ and the whole number. [Ibid.] The whole Beach Boy mystique, the Beach Boy thing, the thing that I used to get a great deal of personal fun out of, is when people would arbitrarily slough off or slam the Beach Boys as being wimp, or whatever they wanted to call ’em, they really had no idea the incredible complex thing that is happening amongst a group of people.
1971		L. Bangs in Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung 114: So what makes James any different? That he was a spoiled rich kid, makes it with Carly Simon (woo woo) and sings wimp?
1973		Creem Feb. at www.rocksbackpages.com 🌐 With squeaking frets, chandelier piano, a persistent wimp melody and oblique scraps of California Myth scattered throughout, ‘Ventura Highway’ is the group’s stupidest hit yet and a real contender for this month’s Blandrock crown.
1973		Phonograph Record Nov. at www.rocksbackpages.com 🌐 With the cheers still ringing, they launched into ‘Tonight’, proving once and for all that they are not ‘wimp-rockers’.
1987		‘Joe Bob Briggs’ Joe Bob Goes to the Drive-In 11: The Greentree Drive-In in Pittsburgh that got knocked over for a wimp hotel.