The PMRC (Parent's Music Resource Center, or as we called them in high school, "Pre-Menstruating Record Critics") were a group of senators wives in 1985, headed by Tipper Gore (Wife of Al Gore) and Susan Baker (Wife of James Baker.) They came together after Tipper Gore overheard "Darling Nikki" Prince on her daughter's stereo. Sensing the impending collapse of civilization, they assembled a list of "vulgar" songs called the Filthy Fifteen (and thus the very first viral '80s playlist.)
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And Mercyful Fate and Venom were fringe early Black Metal bands that had little airplay outside of the Metal show on some 10 watt college station. But since their lyrics included occult imagery, they thought including them will get the religious moms worked up too (they knew an ally when they saw one because these moms hate rock n' roll just as much.) This came to a head at a senate hearing including a spectrum of artists including Dee Snider, John Denver, Frank Zappa, and Donny Osmond.
Osmond's concern was prophetic: He knew sales of Parental Advixory stickered records were going to be far better with teenagers than the non-PA stickered ones. But primarily, would
he have to make hardcore records to survive? (Fortunately, he didn't.)
The aftermath was to be cool and sell to teenagers, you needed a PA sticker on your record. The hipness factor of the sticker has never went away. But there is enough room in pop for folks who didn't want hot language and artists who existed without PA stickers sell just as well.
