"Laughing Stock" is considered, along with "Spirit of Eden" and Slint's "Spiderland", to have been the primary catalyst of the post-rock genre. Allmusic said that "the musical foundation for post-rock crystallized in 1991, with the release of two very different landmarks: Talk Talk's "Laughing Stock" and Slint's "Spiderland"." The term "post-rock" itself was not coined until Simon Reynolds used it in his "Melody Maker" review of "Hex" (1994) by Bark Psychosis, which featured Talk Talk-inspired ambient experiments. "Laughing Stock" has also influenced Elbow and Bon Iver, and in 2011, Jess Harvell of "Pitchfork" said "many indie rock bands and experimental composers have genuflected toward it over the last 20 years."