The significance of the Beat Generation in American literature lies in its challenge to traditional norms and its exploration of new forms of expression during the post-World War II era. Emerging in the 1950s, key figures like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs questioned societal conventions, materialism, and conformism through their works, emphasizing spontaneity, sexual liberation, and non-conformity. The Beats played a crucial role in shaping countercultural movements of the 1960s, influencing literature, art, and philosophy with their focus on personal experience, spirituality, and rebellion against mainstream society. They marked a turning point in American literary and cultural history.