This paper is concerned with the characterization of α-modulation spaces by Banach frames, i.e., stable and redundant non-orthogonal expansions, constituted of functions obtained by a suitable combination of translation, modulation and dilation of a mother atom. In particular, the parameter α ∈ [ 0 , 1 ] governs the dependence of the dilation factor on the frequency. The result is achieved by exploiting intrinsic properties of localization of such frames. The well-known Gabor and wavelet frames arise as special cases ( α = 0 ) and limiting case ( α → 1 ) , to characterize respectively modulation and Besov spaces. This intermediate theory contributes to a further answer to the theoretical need of a common interpretation and framework between Gabor and wavelet theory and to the construction of new tools for applications in time–frequency analysis, signal processing, and numerical analysis.