Finally, this is what I ended up with for generically setting alternate row colors.
<Style TargetType="{x:Type DataGrid}">
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#FFF" />
<Setter Property="AlternationCount" Value="2" />
</Style>
<Style TargetType="{x:Type DataGridRow}">
<Style.Triggers>
<Trigger Property="ItemsControl.AlternationIndex" Value="0">
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#CCC"></Setter>
</Trigger>
<Trigger Property="ItemsControl.AlternationIndex" Value="1">
<Setter Property="Background" Value="#EEE"></Setter>
</Trigger>
</Style.Triggers>
</Style>