By: Patricia Kusumaningtyas
Grunge is a subgenre in the alternative rock genre first developed in the mid-1980s and continues to be prominent during the late 1980s and the 1990s. Grunge is closely associated with the Pacific Northwest area of the United States, specifically Seattle, Washington. The genre is first spearheaded by Seattle bands such as Green River and Mudhoney and rose into the mainstream in the early 1990s with the release of Nirvana’s sophomore LP, Nevermind. Speaking musically, grunge is characterized by the prominent use of guitars, straying away from the clean sound of 80s popular rock while being generally a little less dirty than punk rock—its predecessor. Otherwise, grunge takes a lot of forms and a lot of grunge bands are positioned differently in the guitar-sound spectrum. Lyrically, grunge generally carries the topic of rebellion, self-discovery/self-expression, and anxieties of the era and its musicians. A lot of grunge’s leading musicians are politically active and their lyrics would often reflect their views of the political and/or social climate.
The big four bands of grunge are often named to be Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. However, the definition of the genre is way more past these four bands. We have compiled a playlist to get you started in the grunge genre, including its early songs, future songs composed under the shadows of the genre, and how the genre changes throughout different identities, including women musicians and non-Pacific Northwestern bands.
Early grunge:
Touch Me I’m Sick – Mudhoney
Swallow My Pride – Green River
Stardog Champion – Mother Love Bone
Gun – Soundgarden
Popular grunge:
Alive – Pearl Jam
Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
Rooster – Alice in Chains
Outshined – Soundgarden
Hunger Strike – Temple of the Dog
All Apologies – Nirvana
Nearly Lost You – Screaming Trees
Animal – Pearl Jam
Man in the Box – Alice in Chains
Women musicians:
Miss World – Hole
Pretend We’re Dead – L7
The Scratch – 7 Year Bitch
Beyond the Pacific Northwest:
Tomorrow – Silverchair
Interstate Love Song – Stone Temple Pilots
Bullet with Butterfly Wings – The Smashing Pumpkins
Later grunge/side projects:
River of Deceit – Mad Season
Like a Stone – Audioslave
Everlong – Foo Fighters
Listen to the playlist here
