GRUNGE MUSIC | LISTICLE

Music Vault: 14 of the Best Grunge Songs

Here are some of the most iconic songs from the subgenre of alternative rock that came out of Seattle in the early 90s

Sebastián j., CC BY 2.0 <>, via Wikimedia Commons

In the early 90s, rock music took a turn from the arena rock and hairband sounds from the 80s. At the time, it was called alternative rock.

Alternative rock was guitar driven, emotional, and heavy on distortion. From the umbrella of alternative rock, grunge rock emerged. One distinction was categorized by region. Most of the grunge bands were from the Pacific Northwest, centered around Seattle.

Grunge was also a little heavier. It was a cross between heavy metal and punk with a substantial dose of the emotional sound of alternative rock.

It even inspired a fashion. The grunge look was untucked with an unbuttoned flannel shirt over a t-shirt. The more wrinkled the better. I have never been one to wear what was fashionable, but for a brief time in the early 90s, I was accidentally fashionable. My disheveled, unkempt clothes were suddenly cool.

Of course, when the grunge look faded out of fashion, I was left behind and once again as uncool as ever.