History Main / Grunge

* Music/TheSmashingPumpkins (Disputed, as they combine many influences. AlternativeMetal would probably fit better.)

* Music/KingsX (particularly during the ''Dogman'' era, typically a hard rock/progressive metal act.)

** ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'' (1991)

A UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} (by way of Aberdeen and Olympia) grunge band fronted by Music/KurtCobain, Nirvana unexpectedly made it big [[TheNineties in 1991]] with their album ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'', containing the famed hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which, in typical "most famous song" fashion, was [[MagnumOpusDissonance shunned by Cobain]]. The album drove away from the dirgy, sludgy material that had defined the "grunge" label and the bands earlier material to that point and instead experimented with less distortion and catchy pop hooks, a feature that when combined with Cobain's anguished voice and rugged good looks launched them into superstardom. Another grunge approach that broke with HairMetal was to downplay or even eliminate the guitar solo. In contrast to a typical hair metal solo, which used two-handed tapping and rapid-fire, virtuoso arpeggio riffs, Cobain's guitar solos might be simply an instrumental version of the vocal melody.

So, Grunge started off underground, but of course something happened. Record labels decided it was the "next big thing.” Anybody with a guitar and two songs got signed, and the A&R department did a photo shoot of them in retro thrift store clothes and flannel. So what was this "something?" A little band named Music/{{Nirvana}}.

Then Nirvana disbanded, Pearl Jam retreated from the spotlight and reinvented itself, Alice in Chains went on hiatus, Soundgarden disbanded, and with the rise of commercial PostGrunge bands like Bush, Music/FooFighters, Music/{{Silverchair}} and Music/MatchboxTwenty, grunge itself had begun to fade into the shadows cast by the mid-to-late nineties. By the turn of the millennium, grunge in the mainstream was reduced to nostalgia and another blow was dealt nearly a decade after Cobain's suicide when Layne Staley, lead singer of Alice in Chains, died of a heroin overdose -- on the approximate date of Cobain's death [[note]]Both were discovered dead after some time had passed. Both were still listed as circa April 5th, however.[[/note]].

The music itself could be described as a strange combination of DoomMetal, NoiseRock and AlternativeRock with even more influences from HardcorePunk (Music/BlackFlag's sludgier, slower material from 1984 on was frequently cited as an influence). Many artists in the genre would later take cues from the PowerPop-inspired songwriting of college rock bands such as Music/{{REM}}, Music/{{Pixies}} and Music/HuskerDu. The guitars have heavy distortion and plenty of shrieking feedback (usually), songs often consist of both loud and soft sections, and the lyrics are often personal and introspective, with topics like drug addiction (particularly heroin), depression, poverty, and suicide. This introspective focus influenced lots of more [[{{Wangst}} angsty]] genres such as NuMetal and [[Music/{{Emo}} modern emo bands]]. The vocals range from PerishingAltRockVoice to {{Yarling}}, and all stops in between.

The music itself could be described as a strange combination of DoomMetal, NoiseRock and AlternativeRock with even more influences from HardcorePunk (Music/BlackFlag's sludgier, slower material from 1984 on was frequently cited as an influence). Many artists in the genre would later take cues from the poppy songwriting of college rock bands such as Music/{{REM}}, Music/{{Pixies}} and Music/HuskerDu. The guitars have heavy distortion and plenty of shrieking feedback (usually), songs often consist of both loud and soft sections, and the lyrics are often personal and introspective, with topics like drug addiction (particularly heroin), depression, poverty, and suicide. This introspective focus influenced lots of more [[{{Wangst}} angsty]] genres such as NuMetal and [[Music/{{Emo}} modern emo bands]]. The vocals range from PerishingAltRockVoice to {{Yarling}}, and all stops in between.

* [[Music/TheGits Music/MiaZapata]]

The music itself could be described as a strange combination of DoomMetal, NoiseRock and AlternativeRock with even more influences from HardcorePunk (Music/BlackFlag's sludgier, slower material from 1984 on was frequently cited as an influence). Many artists in the genre would later take cues from the poppy songwriting of college rock bands such as Music/{{REM}}, Music/{{Pixies}} and Music/TheReplacements. The guitars have heavy distortion and plenty of shrieking feedback (usually), songs often consist of both loud and soft sections, and the lyrics are often personal and introspective, with topics like drug addiction (particularly heroin), depression, poverty, and suicide. This introspective focus influenced lots of more [[{{Wangst}} angsty]] genres such as NuMetal and [[Music/{{Emo}} modern emo bands]]. The vocals range from PerishingAltRockVoice to {{Yarling}}, and all stops in between.

-->-- '''Homer Simpson''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

The music itself could be described as a strange combination of DoomMetal, NoiseRock and AlternativeRock with even more influences from HardcorePunk (Music/BlackFlag's sludgier, slower material from 1984 on was frequently cited as an influence). Indie rock’s noise is another influence, as is pop. The guitars have heavy distortion and plenty of shrieking feedback (usually), songs often consist of both loud and soft sections, and the lyrics are often personal and introspective, with topics like drug addiction (particularly heroin), depression, poverty, and suicide. This introspective focus influenced lots of more [[{{Wangst}} angsty]] genres such as NuMetal and [[Music/{{Emo}} modern emo bands]]. The vocals range from PerishingAltRockVoice to {{Yarling}}, and all stops in between.

->"''I'm taking our music to the next level - [[FunWithAcronyms Guitar Rock Utilizing Nihilist Grunge Energy]] - or, as I call it, '''[[RecursiveAcronym GRUNGE!]]'''"''

+ HardRock, AlternativeMetal, IndieRock, GarageRock, PsychedelicRock, Experimental Music, PostPunk, ProtoPunk, NewWaveMusic, ProgressiveRock

Grunge started in the indie rock scene in UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}, and was sometimes called "the Seattle sound" in the early days, although the documentary ''Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock & Roll'' claimed it originated with The Scientists, who hailed from Perth, Western Australia (The Scientists' Kim Salmon claimed he used the term "grunge" to describe the band's style of music in the mid-80s, although he admits he isn't sure if anyone picked up on it). The earliest examples of grunge music includes Malfunkshun and Green River, neither of which achieved any mainstream success. As a backlash against polished, highly produced HairMetal, which was big at the time ([[TheEighties the mid-'80s]]), Grunge artists featured a stripped down and low-key aesthetic lacking in the theatrics and bombast of the prevailing trends. Playing in rainy Seattle, many struggling early grunge rockers wore the only warm clothing they could afford: thick flannel shirts, which became a trademark of the genre. The greasy, unwashed hair and thrift shop clothes of early grunge bands was more of a product of their low income playing underground venues, rather than a fashion statement.

With Nirvana's success, other bands from Seattle, as well as those that were similar in tone, such as Music/PearlJam, Music/{{Soundgarden}} and Music/AliceInChains, also made it pretty big, and less-popular groups (namely Music/{{Mudhoney}}, Music/{{Melvins}}, Screaming Trees, and ''Tad'') also had their moments in the mainstream spotlight. Against their will. As with punk before it, being big and famous went against Grunge's philosophy, and many of the bands tried to avoid fame. Cobain himself was pretty depressed over this, as well as many other things, including his heroin addiction. This whole depression thing culminated in Cobain's shotgun suicide in 1994 (although some {{conspiracy theorist}}s still maintain that he was murdered).

So, there you have it. The strange story of Grunge.

Although Grunge's time is over, the genre is still viewed as a landmark one due to its honesty and creative musicianship (especially compared to what [[PostGrunge it mutated into]]), and it still has a fanbase in certain corners, and the teens of the nineties are starting to look back upon it with nostalgia. Some of the bands have also had a significant influence on DoomMetal subgenres such as Stoner Metal and Sludge, which could be seen as a SpiritualSuccessor of sorts. Conversely, Grunge, Sludge, and Stoner Metal can also be considered "sister genres" as all three formed from the same sonic root with quite a bit of overlap in the bands themselves ('70s heavy/garage rock filtered through doom-influenced hardcore punk rock) but developed along tertiary characteristics that distinguished them: Grunge took up AlternativeRock, Stoner Metal added more PsychedelicRock, and Sludge doubled down on DoomMetal. For this reason, while the latter two are sonically very similar to Grunge, they are not quite the same.

Grunge is an influential form of AlternativeRock. It's often regarded that this genre helped Alternative Rock's mainstream popularity advance past the late-80s alternative crossover boom.

Grunge itself is widely believed to have started in the indie rock scene in UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}, and was sometimes called "the Seattle sound" in the early days, although the documentary ''Long Way to the Top: Stories of Australian Rock & Roll'' claimed it originated with The Scientists, who hailed from Perth, Western Australia (The Scientists' Kim Salmon claimed he used the term "grunge" to describe the band's style of music in the mid-80s, although he admits he isn't sure if anyone picked up on it). The earliest examples of grunge music includes Malfunkshun and Green River, neither of which achieved any mainstream success. As a backlash against polished, highly produced HairMetal, which was big at the time ([[TheEighties the mid-'80s]]), Grunge artists featured a stripped down and low-key aesthetic lacking in the theatrics and bombast of the prevailing trends. Playing in rainy Seattle, many struggling early grunge rockers wore the only warm clothing they could afford: thick flannel shirts, which became a trademark of the genre. The greasy, unwashed hair and thrift shop clothes of early grunge bands was more of a product of their low income playing underground venues, rather than a fashion statement.

So, Grunge started off underground, but of course something happened. Record labels decided it was the "next big thing.” Anybody with a guitar and two songs got signed, and the A&R department did a photo shoot of them in retto thrift store clothes and flannel. So what was this "something?" A little band named Music/{{Nirvana}}.

A UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}} (by way of Aberdeen and Olympia) grunge band fronted by Music/KurtCobain, Nirvana unexpectedly made it big [[TheNineties in 1991]] with their album ''Music/{{Nevermind}}'', containing the famed hit single "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which, in typical "most famous song" fashion, was [[MagnumOpusDissonance shunned by Cobain]]. The album drove away from the dirgy sludgy material that had defined the "grunge" label and the bands earlier material to that point and instead experimented with less distortion and catchy pop hooks, a feature that when combined with Cobain's anguished voice and rugged good looks launched them into superstardom. Another grunge approach that broke with HairMetal was to downplay or even eliminate the guitar solo. In contrast to a typical hair metal solo, which used two-handed tapping and rapid-fire, virtuoso arpeggio riffs, Cobain's guitar solos might be simply an instrumental version of the vocal melody.

See also: RiotGrrrl, a feminist hardcore punk genre and subculture from the same time period.

Then Nirvana disbanded, Pearl Jam retreated from the spotlight and reinvented itself, Alice in Chains went on hiatus, Soundgarden disbanded, and with the rise of commercial PostGrunge bands like Bush, Music/FooFighters, Music/{{Silverchair}} and Music/MatchboxTwenty, grunge itself had begun to fade into the shadows cast by the mid-to-late nineties. By the turn of the millennium, grunge in the mainstream was reduced to nostalgia and another blow was dealt nearly a decade after Cobain's suicide when Layne Staley, lead singer of Alice in Chains, died of a heroin overdose -- on the approximate date of Cobain's death [[note]]Both were discovered dead after some time had passed. Both were still listed as circa April 5th, however.[[/note]], which is cause for concern and even more paranoid UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories.