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GrungeGrunge is a subgenre of rock 'n' roll that emerged in the American Pacific Northwest in the 1980s and became a cultural phenomenon in the early 1990s. The music blended punk rock, heavy metal, and pop to create a sludgy but melodic sound, evident in early records from Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Pearl Jam, and more.
Nirvana's 1991 album "Nevermind" brought grunge to the mainstream, eventually selling over 30 million copies. The album's success led major labels to pursue similarly alternative-minded acts, changing the sound of American music for the better part of the decade. The music's aesthetic was also co-opted by Hollywood films and fashion designers, who were eager to package what they saw as an exciting new youth culture.
By the mid-1990s, most artists distanced themselves from the genre, believing that it was more of a marketing term than an accurate descriptor. Grunge's sound and style are still evident today, with several of the genre's records cited among the most influential in rock history.Explore Grunge
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Why heroin became associated with the grunge worldThe drug was popular with several Seattle acts in the early 1990s, with artists like Hole's Courtney Love even publicizing her use in a magazine profile. A 1992 New York Times story on Seattle said the city's principal drugs were "espresso, beer, and heroin." the GuardianHow a Seattle scenester pranked The New York Times with ridiculous grunge 'slang'In 1992, The New York Times was eager to report on the grunge phenomenon. When a Times reporter called Megan Jasper, who'd previously worked at Sub Pop, she decided to have some fun, feeding him a fake "Lexicon of Grunge." Revolution Come and Gone'Grunge' was initially used as an insultThe first known use of "grunge" to describe music is believed to be by Mark Arm, a Seattle scenester, who mocked his own band by writing, "Pure grunge! Pure noise! Pure shit!" By 1987, it'd caught on as a more earnest descriptor for a sludgy mix of punk and metal: Sub Pop Records cofounder Bruce Pavitt described the band Green River as "ultra-loose grunge that destroyed the morals of a generation." Revolution Come and GoneWhy grunge fashion lasted longer than its musicAlthough grunge musicians largely resisted the fashion world's overtures, the style associated with grunge—thrifted shirts, combat boots, loose-fitting flannels—continues to appear on runways and in photo shoots, with fashion icons like Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, and Gigi Hadid often sporting the look. VogueThe Marc Jacobs grunge fashion collectionAfter Nirvana's breakthrough, the grunge aesthetic became a marketable commodity. Fashion designer Marc Jacobs created a collection for Perry Ellis that featured grunge fashion, incorporating thrift store clothing typically worn by grunge bands onto the runway, accompanied by the music of Nirvana and Sonic Youth. Jacobs sent samples of the collection to Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, but the couple burned them. "We were punkers," Love said in 2010, "we didn't like that kind of thing." Dazed DigitalThe movie soundtrack that helped mainstream grungeCameron Crowe's 1992 film "Singles" coincided with the mainstream grunge explosion. The romantic comedy takes place in Seattle's music scene, making it a perfect Hollywood product for the time. It also featured cameos from some of the scene's stars, including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Soundgarden's Chris Cornell. KUOWNirvana's 'Nevermind' brought punk (and grunge) to the mainstreamThe Seattle band's second record, its first on a major label, went to number one four months after it was released in 1991. At one point, it was selling 300,000 copies a week. The band's lead singer, Kurt Cobain, believed in punk's countercultural aims and felt deeply conflicted about the band's success and its ties to the success of "grunge," a subgenre he felt ambivalent about. PitchforkWhy Neil Young is sometimes called 'the godfather of grunge'The legendary singer-songwriter's work with his band Crazy Horse, especially "Rust Never Sleeps" and "Ragged Glory," married infectious melodies with overpowering guitars, a formula that many grunge acts would replicate. Young would go on to perform with Pearl Jam (like in the performance of "Rockin' in the Free World" below) and record the 1995 album "Mirror Ball" with them. Calle UndergroundWhy grunge artists loathed the term 'grunge'As the music took off, the word quickly became a convenient marketing term that lumped together bands that were rather distinct. "'Grunge,' as a term, nobody liked that," Soundgarden's Kim Thayil once said. "Everyone thought, 'Oh this is a marketing thing. This is a way to file Seattle on a retail display in a record store.'" 34th StreetThe news feature that broke grungeThe Sub Pop label paid for journalist Everett True, then writing for Melody Maker, to fly to the sleepy northwestern city to check out the scene, which was breeding a curious mix of punk rock and heavy metal. The gambit worked. "The most vibrant, kicking music scene encompassed in one city for at least 10 years," Everett wrote. Archived Music PressListen to the 'Deep Six' compilation, one of the first collections of grungeIn the '80s, "grunge" was still not a widely used term, though there was a distinct sound coming from Seattle, one that blended punk and metal. C/Z Records decided to document the emerging sound in 1985 by releasing a compilation with six of the city's cutting-edge bands, including Green River, Melvins, and Soundgarden. teajay69Long before grunge, Hüsker Dü blended pop's melodies and punk's speedThe Minneapolis trio began as a lightning-fast hardcore band, but they slowly became more melodic than many of their early '80s peers without sacrificing their punk edge. That combination would eventually be called a mess of names: college rock, alternative, indie, and, eventually, grunge. Trash TheoryExploring Wipers, the band Kurt Cobain said invented grungeWipers began in Portland, Oregon, in 1977, playing a form of punk rock that sounded darker and heavier than their contemporaries in New York, California, and England. The band remained an underground secret for years, influencing countless artists, including Nirvana's Kurt Cobain. "What more can I say about them?" he said in an interview. "They started Seattle grunge rock in Portland 1977." MANIC MEDIAThe best grunge albums of the 1990sThe best way to understand the music is to immerse yourself in it. This list compiles the definitive albums from the subgenre's peak period, featuring records from the big names associated with the scene (such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden) alongside less obvious picks that released grunge-adjacent classics (including Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, and PJ Harvey). PitchforkThe greatest NHL rivalriesIn its over 100 years as a league, the NHL has developed several heated rivalries, from the classic Canadian grudge matches between Toronto and Montreal to the Keystone State nemeses in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This list ranks the best and most bitter matchups, often tracing their animosity back decades. YardbarkerSee the army generals who helped define the Civil WarHear profiles of the Union and Confederate commanders whose choices defined the war's outcome—from Grant and Lee to Sherman, Jackson, and others. See how their actions, tactics, and skills shaped the Civil War. GrungeOne writer traces the evolution of a Billboard chart over 25 yearsBillboard introduced its Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1988, looking to capture the rising popularity of acts like the Cure, REM, and U2. Music writer and Billboard obsessive Chris Molanphy traces the chart from his earliest days through grunge, alternative, and corporate eras, demonstrating just how much taste changes over time. PitchforkEddie Murphy avoided the show for years thanks to a joke made at his expenseA 1995 segment with David Spade criticized Murphy's unsuccessful film "Vampire in Brooklyn." Muprhy was offended and called the SNL offices to confront Spade. Murphy avoided the show through the 2010s, finally returning in 2015 for the show's 40th anniversary special, where he hugged Spade backstage. BiographyExplore key locations in Kurt Cobain's life with this interactive mapThe "Grungeology" project maps out key moments, influences, and impacts of Cobain's life in and around Grays Harbor County. Click through the map's many historical spots and learn how Nirvana's band leader navigated his hometown as his fame and music grew. GrungeologyBeat Generation iconoclast William S. Burroughs once appeared in a Nike adFollowing the rise of grunge in 1991, major corporations sought to capitalize on the changing cultural tide by using "authentic" voices to bolster their brands. One of them was Beat writer William S. Burroughs, known for his iconoclastic novels "Naked Lunch" and "Junky," who appeared in a 1994 Nike ad, singing the praises of "the coming of the new technology." What's for afters?Read JK Rowling's original 'Harry Potter' pitch that a dozen publishers rejectedRowling claims 12 publishing houses rejected the pitch first written in 1995—which contained this letter and the story's first few chapters—before Bloomsbury accepted it. TIMEWhy Christopher Walken is so eccentricCultural icon and actor Christopher Walken has attained a unique status in Hollywood as a beloved eccentric, inspiring countless hilarious stories. This quick write-up dives into some of the elements that mixed to form his unusual personality and style, from growing up around immigrants to his embrace of improvisation. GrungeIn 2008, Prince covered RadioheadPrince's 2008 headlining set at Coachella is one of the most legendary in the festival's history, in no small part because of this eight-minute cover of Radiohead's 1993 hit "Creep." Prince was no stranger to a stunning reinterpretation, but even this is a high point in his unparalleled catalog. The Purple One's version brings the song to new heights, turning the grunge-era classic into a tortured R&B ballad. dead musiciansHow grudges mostly hurt ourselvesGrudges feel like revenge against those who have done us some wrong and are very common. In this "Hidden Brain" podcast, psychologists explain how grudges end up only hurting us rather than those we hold them against. By using historical examples, the researchers show the counterintuitive danger of grudges and how people can learn how to avoid them. Hidden Brain MediaThe wildest cases of election fraud in US historyThe USA has seen some crazy elections. Election fraud is vanishingly rare now, but here are the craziest cases of election fraud in U.S. history. Grunge
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