The term “grunge rock” has never been properly defined. Some consider it a subgenre of alternative rock music that emerged in the late 1980s around Seattle. Few people from that state have classified themselves as part of this sub-genre, but many of these bands remain incredibly popular to this day.
The best grunge albums of all time
Mudhoney – Superfuzz Bigmuff.
When the rock band Green River broke up in 1987, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard went on to form Mother Love Bone, which evolved into Pearl Jam after vocalist Andrew Wood died. Green River frontman Mark Arm and guitarist Steve Turner went in a different direction, forming Mudhoney. Although they never had anything to do with Pearl Jam’s success, Mudhoney immediately found a loyal following. Their debut mini album Superfuzz Bigmuff is an absolute grunge classic.
Temple of the Dog.
Andrew Wood’s sudden death sent shockwaves through Seattle. To pay tribute to leader Mother Love Bone, the remaining members of the band teamed up with Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell (Wood’s former roommate) to record a tribute album called Temple of the Dog. The album’s release was not popular, but after Pearl Jam’s meteoric rise in 1991, fans immediately rushed to find it.
Pearl Jam – Vs.
Pearl Jam’s debut album, Ten, sold huge copies, and Eddie Vedder became an international rock star and sex symbol almost overnight. After endless tours between 1991 and 1992, the band had a new producer, Brendan O’Brien. From this moment the members of Pearl Jam started working on the album Vs. which, though it was a huge success, could not compare with the sales of their previous studio work.
Nirvana – Bleach
In late 1988, the band Nirvana signed with the indie label Sub Pop. It took only 30 hours over a couple of weeks to record the album Bleach. Kurt Cobain later claimed that he wrote most of the lyrics the night before the first studio session. The album was not popular with listeners, but the overwhelming success of Nevermind boosted sales of the first release.
Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger
The album Badmotorfinger hit stores in October 1991, but few people outside of Seattle knew of the band Soundgarden. Nevertheless, music industry pundits knew it was a good time for their breakthrough. Some songs, including Rusty Cage, were more commercially successful than previous releases.
Soundgarden – Superunknown
Soundgarden band members have written some amazing songs, including Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, and Fell On Black Days. The vast majority of the famous songs became popular in part because Soundgarden videos were constantly shown on MTV. Kurt Cobain committed suicide a few weeks after the album’s release, and Pearl Jam lost fans.