Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle Sound) is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Pacific Northwest is a region in the northwest of North America (the term refers to the land not the ocean An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the A drum kit (also drum set or trap set) is a collection of Drums Cymbals and sometimes other Percussion instruments such as cowbells Post-grunge is a subgenre of Alternative rock that emerged in the early 1990s as a derivative of Grunge music. The US state of Washington includes several major hotbeds of musical innovation This is a timeline of Alternative rock, from its beginnings in the 1960s to the present Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Washington ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song dynamics, and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics. Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Indie rock is genre of Alternative rock that primarily exists in the independent Underground music scene An electric guitar is a type of Guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current which is made louder In Music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a Sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece either stylistic The grunge aesthetic is stripped-down compared to other forms of rock music, and many grunge musicians were noted for their unkempt appearances and rejection of theatrics.

The early grunge movement coalesced around Seattle independent record label Sub Pop in the late 1980s. An independent record label (or indie record label) is a Record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the Major record labels Sub Pop is an Independent record label (though funded and sharing distribution outlets with Warner Music founded by Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman Grunge became commercially successful in the first half of the 1990s, due mainly to the release of Nirvana's Nevermind and Pearl Jam's Ten. Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen Washington. Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24 1991 Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990 Ten is the debut album by the American Alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27 1991 through Epic Records. The success of these bands boosted the popularity of alternative rock and made grunge the most popular form of hard rock music at the time. ^[1] The genre became closely associated with Generation X in the US, since the awareness of each rose simultaneously. Generation X is a term used to describe generations in the United States and other countries born between the approximate years of 1965 to 1981 the late 1950s and 1960s or However, many grunge bands were uncomfortable with this popularity. Although most grunge bands had disbanded or faded from view by the late 1990s, their influence continues to impact modern rock music.

Origin of the term

The word grunge is believed to be a back-formation from the US slang adjective grungy,^[2] which originated in about 1965 as a slang term for "dirty" or "filthy". In Etymology, back-formation refers to the process of creating a new Lexeme (less precisely a new "word" by removing actual or supposed Affixes Slang is the use of highly informal Words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speaker's Dialect or Language. Mark Arm, the vocalist for the Seattle band Green River—and later Mudhoney—is generally credited as being the first to use the term grunge to describe this sort of music. Mark Arm (born Mark McLaughlin on February 21, 1962) is the vocalist for the Grunge band Mudhoney. Green River was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 Mudhoney is an American Grunge band Formed in Seattle Washington in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney has for the most of its recording Arm first used the term in 1981, when he wrote a letter under his given name Mark McLaughlin to the Seattle zine, Desperate Times, criticizing his band Mr. A zine (an abbreviation of the word Fanzine, or magazine ziːn "zeen" is most commonly a small circulation non-commercial Publication Epp and the Calculations as "Pure grunge! Pure noise! Pure shit!" Clark Humphrey, editor of Desperate Times, cites this as the earliest use of the term to refer to a Seattle band, and mentions that Bruce Pavitt of Sub Pop popularized the term as a musical label in 1987–88, using it on several occasions to describe Green River. Bruce Pavitt is the Chicago -born founder of Record label Sub Pop. ^[3] Arm used grunge as a descriptive term rather than a genre term, but it eventually came to describe the punk/metal hybrid sound of the Seattle music scene. ^[4]

Characteristics

 Music sample:

"Touch Me I'm Sick"

Sample of "Touch Me I'm Sick", a single by Mudhoney. " Touch Me I'm Sick " is a song by the American Alternative rock band Mudhoney. The sample illustrates the song's high tempo, main guitar riff, heavy use of distortion and frenetic drumming. Also heard is Mark Arm's self-deprecating and sarcastic lyrics.

Problems listening to the file? See media help.

Grunge is generally characterized by a sludgy guitar sound that uses a high level of distortion, fuzz and feedback effects. A fuzzbox (or fuzz box) is a type of Effects pedal comprising an amplifier and a clipping circuit which generates a distorted version of the Audio Feedback (also known as the Larsen effect after the Danish scientist Søren Larsen who first discovered its principles is a special kind of Feedback Grunge fuses elements of hardcore punk and heavy metal, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. Grunge bands were noted for their punk/indie attitudes; and the music shares with punk a raw sound and similar lyrical concerns. In Popular music, independent music, often abbreviated as indie, is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous ^[1] However, grunge also involves slower tempos, dissonant harmonies, and more complex instrumentation, often reminiscent of heavy metal. 2266-Tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl or TEMPO is the Chemical compound with the formula (CH23(CMe22NO Some individuals associated with the development of grunge, including Sub Pop producer Jack Endino and The Melvins, explained grunge's incorporation of heavy rock influences such as Kiss as "musical provocation. Jack Endino is a Music producer and musician based in Seattle. The Melvins is an American Sludge metal band that usually perform as a Power trio. Kiss (also typeset as KISS) is an American rock band formed in New York City in December 1972 " Grunge artists considered these bands "cheesy" but nonetheless enjoyed them; Buzz Osborne of the Melvins described it as an attempt to see what ridiculous things bands could do and get away with. Buzz Osborne (born 1964 also known as King Buzzo, (birth name Roger Osborne) is the Guitarist / Vocalist / Songwriter and technically ^[5] In the early 1990s, Nirvana's signature "stop-start" song format became a genre convention. ^[1]

Themes

Lyrics are typically angst-filled, often addressing themes such as social alienation, apathy, confinement, and a desire for freedom. Angst is a German word for Fear or Anxiety. ( Anguish is its almost entirely synonymous Latinate equivalent A number of factors influenced the focus on such subject matter. Many grunge musicians displayed a general disenchantment with the state of society, as well as a discomfort with social prejudices. Such themes bear similarities to those addressed by punk rock musicians^[1] and the perceptions of Generation X. Generation X is a term used to describe generations in the United States and other countries born between the approximate years of 1965 to 1981 the late 1950s and 1960s or Music critic Simon Reynolds said in 1992 that "there's a feeling of burnout in the culture at large. Simon Reynolds (born 1963 in London, England; raised in Hertfordshire) is an English Music critic who is well-known for his writings on Kids are depressed about the future. "^[6] However, not all grunge songs dealt with these issues. Nirvana's satirical "In Bloom" is a notable example of more humorous writing. Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen Washington. " In Bloom " is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. Several other grunge songs are filled with either a dark or fun sense of humor—Mudhoney's "Touch Me I'm Sick" or Tad's "Stumblin' Man"—though this often went unnoticed by the general public at the time. Mudhoney is an American Grunge band Formed in Seattle Washington in 1988 following the demise of Green River, Mudhoney has for the most of its recording " Touch Me I'm Sick " is a song by the American Alternative rock band Mudhoney. Humor in grunge often satirized glam metal—for example, Soundgarden's "Big Dumb Sex"—and other forms of popular rock music during the 1980s. A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject ^[7]

Presentation and fashion

Grunge concerts were known for being straightforward, high-energy performances. Grunge bands rejected the complex and high budget presentations of many musical genres, including the use of complex light arrays, pyrotechnics, and other visual effects unrelated to playing the music. Stage acting was generally avoided. Instead the bands presented themselves as no different from a minor local band. Jack Endino said in the 1996 documentary Hype! that Seattle bands were inconsistent live performers, since their primary objective was not to be entertainers, but simply to "rock out. "^[5] However, concerts did involve a level of interactivity; fans and musicians alike would participate in stage diving, crowd surfing, headbanging, pogoing, and moshing. Stage diving is the act of leaping from a Concert stage onto the crowd below a stage antic whose origin is variously credited to Iggy Pop or Peter Gabriel Crowd surfing describes the process in which a person is passed overhead from person to person during a concert transferring the person from one part of the venue to another Headbanging is a type of dance which involves violently shaking the head in time with music most commonly Rock music and Heavy metal music. The pogo is a Dance where the dancers jump up and down while remaining in the same location the dance takes its name from its resemblance to the use of a Pogo stick Moshing or slamming refers to the activity in which audience members at live music performances aggressively push or slam into each other

Clothing commonly worn by grunge musicians in Washington consisted of thrift store items and the typical outdoor clothing (most notably flannel shirts) of the region, as well as a general unkempt appearance. A charity shop, second-hand shop ( UK) thrift shop, thrift store, hospice shop ( U Flannel is a soft woven Fabric, of various fineness It usually doesn't have a nap, and instead gains its softness through the loosely spun yarn it The style did not evolve out of a conscious attempt to create an appealing fashion; music journalist Charles R. Cross said, "Kurt Cobain was just too lazy to shampoo," and Sub Pop's Jonathan Poneman said, "This [clothing] is cheap, it's durable, and it's kind of timeless. Charles R Cross is a Rock music journalist and Author based in Seattle. It also runs against the grain of the whole flashy aesthetic that existed in the 80's. "^[6]

History

Roots and influences

Grunge's sound partly results from Seattle's isolation from other music scenes. As Sub Pop's Jonathan Poneman noted, "Seattle was a perfect example of a secondary city with an active music scene that was completely ignored by an American media fixated on Los Angeles and New York. "^[8] Mark Arm claimed that the isolation meant, "this one corner of the map was being really inbred and ripping off each other's ideas. "^[9] Grunge evolved from the local punk rock scene, and was inspired by bands such as The Fartz, The U-Men, 10 Minute Warning, The Accused and The Fastbacks. The Fartz (pronounced "the farts" originally formed in 1981 and were one of the first well known Hardcore bands from Seattle, Washington. The U-Men were a Seattle -based post-punk band active in the early to late 1980s The Accüsed is a Thrashcore and Crossover thrash band from Seattle WA. The Fastbacks were a pioneering Seattle band Formed in 1979 by songwriter/guitarist Kurt Bloch (born August 28 1960) and friends ^[5] Additionally, the slow, heavy, and sludgy style of The Melvins was a significant influence on the grunge sound. The Melvins is an American Sludge metal band that usually perform as a Power trio. ^[10]

Outside the Pacific Northwest, a number of artists and music scenes influenced grunge. Alternative rock bands from the Northeastern United States, including Sonic Youth, Pixies, and Dinosaur Jr., are important influences on the genre. Sonic Youth is an American Alternative rock band formed in New York City in 1981 Pixies are an American Alternative rock band formed in Boston Massachusetts in 1986 Through their patronage of Seattle bands, Sonic Youth "inadvertently nurtured" the grunge scene, and reinforced the fiercely independent attitudes of its musicians. ^[11] The influence of the Pixies on Nirvana was noted by Kurt Cobain, who commented in a Rolling Stone interview that he "connected with the band so heavily that I should be in that band. Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20 1967 – c April 5 1994 was an American musician who served as lead singer, Guitarist, and songwriter for the Seattle "^[12] Nirvana's use of the Pixies' "soft verse, hard chorus" popularized this stylistic approach in both grunge and other alternative rock subgenres.

Aside from the genre's punk and alternative rock roots, many grunge bands were equally influenced by heavy metal of the early 1970s. Clinton Heylin, author of Babylon's Burning: From Punk to Grunge, cited Black Sabbath as "perhaps the most ubiquitous pre-punk influence on the northwest scene. Black Sabbath are an "^[13] Black Sabbath undeniably played a role in shaping the grunge sound, whether with their own records or the records they inspired. ^[14] The influence of Led Zeppelin is also evident, particularly in the work of Soundgarden, whom Q magazine noted were "in thrall to '70s rock, but contemptuous of the genre's overt sexism and machismo". Led Zeppelin were ^[15] The Los Angeles hardcore punk band Black Flag's 1984 record My War, where the band combined heavy metal with their traditional sound, made a strong impact in Seattle. Black Flag was a Hardcore punk band formed in 1977 in southern California, largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn: the guitarist My War is the second full length album by American Hardcore punk band Black Flag. Mudhoney's Steve Turner commented, "A lot of other people around the country hated the fact that Black Flag slowed down . Steve Turner is an American Guitarist most famous for his work with Seattle band Mudhoney. . . but up here it was really great . . . we were like 'Yay!' They were weird and fucked-up sounding. "^[16] Turner explained grunge's integration of metal influences, noting, "Hard rock and metal was never that much of an enemy of punk like it was for other scenes. Here, it was like, 'There's only twenty people here, you can't really find a group to hate. '" Bands began to mix metal and punk in the Seattle music scene around 1984, with much of the credit for this fusion going to The U-Men. The U-Men were a Seattle -based post-punk band active in the early to late 1980s ^[17]

The raw, distorted and feedback-intensive sound of some noise rock bands had an influence on grunge. Noise rock (also known as noise punk) describes one variety of Post-punk Rock music that became prominent in the 1980s Among them are Wisconsin's Killdozer, and most notably San Francisco's Flipper, a band known for its slowed-down and murky "noise punk". Killdozer was the name of a Noise rock / Sludge metal band formed in Madison Wisconsin in 1983 with members Bill Hobson Dan Hobson and Michael The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Flipper is an influential punk band formed in San Francisco, California in 1979 continuing in often erratic fashion until the mid-1990s then reuniting The Butthole Surfers' mix of punk, heavy metal and noise rock was a major influence, particularly on the early work of Soundgarden. Butthole Surfers (also referred to as simply "the Buttholes" is an American Alternative rock band formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary ^[18] Soundgarden and other early grunge bands were influenced by British post-punk bands such as Gang of Four and Bauhaus, which were popular in the early 1980s Seattle scene. Gang of Four are an English Post-punk group from Leeds. Original personnel were singer Jon King, guitarist Andy Gill, bass guitarist Bauhaus were an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978 ^[19] After Neil Young played a few concerts with Pearl Jam and recorded the album Mirror Ball with them, some members of the media gave Young the title "Godfather of Grunge. Neil Percival Young OM (born November 12, 1945, Toronto Ontario) is a Canadian Singer-songwriter, Musician Mirror Ball is an album by Neil Young and Pearl Jam, released on June 27 1995 through Reprise Records. " This was grounded on his work with his band Crazy Horse and his regular use of distorted guitar, most notably on the album Rust Never Sleeps. Crazy Horse is a rock band best known for its long association with Canadian singer/songwriter Neil Young, despite having released five albums of its own over Rust Never Sleeps is a 1979 Album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse (see 1979 in music) ^[20] A similarly influential, yet often overlooked, album is Neurotica by Redd Kross, about which the co-founder of Sub Pop said, "Neurotica was a life changer for me and for a lot of people in the Seattle music community. Neurotica is the fourth record from the band Redd Kross released on Big Time Records (an RCA Records subsidiary in 1987 Redd Kross, a rock band from Hawthorne California had their roots in 1978 in a band called The Tourists begun by Jeff and Steve "^[21]

Early development

The cover artwork for the C/Z Records compilation album Deep Six. The Deep Six compilation was released March 1986 (catalog# CZ001 Released in 1986, the album was the first to showcase Seattle's developing grunge scene.

A seminal release in the development of grunge was 1986's Deep Six compilation, released by C/Z Records (later reissued on A&M). The Deep Six compilation was released March 1986 (catalog# CZ001 C/Z Records is a Seattle -based Record label that was established in early 1985 by Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale with the release The record featured multiple tracks by six bands: Green River, Soundgarden, the Melvins, Malfunkshun, Skin Yard, and The U-Men; for many of them it was their first appearance on record. Malfunkshun is a band formed in 1980 by Andrew Wood and his brother Kevin Wood Skin Yard was a grunge band from Seattle Washington, who were active from 1985 to 1992 The artists had "a mostly heavy, aggressive sound that melded the slower tempos of heavy metal with the intensity of hardcore. " As Jack Endino recalled, "People just said, 'Well, what kind of music is this? This isn't metal, it's not punk, What is it?' [. . . ] People went 'Eureka! These bands all have something in common. '"^[16]

Later that year Bruce Pavitt released the Sub Pop 100 compilation and Green River's Dry As a Bone EP as part of his new label, Sub Pop. Bruce Pavitt is the Chicago -born founder of Record label Sub Pop. The Sub Pop 100 is a rock Compilation album, released in 1986 by the Sub Pop label Dry As a Bone is the second EP by the American rock band Green River. An early Sub Pop catalog described the Green River EP as "ultra-loose GRUNGE that destroyed the morals of a generation. "^[22] Sub Pop's Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman, inspired by other regional music scenes in music history, worked to ensure that their label projected a "Seattle sound," reinforced by a similar style of production and album packaging. While music writer Michael Azerrad acknowledged that early grunge bands like Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and Tad had disparate sounds, he noted "to the objective observer, there were some distinct similarities. Michael Azerrad is an American Author, Journalist and Musician. "^[23] Early grunge concerts were sparsely attended (many by fewer than a dozen people) but Sub Pop photographer Charles Peterson's pictures helped create the impression that such concerts were major events. ^[24] Mudhoney, which was formed by former members of Green River, served as the flagship band of Sub Pop during their entire time with the label and spearheaded the Seattle grunge movement. ^[25] Other record labels in the Pacific Northwest that helped promote grunge included C/Z Records, Estrus Records, EMpTy Records and PopLlama Records. Estrus Records is an Independent record label from Bellingham Washington that makes surf, garage and Trash rock music ^[5]

Grunge attracted media attention in the United Kingdom after Pavitt and Poneman asked journalist Everett True from the British magazine Melody Maker to write an article on the local music scene. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located For the cartoon character see The Outbursts of Everett True. Everett True (born Jerry Thackray in 1961) is Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly Music Newspaper This exposure helped to make grunge known outside of the local area during the late 1980s and drew more people to local shows. ^[5] The appeal of grunge to the music press was that it "promised the return to a notion of a regional, authorial vision for American rock. "^[26] Grunge's popularity in the underground music scene was such that bands began to move to Seattle and approximate the look and sound of the original grunge bands. Underground music refers to a variety of post-1960s rock pop or dance subgenres that developed a Cult following despite their lack of Mainstream appeal visibility Mudhoney's Steve Turner said, "It was really bad. Pretend bands were popping up here, things weren't coming from where we were coming from. "^[27] As a reaction, many grunge bands diversified their sound, with Nirvana and Tad in particular creating more melodic songs. ^[28] Heather Dawn of the Seattle fanzine Backlash recalled that by 1990 many locals had tired of the hype surrounding the Seattle scene and hoped that media exposure had dissipated. ^[5]

Mainstream success

Nirvana performing at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards. The MTV Video Music Awards were established in the end of the summer of 1984 by MTV to celebrate the top Music videos of the year

Grunge bands had made inroads to the musical mainstream in the late 1980s. Soundgarden was the first grunge band to sign to a major label when they joined the roster of A&M Records in 1989. A&M Records is an American Record label owned by Universal Music Group which operates through the Interscope-Geffen-A&M division Soundgarden, along with other major label signings Alice in Chains and Screaming Trees, performed "okay" with their initial major label releases, according to Jack Endino. Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle Washington in Screaming Trees was an American rock band formed in Ellensburg Washington in 1985 by vocalist ^[5] Nirvana, originally from Aberdeen, Washington, was also courted by major labels, finally signing with Geffen Records in 1990. Aberdeen (ˈæbɚdiːn is a city in Grays Harbor County Washington, United States, founded by Samuel Benn in 1884 Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label In September 1991, the band released its major label debut, Nevermind. Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24 1991 The album was at best hoped to be a minor success on par with Sonic Youth's Goo, which Geffen had released a year previous. Goo is an Album by Alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released on June 26, 1990. ^[29] It was the release of the album's first single "Smells Like Teen Spirit" that "marked the instigation of the grunge music phenomenon. " Smells Like Teen Spirit " is a song by the American rock band Nirvana. " Due to constant airplay of the song's music video on MTV, Nevermind was selling 400,000 copies a week by Christmas 1991. MTV ( Music Television) is an American Cable television network based in New York City. ^[30] In January 1992, Nevermind replaced pop superstar Michael Jackson's Dangerous at number one on the Billboard album charts. Pop music as a genre features a noticeable rhythmic element catchy melodies and hooks, a mainstream style and conventional structure Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29 1958 is an American musician entertainer and businessman Dangerous was the first album Michael Jackson released in the 1990s (and his eighth on November 22 1991 See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry ^[31]

The success of Nevermind surprised the music industry. Nevermind not only popularized grunge, but also established "the cultural and commercial viability of alternative rock in general. "^[32] Michael Azerrad asserted that Nevermind symbolized "a sea-change in rock music" in which the glam metal that had dominated rock music at that time fell out of favor in the face of music that was authentic and culturally relevant. Glam metal (also known as pop metal) is a sub-genre of Heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the United States. ^[33] Other grunge bands subsequently replicated Nirvana's success. Pearl Jam, which featured former Mother Love Bone members Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, had released their debut album Ten in August 1991, a month before Nevermind, but album sales only picked up a year later. Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10 1963 in Havre, Montana) is an American Bassist and Songwriter. Stone Carpenter Gossard (born July 20 1966 in Seattle, Washington) is an American Guitarist and Songwriter. Ten is the debut album by the American Alternative rock band Pearl Jam, released on August 27 1991 through Epic Records. By the second half of 1992 Ten became a breakthrough success, being certified gold and reaching number two on the Billboard charts. ^[34] Soundgarden's album Badmotorfinger and Alice in Chains' Dirt, along with the Temple of the Dog album collaboration featuring members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, were also among the 100 top selling albums of 1992. Badmotorfinger is the third album by the American Alternative rock band Soundgarden, released on October 8 1991 through A&M Records. Dirt is the second studio album by the American Grunge band Alice in Chains. Temple of the Dog was an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990 ^[35] The popular breakthrough of these grunge bands prompted Rolling Stone to nickname Seattle "the new Liverpool. Liverpool ( is a City and Metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary "^[6] Major record labels signed most of the remaining major grunge bands in Seattle, while a second influx of bands moved to the city in hopes of success. ^[36]

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder on the cover of the October 25, 1993 issue of the popular magazine Time, as part of the feature article discussing the rising popularity of grunge. Eddie Vedder (born December 23 1964 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American singer, Songwriter, Composer, and Guitarist Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and

The popularity of grunge resulted in a large interest in the Seattle music scene's perceived cultural traits. While the Seattle music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s in actuality consisted of various styles and genres of music, its representation in the media "served to depict Seattle as a music 'community' in which the focus was upon the ongoing exploration of one musical idiom, namely grunge. "^[37] The fashion industry marketed "grunge fashion" to consumers, charging premium prices for items such as knit ski hats. Critics asserted that advertising was co-opting elements of grunge and turning it into a fad. Entertainment Weekly commented in a 1993 article, "There hasn't been this kind of exploitation of a subculture since the media discovered hippies in the '60s"^[38] The New York Times compared the "grunging of America" to the mass-marketing of punk rock, disco, and hip hop in previous years. Entertainment Weekly (sometimes abbreviated as EW) is a Magazine published by Time Inc Disco is a Genre of dance-oriented music whose origins are hard to define Hip hop music, also referred to as rap music, is a Music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rap which is accompanied with ^[6] Ironically the New York Times was tricked into printing a fake list of slang terms that were supposedly used in the grunge scene; often referred to as the grunge speak hoax. Grunge speak was a Hoax created by Megan Jasper a Sales representative for Sub Pop Records. This media hype surrounding grunge was documented in the 1996 documentary Hype!. Hype! ( 1996) is a documentary directed by Doug Pray about the popularity of Grunge rock in the early to mid-1990s United States ^[5]

A backlash against grunge began to develop in Seattle; in 1993 Bruce Pavitt said that in the city, "All things grunge are treated with the utmost cynicism and amusement [. . . ] Because the whole thing is a fabricated movement and always has been. "^[6] Many grunge artists were uncomfortable with their success and the resulting attention it brought. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain told Michael Azerrad, "Famous is the last thing I wanted to be. "^[39] Pearl Jam also felt the burden of success, with much of the attention falling on frontman Eddie Vedder. Eddie Vedder (born December 23 1964 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American singer, Songwriter, Composer, and Guitarist ^[40] Nirvana's follow-up album In Utero (1993) was an intentionally abrasive album that Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic described as a "wild aggressive sound, a true alternative record. For the Nirvana album see In Utero. In utero is a Latin term literally meaning "in the Uterus " Krist Anthony Novoselic II (born May 16, 1965) is an American rock musician best known as the Bassist for Nirvana. "^[41] Nevertheless, upon its release in September 1993 In Utero topped the Billboard charts. ^[42] Pearl Jam also continued to perform well commercially with its second album, Vs. (1993). The album sold a record 950,378 copies in its first week of release, topped the Billboard charts and outperformed all other entries in the top ten that week combined. ^[43]

Decline of mainstream popularity

A number of factors contributed to grunge's decline in prominence. During the latter half of the 1990s, grunge was supplanted by post-grunge, which remained commercially viable into the start of the 21st century. Post-grunge is a subgenre of Alternative rock that emerged in the early 1990s as a derivative of Grunge music. Post-grunge bands such as Candlebox and Bush emerged soon after grunge's breakthrough. Candlebox is a band from Seattle, Washington. Formed in November 1990 they originally named the band Uncle Duke they later changed the name as a tribute to Bush were a British Post-grunge band formed in London in 1992 Post-grunge artists lacked the underground roots of grunge and was largely influenced by what grunge had become, namely "a wildly popular form of inward-looking, serious-minded hard rock. " Post-grunge was a more commercially viable genre that tempered the distorted guitars of grunge with polished, radio-ready production. ^[44]

Conversely, another alternative rock genre, Britpop, emerged in part as a reaction against the dominance of grunge in the United Kingdom. Britpop is a subgenre of Alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. In contrast to the dourness of grunge, Britpop was defined by "youthful exuberance and desire for recognition. "^[45] Britpop artists were vocal about their disdain for grunge. In a 1993 NME interview, Damon Albarn of Britpop band Blur agreed with interviewer John Harris' assertion that Blur was an "anti-grunge band," and said, "Well, that's good. The New Musical Express (better known as the NME) is a Popular music Magazine in the United Kingdom which has been Damon Albarn, ˈdɛɪmən ˈɔːɫbɑːn (b March 23 1968 in Leytonstone, London) is an English Singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead Blur are an English Alternative rock band that formed in London in 1989 John Harris (born 1969 is a British Journalist, Writer, and Critic. If punk was about getting rid of hippies, then I'm getting rid of grunge. "^[46] Noel Gallagher of Oasis, while a fan of Nirvana, wrote music that refuted the pessimistic nature of grunge. Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967 in Manchester, England is the lead guitarist backing vocalist and occasional lead vocalist of British rock band Oasis Oasis are an English rock band that formed in Manchester in 1991 Gallagher noted in 2006 that the 1994 Oasis hit single "Live Forever" "was written in the middle of grunge and all that, and I remember Nirvana had a tune called 'I Hate Myself and I Want to Die,' and I was like . " Live Forever " is a song by British rock group Oasis, written by the band's guitarist and chief songwriter Noel Gallagher. "I Hate Myself and Want to Die" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. . . 'Well, I'm not fucking having that. ' As much as I fucking like him [Cobain] and all that shit, I'm not having that. I can't have people like that coming over here, on smack, fucking saying that they hate themselves and they wanna die. Heroin ( INN: diacetylmorphine, BAN: diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid synthesized from Morphine, a derivative That's fucking rubbish. "^[47] British critics credited Oasis with filling the void left in music by the demise of Nirvana, and by 1996 the band was considered one of the biggest in the world. ^[48]

During the mid-1990s many grunge bands broke up or became less visible. Kurt Cobain, labeled by Time as "the John Lennon of the swinging Northwest," appeared "unusually tortured by success" and struggled with an addiction to heroin. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born Rumors surfaced in early 1994 that Cobain suffered a drug overdose and that Nirvana was breaking up. ^[49] On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead in his Seattle home from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound; Nirvana summarily disbanded. Events 217 - Roman Emperor Caracalla is Assassinated (and succeeded by his Praetorian Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) That same year Pearl Jam canceled its summer tour in protest of what it charged as ticket vendor Ticketmaster's unfair business practices. Ticketmaster is a ticket sales and distribution company based in West Hollywood California, USA, with operations in many countries around the world ^[50] Pearl Jam then began a boycott of the company; however, Pearl Jam's initiative to play only at non-Ticketmaster venues effectively, with a few exceptions, prevented the band from playing shows in the United States for the next three years. ^[51] In 1996 Alice in Chains gave their final performances with their ailing estranged lead singer, Layne Staley, who subsequently died from a heroin overdose in 2002. Layne Thomas Staley ( August 22, 1967 - April 5, 2002) was the lead singer and co-lyricist of the rock group Alice in Chains and the That same year Soundgarden and Screaming Trees released their final studio albums, Down on the Upside and Dust, respectively. Down on the Upside is the fifth and final album by the American Alternative rock band Soundgarden, released on May 21 1996 through A&M Records Dust is the seventh and final album by the Screaming Trees, released on June 25, 1996. Soundgarden broke up the following year.

Some grunge bands have continued recording and touring with more limited success, including, most significantly, Pearl Jam. While in 2005 Rolling Stone writer Brian Hiatt described Pearl Jam as having "spent much of the past decade deliberately tearing apart their own fame," he noted the band developed a loyal concert following akin to that of the Grateful Dead. The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. ^[52] Despite Nirvana's demise, the band has continued to be successful posthumously. Due to the high sales for Kurt Cobain's Journals and the band's best-of compilation Nirvana upon their release in 2003, The New York Times argued Nirvana "are having more success now than at any point since Mr. Kurt Cobain's Journals is a collection of writings and drawings done by Kurt Cobain, lead singer and guitarist of the Grunge band Nirvana, from Nirvana is the self-titled Compilation album from the American grunge band Nirvana. Cobain's suicide in 1994. "^[53]

Prominent bands

See also

• List of grunge music albums

Notes

External links

• All Music Guide article on grunge