NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Grunge rock

Grunge music (sometimes also referred to as the Seattle Sound) is an independent-rooted music genre that was inspired by hardcore punk, thrash metal, and alternative rock. The genre became commercially successful in the late 1980s and early 1990s, peaking in mainstream success between 1991 and 1994. Bands from cities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, such as Seattle, Washington, Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, were responsible for creating grunge music and later made it popular with mainstream audiences. The genre is closely associated with Generation X, due to its popularization being in tandem with the popularizing of the generation's name.¹ The popularity of grunge was one of the first phenomena that distinguished the popular music of the 1990s from that of the 1980s. The term alternative rock or alternative music1 was coined in the early 1980s to describe bands which didnt fit into the mainstream genres of the time. ... Hardcore punk (or hardcore) is an intensified version of punk rock usually characterized by short, loud, and often angry songs with exceptionally fast tempos and chord changes. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music. ... Darker red states are always part of the Pacific Northwest. ... A musical instrument is a device that has been constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... Fender Precision Bass Bass Guitar is a commonly spoken phrase used to refer to the electric bass and horizontal acoustic basses, a stringed instrument similar in design to the electric guitar, but larger in size, commonly fretted and sometimes fretless and with a lower range. ... For other kinds of drums, see drum (disambiguation). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The earliest music of Australia was the folk music of the Australian Aborigines. ... In the United States, California is commonly associated with the film, music, and arts industries; there are numerous world-famous Californian musicians. ... Oregons musical contributions to American culture is centered around Portland, a center of hardcore punk and disco music, among other genres. ... The U.S. state of Washington includes several major hotbeds of musical innovation. ... This is a timeline of alternative rock, from its beginnings in the 1970s to the present. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... Hardcore punk (or hardcore) is an intensified version of punk rock usually characterized by short, loud, and often angry songs with exceptionally fast tempos and chord changes. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music. ... The term alternative rock or alternative music1 was coined in the early 1980s to describe bands which didnt fit into the mainstream genres of the time. ... Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Events and trends Technology Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft Windows operating system becomes virtually ubiquitous on IBM... Darker red states are always part of the Pacific Northwest. ... City nickname Emerald City City bird Great Blue Heron City flower Dahlia City mottos The City of Flowers The City of Goodwill City song Seattle, the Peerless City Mayor Greg Nickels County King County Area - Total - Land - Water - % water 369. ... State Capitol and waterfront, Olympia, Washington. ... Portland is the largest city in Oregon, and county seat of Multnomah County. ... This article is about the demographic Generation X. For the comic book, see Generation X (comics); for the novel, see Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture. ...

Style

As a style of music, grunge is generally characterized by "dirty" guitar, strong riffs, and heavy drumming. The "dirty" sound resulted from both a stylistic change from the standard method of playing punk rock and from the common use of distortion and feedback to alter the guitar's sound. The lyrics are often considered angst-filled (if not out-and-out dark). Feelings of anger, frustration, ennui, sadness, fear, and depression are often represented in grunge songs. These lyrics may have resulted due to feelings of angst that are common in adolescence; many grunge musicians began their careers as teenagers or young adults. However, other factors, such as poverty, discomfort with existing social prejudices, and an overall disenchantment with the state of society may have also contributed to the state of the lyrics. The classical guitar typically has 3 nylon and 3 nickel-wound strings. ... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... Angst is a German word for fear or anxiety. ...

Grunge evolved out of the Pacific Northwest's local punk rock scene, inspired by local punk bands such as The Fartz, The U-Men, and the feedback and distortion intensive The Accused; pop-punksters The Fastbacks; and above all the slow, heavy sound of The Melvins. Besides its punk roots, the grunge movement had strong roots in the Northwest musical culture and the local youth culture. The sonic resemblance to such 1960s Northwest bands as the Wailers and, most particularly, the Sonics, is unmistakable. The U-Men were a Seattle-based band in the early to late 80s. ... Clockwise from top left: Kurt Bloch, Lulu Gargiulo, band, Kim Warnick The Fastbacks were a pioneering Seattle band. ... The Melvins, 2002 (Kevin Rutmanis (left), Dale Crover (center), King Buzzo (right)) The Melvins are a rock music band, usually a trio, with singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka King Buzzo) and drummer Dale Crover being constant; several bass guitarists have been through the group. ... The U.S. state of Washington includes several major hotbeds of musical innovation. ... Young people often find ways to express themselves which are different to the generally accepted culture of their community. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s - 1960s - 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... This article is about the Seattle-based garage rock band. ... This article is on the garage rock band The Sonics; see Seattle SuperSonics for the basketball team. ...

Mark Arm, the vocalist for the Seattle band Green River (and later Mudhoney), is widely credited as being the first person to use the term "grunge" to describe the style. However, Arm meant the term in a negative connotation; he called the band's style "pure grunge, pure shit". This was not seen as being negative by the media, and the term was applied to all music that sounded similar to Green River's style. It is likely that the term was seen as appropriate due to the "dirty" guitar sound that grunge is known for (the word grunge itself means "dirt"). Green River were an influential Seattle band in the 1980s, named after the Green River Killer. ... Mudhoney is a grunge band, formed in Seattle in 1988. ...

Formed in 1983, Green River is believed by most to have created the genre, and were a large inspiration for many grunge bands despite having relatively little commercial success. After the band split up, members of Green River formed Mudhoney and Mother Love Bone, continuing on their style. Green River, who used a harder sound in their performance than many later grunge bands, inspired other early grunge bands such as Soundgarden and Alice in Chains to use a similarly hard style. However, the sound of the genre became a mix of the earlier grunge style and alternative rock shortly before its mainstream success in the 1990s. This is most often credited to Nirvana's style, which combined the sound of earlier grunge bands with that of the Pixies. Their use of the Pixies' "soft verse, hard chorus" style would popularize this stylistic approach in both grunge and other alternative rock genres. Pearl Jam was one of the most popular bands of the grunge music era in the early 1990s. ... Soundgarden was a seminal Seattle rock band instrumental in creating the sound that came to be called grunge. ... The band Alice in Chains Alice in Chains, initially formed by lead singer Layne Staley (1967-2002) in the mid 1980s as Alice N Chains, was, along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, one of the most commercially successful bands to break out of the Seattle, Washington grunge scene. ... This article is about the 1980s-1990s grunge band Nirvana. ... This article is about the band named Pixies. ...

Outside of the Pacific Northwest, other musicians are said to have influenced grunge. Mudhoney's Steve Turner says that Black Flag's 1984 record My War and its supporting tours were major influences on many Seattle bands. The record found the Los Angeles punk rock stalwarts slowing their tempi considerably and injecting a potent dose of heavy metal, though to considerable derision and disgust from some fans. Turner says that "A lot of other people around the country hated the fact that Black Flag slowed down ... but up here it was really great--we were like 'Yay!' They were weird and fucked-up sounding." (Azerrad, p419) After Neil Young played live a few times with Pearl Jam, some members of the media gave Young the questionable title of "Godfather of Grunge" after these events, a claim grounded mainly on his work with his band Crazy Horse. Such northeastern bands as Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. are said to have influenced the grunge sound, and the influence of the Pixies on Nirvana, and through them on other bands, is unquestionable. The Minnesota hardcore punk band Hüsker Dü are also believed by some to be an influence. Cover of the Nirvana album Nevermind. ... Cover of the Nirvana album Nevermind. ... This article is about the 1980s-1990s grunge band Nirvana. ... Nevermind is Nirvanas second album, released in September of 1991. ... Black Flag was a punk rock group formed in 1976 in southern California, largely as the brainchild of Greg Ginn, guitarist, primary songwriter and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes. ... My War was an album released in 1984 by Black Flag. ... This article is about the largest city in California. ... In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for time) is the speed or pace of a given piece. ... Neil Young with guitar (from the 1991 Weld tour) Neil Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian musician and filmmaker. ... Pearl Jam was one of the most popular bands of the grunge music era in the early 1990s. ... Crazy Horse is the name of a band that often plays on Neil Young albums from Everyone Knows This is Nowhere in 1969 to Greendale in 2003. ... The U.S. Northeast is a region of the United States of America defined by the US Census Bureau. ... Sonic Youth are an experimental rock group formed in 1981. ... Dinosaur Jr. ... State nickname: North Star State Other U.S. States Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Governor Tim Pawlenty Official languages None Area 225,365 km² (12th) - Land 206,375 km² - Water 18,990 km² (8. ... Hüsker Dü was an influential hardcore punk, and later alternative rock trio from Minneapolis/St. ...

Grunge concerts were known for being straightforward, high-energy performances. Grunge bands avoided the complex, high budget presentations that bands from other rock genres such as heavy metal were known for; complex light arrays, pyrotechnics, and other technological visual effects unrelated to playing the music were not part of the concerts. Instead, the bands presented themselves no differently from any local band, using only their instruments and their own presence as visual "effects" (neither being budgeted higher than what was needed). The concerts did have some level of interactivity though, presented in the form of the mosh pit. Fans and musicians alike would participate in stage diving, crowd surfing, headbanging, and pogoing, though the audiences at grunge concerts were best known for their extremely enthusiastic moshing. The mosh pits would be located close to the stage, allowing such interaction between the audience and the band. Heavy metal is a form of music characterised by aggressive, driving rhythms and highly amplified distorted guitars, generally with grandiose lyrics and virtuosic instrumentation. ... This article or section should be merged with mosh. ... Stage diving is the act of getting onto the stage at a concert while a band is playing—usually heavy metal or punk rock—and then diving into the crowd below, hoping they will catch you. ... A crowd surfer Crowd surfing describes the process whereby a person is passed from person to person, transferring the person from one part of the concert venue to another, above everyones heads, with everyones hands supporting the persons weight. ... Headbanging is a type of dance which involves violently shaking your head in time with music, most commonly heavy metal music. ... The pogo is a dance style which emerged around 1976 and can be encountered at punk concerts. ...

Mainstream popularity

Previous to its popularity, grunge was listened to mostly by those who played the music. Bands would play at clubs with very few people in attendence, most of which were from other performing bands. Others who listened to the music in those early days were often people who were "just trying to get out of the rain" as many attendants would claim. As bands began to issue albums, independent labels became the key catalysts in bringing the music to the local public. Many of the more successful bands of the era were associated with Seattle's Sub Pop record label, though several other independent Seattle-area labels gained recognition, including Kill Rock Stars and K Records. Other record labels in the Pacific Northwest that helped promote grunge included EMpTy Records, Estrus Records, C/Z Records, and PopLlama Records.² Sub pop is a sub-genre of indie rock that is similar to twee pop. ... Kill Rock Stars is a grunge post-punk recording label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in Olympia, Washington. ... K Records is a record company in Olympia, Washington and was founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of Beat Happening. ...

In November 1988, Sub Pop took their initial step towards popularizing grunge with the Sub Pop Singles Club, a subscription service that would allow subscribers to receive singles by local bands on a monthly basis by mail. This increased grunge's following locally, and allowed Sub Pop to become a powerful company in the local scene. According to Sub Pop founders Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman, grunge's popularity began to flourish after a journalist from the British magazine Melody Maker was asked by them to write an article on the local music scene. This helped to make grunge known outside of the local area during the late 1980s, giving the genre its first major spurt of popularity. Pavitt and Poneman were both criticized for their actions; some grunge fans felt that their role in popularizing grunge was done out of greed rather than an actual love for the music. Still, grunge would not become a huge national phenomenon until the 1990s. Pearl Jam - Ten album cover. ... Pearl Jam - Ten album cover. ... Pearl Jam was one of the most popular bands of the grunge music era in the early 1990s. ... Ten is Pearl Jams first album, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. ... Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was (until its closure) the worlds oldest weekly music newspaper. ...

Nirvana is generally credited for breaking the genre into the popular consciousness in 1991 (see 1991 in music). The popularity of Nirvana's song "Smells Like Teen Spirit", from the album Nevermind, surprised the entire music industry. The album became a #1 hit around much of the world, and paved the way for more bands, including, most popularly, Pearl Jam. Pearl Jam, in fact, had released their debut album Ten a month earlier in August 1991, but album sales only picked up after the success of Nirvana. For many audiences then and later, grunge came to be almost totally associated with these two bands and their punky, rebellious attitude towards mainstream mores as well as cultural and social institutions. Other popular Seattle-based bands (most notably Alice in Chains and Soundgarden) would also become extremely successful. Some bands from other regions, such as Stone Temple Pilots from San Diego, Australia's Silverchair, and Great Britain's Bush also became popular.³ 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... See also: 1990 in music, other events of 1991, 1992 in music, 1990s in music and the list of years in music Events 1991 was the year that grunge music made its popular breakthrough. ... Smells Like Teen Spirit was the song that brought Nirvana and grunge music to the attention of teenagers around the world. ... Nevermind is Nirvanas second album, released in September of 1991. ... Ten is Pearl Jams first album, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. ... Stone Temple Pilots (abbreviated STP) is a popular rock and roll band, formed in 1990, after Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo met at a Black Flag concert in Long Beach, California, after discovering they were dating the same woman. ... City nickname:Americas Finest City County San Diego County, California Mayor Dick Murphy City Attorney Michael Aguirre City Council District One Scott Peters District Two Michael Zucchet District Three Toni Atkins District Four Tony Young District Five Brian Maienschein District Six Donna Frye Distirct Seven Jim Madaffer District Eight... Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ... Silverchair (originally called Innocent Criminals) is an Australian grunge band. ... Great Britain - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Bush is a British grunge band formed in 1991. ...

Most grunge fans and music critics believe that grunge emerged as a popular genre and was embraced by mainstream audiences in reaction to the declining popularity of hair metal. Hair metal bands, such as Mötley Crüe, Poison, and Warrant, had been dominating the charts during the 1980s (especially in the US) despite being looked down upon by most critics. Hair metal was known for macho lyrics, anthemic riffs, and a perceived lack of social consciousness, especially in the race to attract mainstream audiences. These aspects were popular during the 1980s, but they began to have the opposite effect on audiences towards the end of the decade. Grunge, however, sharply contrasted to hair metal; its lyrics avoided machismo and used a simpler style similar to punk. With a viable alternative to hair metal realized by the public, the popularity of hair metal began to die off as the popularity of grunge began to rise. Hair metal is a type of heavy metal music that arose in the late 1970s, in the United States, and was a strong force in popular music throughout the 1980s and early-1990s. ... -1... Poison is an American hair metal band which achieved popular success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Warrant is a term with several meanings: Band: Warrant (American band) Band: Warrant (German band) Finance: Warrant (finance) Legal: Warrant (legal) Philosophy : Warrant (philosophy) Constitution: Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same...

Grunge fans in the Pacific Northwest believed that the media gave excessive importance to the clothing worn by grunge musicians and fans, along with other aspects of the local culture. Clothing commonly worn by grunge fans in the Northwest in its early years was a blend of the punk aesthetic with the typical outdoorsy clothing (most notably flannel shirts) of the region. The "fashion" did not evolve out of a conscious attempt to create an appealing fashion, but due to the inexpensiveness of such clothes and the warmth that they provided for the cold climate of the region. The media, rather than focusing on the music, would give this fashion a heavy amount of exposure. In the early 1990s, the fashion industry marketed "grunge fashion" to a widespread audience, charging relatively high prices for clothing that they assumed to be popular in the grunge scene. Similarly, the media would view grunge as a whole culture, assuming it to be Generation X's attempt to create a culture similar to the hippie counterculture of the previous generation. Rather than focus on the music, much of the media focused on other superficial aspects of the musicians and fans. An interesting case of this superficiality backfiring on the media was the grunge speak hoax, which caused The New York Times to print a fake list of slang terms that supposedly were used in the grunge scene. This was later proven to be a prank by Sub Pop's Megan Jasper. The excesses of this media hype would also be documented in the 1996 documentary Hype!. Punk fashion is a fashion style largely associated with the punk movement during the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... Flannel is a fabric that is commonly used to make clothing and bedsheets. ... Hippies (singular hippie or sometimes hippy) were members of the 1960s counterculture movement who adopted a communal or nomadic lifestyle, renounced corporate nationalism and the Vietnam War, embraced aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism, and/or Native American religious culture, and were otherwise at odds with traditional middle class Western values. ... In sociology, counterculture is a term used to describe a cultural group whose values and norms are at odds with those of the social mainstream. ... Grunge speak was a hoax created by Megan Jasper, a sales representative for Sub Pop Records. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Hype! is a documentary about the popularity of grunge music in the first half of the 1990s. ...

While such superficiality bothered Seattle-area grunge fans, most grunge musicians from the area continued to dress in the way that they had prior to popularity. Some musicians from outside the region also began to dress similarly. In the rock world, expensive, designer clothing was shunned in favor of less elaborate clothing; some common items worn included flannel, jeans, boots (often Doc Martens), and Converse sneakers. Many young fans outside of the region embraced this style for its simple defiance of the norms of the era's popular culture, which was seen by many of them as corporate-dominated and superficial. In England, youth who dressed in this fashion were sometimes called grungers, while the term grungies was often used in the United States. Traditional rock and roll ostentatiousness became offensive, at least for the time being. Dr. Martens is a brand of shoe, often known as Doc Martens, Docs, or D.M.s. They have a characteristic air-cushioned sole developed in Germany by Dr. Klaus Maertens (note the different spelling). ... Chuck Taylor All Star Converse is an American shoe company that has been selling shoes since the early 20th century. ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population - Total (2001) - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Religion... A grunger is a member of a UK youth subculture of 00s. ... This article is being considered for deletion, in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...

Many notable events happened during the "grunge era" of music that may not have happened had grunge never become popular. Alternative rock, previously heard mostly in local clubs, on college radio, and on independent record labels, became popular in the mainstream as major record labels sought out more previously obscure music styles to sell to the public. The traveling festival Lollapalooza came about as a result of this, with grunge being a major part of the 1992 and 1993 events. In the media's spotlight, grunge became part of the pop culture, most notably being a major part of the 1992 film Singles, which featured several grunge bands. Nirvana and Sonic Youth would star in a documentary film that same year, 1991: The Year Punk Broke. Riot grrrl, another hardcore punk offshot that came into being in Western Washington (and was thus often seen as the feminine equivalent of grunge), became well known from the media coverage of the local scene. With such punk derivative genres becoming popular, punk itself was able to make a revival, as bands such as Green Day and The Offspring became chart-topping successes. Independent record labels, which used to rarely have success on level with major labels, were able to sell albums with equal or similar success as the major labels (most notably in the case of Epitaph Records). Official logo Lollapalooza is an American traveling music festival featuring alternative rock, rap, and punk rock bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. ... Singles (1992) is a film set in in Seattle, Washington (in the north western USA), written and directed by Cameron Crowe. ... 1991: The Year Punk Broke was a 1992 documentary directed by Dave Markey showcasing a late 1991 European tour of a number of punk and punk-inspired bands. ... Riot grrl (also frequently spelled riot grrrl) is a form of hardcore punk rock music, known for its militant feminist stance. ... From left to right: Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Tré Cool Green Day is a punk rock/pop punk band consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt (born Michael Pritchard), and Tré Cool (born Frank Edwin Wright III). ... The Offspring - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Epitaph Records is an independent record label owned by Bad Religion guitarist Brett Gurewitz. ...

Decline of mainstream popularity

The mass popularity of grunge music was short-lived, however. There were several important factors that contributed to this. Though some of them could have single-handedly ended the genre's mainstream popularity, it is generally believed that more than one factor caused the decline.

Most fans and music historians believe that most grunge bands were too opposed to mainstream stardom to actually achieve long-lasting support from major record labels. Many grunge bands refused to cooperate with major record labels in making radio-friendly hooks, and the labels found new bands that were willing to do so, albeit with a watered-down sound that did not sit well with the genre's long-time fans. A decline in music sales in general in 1996 may also have influenced labels to look for different genres to promote rather than genres such as grunge that were popular up to that point. However, this decline may have been a result of the industry's use of such watered-down groups.

Another factor that may have led to the fall of grunge's mainstream popularity was the advent of the sub-genre of grunge known as post-grunge. Post-grunge was a radio-friendly variation of grunge which lacked the "dirty" sound that most fans of grunge were used to. The sub-genre is generally believed to have come about at the behest of label executives who wanted to sell a variation of grunge that would sell to a larger audience as a result of sounding more like pop music. In the mid 1990s, record labels began signing several bands who used such a sound and gave them wide exposure. While some of these bands, such as Silverchair and Bush, were able to gain widespread success, many fans of grunge denounced post-grunge bands as being sell-outs. This is most notable in the cases of Candlebox and Collective Soul, who were reviled by most grunge fans. Even the commercially successful post-grunge bands would be given such accusations by grunge fans, causing most of them to have shorter spurts of popularity than earlier grunge bands. As grunge began to disappear from the mainstream, later post-grunge bands such as Creed and Days of the New would also receive such negative treatment by fans of the genre. Post-grunge (sometimes also called nu-grunge) is a subgenre of grunge music. ... Depending on context, pop music is either an abbreviation of popular music or, more recently, a term for a sub- genre of it. ... Selling out is a common slang phrase. ... Candlebox was a grunge rock band from Seattle. ... Collective Soul is an alternative rock band from Stockbridge, Georgia, USA. Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, they enjoyed moderate popularity on alternative rock radio. ... Creed was formed in 1995 as a rock, and alternative rock group. ... Days of the New is a grunge rock band from Charlestown, Indiana (later relocated to Louisville, Kentucky), formed in 1995. ...

Heroin use amongst grunge musicians was also a serious problem for the continuation of some grunge bands. Andrew Wood's death from an overdose in 1990 was the first major tragedy for the grunge scene, bringing an end to Mother Love Bone. Kurt Cobain's use of heroin is believed to have contributed to his death (though whether or not it did was never confirmed). The deaths of Kristen Pfaff of Hole in 1994 and Layne Staley of Alice in Chains in 2002 were also caused by heroin overdoses. It is believed by many that grunge effectively began its decline when Cobain died in April of 1994. Interestingly, Cobain had often been photographed wearing t-shirts stating that "Grunge is Dead." Heroin or diamorphine (INN) (colloquially referred to as junk, babania, horse, golden brown, smack, black tar, big H, lady H, dope, skag, juice, diesel, etc. ... Kristen Pfaff Born - May 26, 1967 Died - June 15, 1994 Kristen Pfaff was born in New York in 1967 and grew up there, and went on to study abroad in Europe for a short time before relocating to Minnesota to attend college. ... Hole was a musical group, formed in 1989 and (officially) disbanded in 2002, fronted by Courtney Love and co-founded by Eric Erlandson. ... Layne Staley, (August 22, 1967 - April 5, 2002), born in Kirkland, Washington, was the lead singer of the Seattle-based grunge/metal band Alice in Chains and the grunge supergroup Mad Season. ...

For many fans of the genre, it wasn't until the pioneering band Soundgarden disbanded in 1997 that they finally conceded grunge's time in the mainstream was over. Over the next few years grunge's mainstream popularity quickly came to an end. Many grunge bands have continued recording and touring with more limited success, including, most significantly, Pearl Jam. Bands like Pearl Jam also have adapted their style to the ever-changing music world. Grunge music still has its followers, and many of them conduct heated debates over the Internet about the history of the movement, its current meaning in society, seminal bands and modern day grunge musicians. Still, grunge's mainstream following shows some continuation in the popularity of Nirvana's post-break-up releases; the previously unreleased song "You Know You're Right" became a chart topping hit in 2002, and the box set With the Lights Out has become the best selling box set of all time. 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Reef. ... You Know Youre Right is the last song by Nirvana to be officially released. ... With the Lights Out is a box set with 3 discs plus 1 DVD by the rock band Nirvana. ...

Samples

Prominent bands

The band Alice in Chains Alice in Chains, initially formed by lead singer Layne Staley (1967-2002) in the mid 1980s as Alice N Chains, was, along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, one of the most commercially successful bands to break out of the Seattle, Washington grunge scene. ... Green River were an influential Seattle band in the 1980s, named after the Green River Killer. ... Hole was a musical group, formed in 1989 and (officially) disbanded in 2002, fronted by Courtney Love and co-founded by Eric Erlandson. ... L7 is a punk all-women band. ... Mad Season was a grunge band formed in late 1994 by existing members of three popular bands of the day as well as a friend of one. ... Malfunkshun were an early grunge band in the 1980s. ... The Melvins, 2002 (Kevin Rutmanis (left), Dale Crover (center), King Buzzo (right)) The Melvins are a rock music band, usually a trio, with singer/guitarist Buzz Osborne (aka King Buzzo) and drummer Dale Crover being constant; several bass guitarists have been through the group. ... Pearl Jam was one of the most popular bands of the grunge music era in the early 1990s. ... Mudhoney is a grunge band, formed in Seattle in 1988. ... This article is about the 1980s-1990s grunge band Nirvana. ... Pearl Jam was one of the most popular bands of the grunge music era in the early 1990s. ... Screaming Trees were a musical group considered part of the grunge music movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Skin Yard was an American grunge band, formed in 1985 and broke up in 1993. ... Soundgarden was a seminal Seattle rock band instrumental in creating the sound that came to be called grunge. ... Stone Temple Pilots (abbreviated STP) is a popular rock and roll band, formed in 1990, after Scott Weiland and Robert DeLeo met at a Black Flag concert in Long Beach, California, after discovering they were dating the same woman. ... Biography TAD was one of the heaviest bands to come out of Seattle back in grunges heyday. ... Willards first and only album, Steel Mill (1992) Willard were a music group from Seattle, Washington. ...

Footnotes

Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture, published in 1991, is the first novel by Douglas Coupland. ... Douglas Coupland (born December 30, 1961) is a Canadian author and cultural commentator, raised in Vancouver, British Columbia. ... Geffen Records was founded by David Geffen in 1975 (after having founded Asylum in the 1970s). ...

Style

Mainstream popularity

Decline of mainstream popularity

Samples

Prominent bands

Footnotes

See also

References

External links

Style GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Mainstream popularity

Decline of mainstream popularity

Samples

Prominent bands

Footnotes

See also

References

External links

Style