Grunge: An Analysis of the Term That Became Synonymous With Seattle
Is Grunge Dead?
Born out of Seattle, WA, the grunge scene exploded in the late 1980s, early 1990s, and the world quite literally didn’t know what had hit it.
“Grunge” music was technically a subgenre of hard rock, punk, and garage rock that somehow managed to take on its own personality to become its own unforgettable genre of music, with the help of the actual Seattle culture and scene of the time. The term was used to describe the dirty, raw, gritty sound that was common in the music, thanks to the loud, electric guitars with high levels of distortion and feedback, heavy basslines, and aggressive drums and percussion. Grunge music was also characterized by its lyricism, as much of the music contained emotionally-driven, somewhat “depressing” lyrics. The explosion of grunge music also provided an outlet for the artists to comment on socio-political issues in a way that was different than in the decades before. Most importantly, in my opinion, the genre single-handedly tackled toxic-masculinity in a way that would have been unheard of in the 1980s and 1990s. Grunge was an outlet for artists, usually men, to write songs whose lyrics deeply illustrated their emotions. These lyrics made them vulnerable in many ways, but allowed them to openly discuss their mental health and their struggles, most commonly, depression and substance addiction.
Naturally, the first person who comes to mind after this description is Kurt Cobain. The Nirvana frontman was very honest and open about his struggles with depression and his addiction to heroin, as he spent numerous stints in rehab throughout the 1990s. Cobain’s struggle with depression, substance addiction, and his complete and utter discomfort with being in the spotlight were what ultimately caused him to take his own life in 1994, delivering a serious blow to the grunge music scene, which had seemingly only started out.
Cobain wasn’t the only grunge icon who met this unfortunate demise. Alice in Chains lead singer, Layne Staley, suffered from many of the same struggles and overdosed in 1992. Going even further back in time, Mother Love Bone lead singer, Andy Wood, overdosed on heroin in 1990, simultaneously seeming to set in motion both the inception of grunge and foreshadowing the overarching burden of substance addiction and depression that would plague countless musicians during this time.
The term “grunge” became an easy way for critics and listeners to lump bands together who truly had very little in common, other than the fact that they were all from Seattle. Grunge only became widespread after the album releases from the “big four”, Soundgarden (“Badmotorfinger”), Pearl Jam (“Ten”), Alice in Chains (“Dirt”), and Nirvana (“Nevermind”), all between 1991 and 1992. Even today, these bands are the ones most commonly associated with the term and are the first bands that come to mind when the Seattle scene is mentioned. While all four of these bands had great impacts on grunge music and culture, they are often incorrectly applauded as creators of the genre.
Grunge really only gained traction as a term within the 1980s; used to describe bands like Green River, Mother Love Bone, and Mudhoney, these are the real pioneers of the genre. Ironically enough, by the time that the term became widespread, the bands who supposedly encompassed the characteristics really didn’t fit the label very well anymore. The 80s version of grunge had met an untimely death, and now was adapting to the 90s version, which became far more commercialized and mainstream.
Even more ironic, the musicians associated with the term loathed it’s implications and description, and many of them refused to acknowledge that they were even associated with it, despite the fact that the term was used in virtually every article written about bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, or Stone Temple Pilots in the 90s.
Today, bands typically considered grunge all sound very different. The musicians and bands who managed to survive the heroin-laden days of the 1990s all evolved and adapted into creating their own sound and becoming synonymous with other forms of rock music outside of the detested sub-genre - therefore proving that grunge was far more a term used to define the physical setting in the Northwest, rather than the actual style of music being created.
So, we come back to the original question of this post. Is grunge dead? Did it die with Andy Wood? With Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley? What about with Chris Cornell?
For me, it’s less about grunge being dead, and more about the term adapting with the evolution of music as a whole. There’s so many bands, yes, particularly those being born out of the Pacific Northwest, who are rekindling the fire of gritty, raw rock ‘n’ roll. For me, it would be a disservice to say that grunge is dead, because after all, it’s less about the style of music and more about the culture and the attitude, both of which are firmly intact for the time being. So, no, grunge isn’t dead. It’s perfectly alive and deeply rooted within Seattle and the surrounding area, you just have to be willing to look for it.
Born out of Seattle, WA, the grunge scene exploded in the late 1980s, early 1990s, and the world quite literally didn’t know what had hit it.
“Grunge” music was technically a subgenre of hard rock, punk, and garage rock that somehow managed to take on its own personality to become its own unforgettable genre of music, with the help of the actual Seattle culture and scene of the time. The term was used to describe the dirty, raw, gritty sound that was common in the music, thanks to the loud, electric guitars with high levels of distortion and feedback, heavy basslines, and aggressive drums and percussion. Grunge music was also characterized by its lyricism, as much of the music contained emotionally-driven, somewhat “depressing” lyrics. The explosion of grunge music also provided an outlet for the artists to comment on socio-political issues in a way that was different than in the decades before. Most importantly, in my opinion, the genre single-handedly tackled toxic-masculinity in a way that would have been unheard of in the 1980s and 1990s. Grunge was an outlet for artists, usually men, to write songs whose lyrics deeply illustrated their emotions. These lyrics made them vulnerable in many ways, but allowed them to openly discuss their mental health and their struggles, most commonly, depression and substance addiction.
Naturally, the first person who comes to mind after this description is Kurt Cobain. The Nirvana frontman was very honest and open about his struggles with depression and his addiction to heroin, as he spent numerous stints in rehab throughout the 1990s. Cobain’s struggle with depression, substance addiction, and his complete and utter discomfort with being in the spotlight were what ultimately caused him to take his own life in 1994, delivering a serious blow to the grunge music scene, which had seemingly only started out.
Photo courtesy of @rollingstone on Instagram / Photograph by Michael Linssen
Cobain wasn’t the only grunge icon who met this unfortunate demise. Alice in Chains lead singer, Layne Staley, suffered from many of the same struggles and overdosed in 1992. Going even further back in time, Mother Love Bone lead singer, Andy Wood, overdosed on heroin in 1990, simultaneously seeming to set in motion both the inception of grunge and foreshadowing the overarching burden of substance addiction and depression that would plague countless musicians during this time.
The term “grunge” became an easy way for critics and listeners to lump bands together who truly had very little in common, other than the fact that they were all from Seattle. Grunge only became widespread after the album releases from the “big four”, Soundgarden (“Badmotorfinger”), Pearl Jam (“Ten”), Alice in Chains (“Dirt”), and Nirvana (“Nevermind”), all between 1991 and 1992. Even today, these bands are the ones most commonly associated with the term and are the first bands that come to mind when the Seattle scene is mentioned. While all four of these bands had great impacts on grunge music and culture, they are often incorrectly applauded as creators of the genre.
Photo courtesy of @rollingstone on Instagram / Photo by Paul Bergen/Getty Images
Grunge really only gained traction as a term within the 1980s; used to describe bands like Green River, Mother Love Bone, and Mudhoney, these are the real pioneers of the genre. Ironically enough, by the time that the term became widespread, the bands who supposedly encompassed the characteristics really didn’t fit the label very well anymore. The 80s version of grunge had met an untimely death, and now was adapting to the 90s version, which became far more commercialized and mainstream.
An article I read detailed the origin of the term, and the author wrote that,
Ben London of Alcohol Funnycar described it like this: "If you lived in Seattle and were under 30 at that point, you were grunge,” no matter what your band sounded like.₁This depicts the commercialization of the term and how the use was far more convenient for music critics and outlets, like MTV, than it was accurate. If you were from Seattle, you were grunge. No if’s, and’s, or but’s about it.
Even more ironic, the musicians associated with the term loathed it’s implications and description, and many of them refused to acknowledge that they were even associated with it, despite the fact that the term was used in virtually every article written about bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, or Stone Temple Pilots in the 90s.
Today, bands typically considered grunge all sound very different. The musicians and bands who managed to survive the heroin-laden days of the 1990s all evolved and adapted into creating their own sound and becoming synonymous with other forms of rock music outside of the detested sub-genre - therefore proving that grunge was far more a term used to define the physical setting in the Northwest, rather than the actual style of music being created.
So, we come back to the original question of this post. Is grunge dead? Did it die with Andy Wood? With Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley? What about with Chris Cornell?
Photo courtesy of @rollingstone on Instagram / Photograph by Frans Schellekens
For me, it’s less about grunge being dead, and more about the term adapting with the evolution of music as a whole. There’s so many bands, yes, particularly those being born out of the Pacific Northwest, who are rekindling the fire of gritty, raw rock ‘n’ roll. For me, it would be a disservice to say that grunge is dead, because after all, it’s less about the style of music and more about the culture and the attitude, both of which are firmly intact for the time being. So, no, grunge isn’t dead. It’s perfectly alive and deeply rooted within Seattle and the surrounding area, you just have to be willing to look for it.
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