a combination of punk and heavy metal, there was
much variation among bands. For example, Alice in
Chains was noted for its driving, distortion-laded
heavy metal paired with drug-influenced lyrics,
whereas Pearl Jam became famous for its melodic
rock and catchy yet cryptic lyrics.
Grunge Culture Grunge musicians rejected expen-
sive, highly staged performances; most would not
use pyrotechnics or other complicated lighting and
visual effects during their shows. Grunge music
eventually became so popular that it even influ-
enced the fashion of the time. Many grunge musi-
cians were known for their unkempt appearance,
wearing thrift store clothing and most notably flan-
nel shirts, a look copied by grunge followers and
marketed by the fashion industry. Grunge seeped
further into the mainstream by providing a back-
drop for the Seattle-based movieSingles (1992),
which featured guest appearances by Soundgar-
den’s Chris Cornell and members of Pearl Jam as
bandmates of star Matt Dillon’s group Citizen Dick.
Consequently, the movie’s sound track read like a
who’s who of the prominent grunge musicians of
the day.
Despite their huge success, many grunge musi-
cians were uncomfortable with their mainstream
popularity. Accustomed to recording for small, inde-
pendent record labels and playing to relatively small
crowds, they were not used to dealing with the na-
tional recording industry or performing in stadium-
like atmospheres. Nirvana’s front man Kurt Cobain
provides the most notable example of the difficulties
grunge musicians had with their success. Cobain suf-
fered from serious drug addiction and, as a result of
this and complications from the pressures he felt
from his status as an icon of the grunge movement,
eventually committed suicide. His death on April 5,
1994, is often cited as the end of the grunge era.Impact While the popularity of grunge music was
primarily limited to the early 1990’s, its influence
would continue through the rest of the decade and
into the next. Bands like Pearl Jam had long been ex-
perimenting with different musical styles that
moved them beyond the constraints of the sub-
genre. In addition, Nirvana’s drummer, Dave Grohl,
following Cobain’s death and the subsequent disso-
lution of the band, formed a group called the Foo
Fighters, whose sound, while markedly different from
Nirvana’s, was significantly influenced by grunge.
Other post-grunge bands included Bush and Can-
dlebox.Further Reading
Anderson, Kyle.Accidental Revolution: The Stor y of
Grunge. New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2007. Pro-
vides a history of grunge music in the 1990’s,
from its origins in Seattle to its mainstream popu-
larity.
True, Everett.Live Through This: American Rock Music
in the Nineties. London: Virgin Books, 2001. Pre-
sents a history of grunge music in the 1990’s
based on interviews from some of the move-
ment’s most prominent bands such as Sound-
garden, Hole, and Nirvana.
_______.Nirvana: The Biography. Cambridge, Mass.:
Da Capo Press, 2007. Describes the history of the
band Nirvana while concentrating on the life of
Cobain.
Lindsay SchmitzSee also Alternative rock; Grunge fashion; Lolla-
palooza; Love, Courtney; Music; Nirvana.The Nineties in America Grunge music 387
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam performs in 1994 in Chicago.(Hulton
Archive/Getty Images)