Grunge

Grunge
American rock band Nirvana (pictured in 1992)
Stylistic origins	Alternative rock[1] noise rock[2] punk rock[3] garage rock indie rock[4] heavy metal[3] hard rock[4]
Cultural origins	Mid-1980s, Seattle, Washington
Derivative forms	Post-grunge nu metal
Regional scenes
Washington
Other topics
Generation X

Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the mid-1980s in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and Olympia, and other nearby cities. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal.^[3] The genre featured the distorted electric guitar sound used in both genres, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. Like these genres, grunge typically uses electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, and vocals. Grunge also incorporates influences from indie rock bands such as Sonic Youth. Lyrics are typically angst-filled and introspective, often addressing themes such as social alienation, self-doubt, abuse, neglect, betrayal, social and emotional isolation, addiction, psychological trauma, and a desire for freedom.^[5][6]

The early grunge movement revolved around Seattle's independent record label Sub Pop and the region's underground music scene, with local bands such as Green River, the Melvins, and Mudhoney playing key roles in the genre's development. Sub Pop marketed the style shrewdly, encouraging media outlets to describe the Seattle sound as "grunge"; the style became known as a hybrid of punk and metal.^[7] By the early 1990s, its popularity had spread, with grunge bands appearing in California, then emerging in other parts of the United States and in Australia, building strong followings and signing major record deals.

Grunge broke through into the mainstream in the early-to-mid-1990s, led by Nirvana's Nevermind in 1991, and followed by other seminal crossover successes including Pearl Jam's Ten, Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger, Alice in Chains' Dirt, and Stone Temple Pilots' Core. The success of these bands boosted the popularity of alternative rock, eventually making grunge the most popular form of rock music.^[8]

Several factors contributed to grunge's decline in prominence. During the mid-to-late 1990s, many grunge bands broke up or became less visible. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, labeled by Time as "the John Lennon of the swinging Northwest", struggled with an addiction to heroin before his suicide in 1994. Although most grunge bands had disbanded or faded from view by the late 1990s, they influenced modern rock music, as their lyrics brought socially conscious issues into pop culture^[9] and added introspection and an exploration of what it means to be true to oneself.^[10] Grunge was also an influence on later genres such as post-grunge.