Top 30 Grunge Acts

Grunge: Top 30 Acts

Grunge was a fusion of punk and heavy metal which originated out of Seattle. The movement developed in the latter half of the ‘80s and peaked in the early ‘90s. While its rise and fall was quick, it birthed a revival of interest in guitar-based, alternative rock. Some of the bands on the list might stir some debate as to whether they are grunge or not. Indeed, record companies rushed to capitalize on the grunge movement and signed many artists which bore a similar sound but didn’t have quite the same credentials and were sometimes dismissed by critics. There were also what I’ll call “grunge adjacent” acts (such as Smashing Pumpkins) that attracted a similar audience and had a similar sound but weren’t really grunge. 23 lists were aggregated to create this list. The acts were grouped in three bunches based on the number of lists on which they appeared. Then each of those groups was ordered based on the acts’ overall status in Dave’s Music Database. See other lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre. Nirvana 20-23 lists: 1. Nirvana 2. Pearl Jam 3. Alice in Chains 4. Soundgarden 5. Mudhoney 10-19 lists: 6. Stone Temple Pilots 7. Hole 8. Screaming Trees 9. Mother Love Bone 10. Silverchair 11. Temple of the Dog 12. L7 13. Melvins 14. Green River 15. Mad Season 16. Tad 4-9 lists: 17. Smashing Pumpkins 18. Live 19. Bush 20. Creed 21. Collective Soul 22. Garbage 23. Dinosaur Jr. 24. Soul Asylum 25. Candlebox 26. Blind Melon 27. Sponge 28. Meat Puppets 29. Veruca Salt 30. Days of the New Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: Top 25 Grunge Albums Dave’s Music Database: Top 100 Grunge/Post-Grunge Songs Dave’s Music Database: Lists of Acts/Music Makers by Genre First posted 7/1/2026.

Grunge: Top 25 Albums

Grunge: The Top 25 Albums

Grunge was a fusion of punk and heavy metal which originated out of Seattle via bands such as Nirvana, Pearl, Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. The movement developed in the latter half of the ‘80s and peaked in the early ‘90s. While its rise and fall was quick, it birthed a revival of interest in guitar-based, alternative rock. 23 best-of lists focused on grunge were aggregated and then any of those albums cited by 3 or more sources were eligible for this list. They were then resorted by overall points on Dave’s Music Database. Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here. 1. Nirvana Nevermind (1991) 2. Pearl Jam Ten (1991) 3. Nirvana In Utero (1993) 4. Smashing Pumpkins Siamese Dream (1993) 5. Nirvana MTV Unplugged in New York (recorded live 1993, released 1994) 6. Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) 7. Soundgarden Superunknown (1994) 8. Pearl Jam Vs. (1993) 9. Alice in Chains Dirt (1992) 10. Hole Live Through This (1994) 11. Pearl Jam Vitalogy (1994) 12. Stone Temple Pilots Core (1992) 13. Nirvana Bleach (1989) 14. Stone Temple Pilots Purple (1994) 15. Alice in Chains Jar of Flies (EP, 1994) 16. Bush Sixteen Stone (1994) 17. Soundgarden Badmotorofinger (1991) 18. Singles (soundtrack, 1992) 19. Temple of the Dog Temple of the Dog (1991) 20. Mother Love Bone Apple (1990) 21. Mudhoney Superfuzz Big Muff (EP, 1988) 22. Bush Razordblade Suitcase (1996) 23. Smashing Pumpkins Gish (1991) 24. Alice in Chains Facelift (1990) 25. Green River Dry As a Bone (EP, 1987) / Rehab Doll (EP, 1988) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Grunge: Top 50 Songs” Dave’s Music Database: other best-of-genre lists First posted 9/2/2024.

Grunge/Post-Grunge: Top 100 Songs

Grunge/ Post-Grunge: Top 100 Songs

After Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell committed suicide in 2017, I posted a list of the top 50 grunge songs as a tribute. That list, as with amost Dave’s Music Database lists, was created by aggregating multiple other lists. However, there is a challenge with creating such a list. Grunge was a fusion of punk and heavy metal which originated out of Seattle and bands such as Nirvana, Pearl, Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. The movement developed in the latter half of the ‘80s and peaked in the early ‘90s. While its rise and fall was quick, it birthed a revival of interest in guitar-based, alternative rock. When record companies started rushing to sign similar-sounding bands, another movement was born: post-grunge. Often these groups have been critically dismissed as less authentic, cash-in versions of grunge. As with all genres, though, the lines are never completely clear. Some bands such as Bush and Collective Soul walked a tightrope, not clearly falling in one camp or the other. Others, such as Nickelback and Creed, sold boatloads but came to be reviled by critics. In any event, I’ve posted two lists – one focused on grunge and the other on post-grunge. Some songs qualified for both lists but were only listed on one. So here we go – the two lists – one on the top 50 grunge songs and the other on the top 50 post-grunge songs. Click here to see other genre-specific song lists. Spotify Podcast: Check out Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Grunge based on this list. It debuts August 31, 2021 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database. Top 50 Grunge Songs image from fanboysanonymous.com, l to r: Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, Layne Staley 1. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (1991) 2. Alice in Chains “Would?” (1992) 3. Soundgarden “Black Hole Sun” (1994) 4. Pearl Jam “Jeremy” (1991) 5. Temple of the Dog “Hunger Strike” (1991) 6. Pearl Jam “Alive” (1991) 7. Stone Temple Pilots “Plush” (1992) 8. Screaming Trees “Nearly Lost You” (1992) 9. Pearl Jam “Even Flow” (1991) 10. Mudhoney “Touch Me I’m Sick” (1988) 11. Stone Temple Pilots “Interstate Love Song” (1994) 12. Soundgarden “Outshined’ (1991) 13. Mother Love Bone “Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns” (1989) 14. Pearl Jam “Black” (1991) 15. Nirvana “Lithium” (1991) 16. Mad Season “River of Deceit” (1995) 17. Nirvana “All Apologies” (1993) 18. Nirvana “Come As You Are” (1991) 19. Alice in Chains “Man in the Box” (1991) 20. Nirvana “Heart-Shaped Box” (1993) 21. Alice in Chains “Rooster” (1992) 22. Soundgarden “Spoonman” (1994) 23. L7 Pretend We’re Dead” (1992) 24. Stone Temple Pilots “Big Empty” (1994) 25. Hole “Doll Parts” (1994) 26. Stone Temple Pilots “Sex Type Thing” (1992) 27. Nirvana “In Bloom” (1991) 28. Nirvana “You Know You’re Right” (1994) 29. Bush “Glycerine” (1995) 30. Alice in Chains “Them Bones” (1992) 31. Hole “Violet” (1994) 32. Blind Melon “No Rain” (1993) 33. Toadies “Possum Kingdom” (1994) 34. Temple of the Dog “Say Hello 2 Heaven” (1991) 35. Bush “Everything Zen” (1994) 36. Smashing Pumpkins “Cherub Rock” (1993) 37. Pearl Jam “Yellow Lebetter” (1992) 38. Nirvana “About a Girl” (1989) 39. Bush “Comedown” (1994) 40. Pearl Jam “Better Man” (1994) 41. Nirvana “Rape Me” (1993) 42. Soundgarden “Burden in My Hand” (1996) 43. Soundgarden “Jesus Christ Pose” (1991) 44. Stone Temple Pilots “Wicked Garden” (1992) 45. Stone Temple Pilots “Creep” (1992) 46. Alice in Chains “No Excuses” (1992) 47. Soundgarden “Rusty Cage” (1991) 48. Nirvana “Aneurysm” (1991) 49. Veruca Salt “Seether” (1994) 50. Pearl Jam “Daughter” (1993) Top 50 Post-Grunge Songs image from alternativenation.net 1. Foo Fighters “Everlong” (1997) 2. Puddle of Mudd “Blurry” (2001) 3. 3 Doors Down “Kryptonite” (2000) 4. Staind “It’s Been Awhile” (2001) 5. Nickelback “How You Remind Me” (2001) 6. Candlebox “Far Behind” (1993) 7. Bush “Machinehead” (1994) 8. Live “I Alone” (1994) 9. Creed “My Own Prison” (1997) 10. Marcy Playground “Sex and Candy” (1997) 11. Three Days Grace “I Hate Everything About You” (2003) 12. Live “Lightning Crashes” (1994) 13. Silverchair “Tomorrow” (1994) 14. Collective Soul “Shine” (1993) 15. Filter “Hey Man, Nice Shot” (1995) 16. Better Than Ezra “Good” (1995) 17. Foo Fighters “The Pretender” (2007) 18. Everclear “Santa Monica (Watch the World Die)” (1995) 19. Seether “Fake It” (2007) 20. Creed “Higher” (1999) 21. Foo Fighters “My Hero” (1997) 22. Third Eye Blind “Semi-Charmed Life” (1997) 23. Fuel “Hemorrhage (In My Hands)” (2000) 24. Incubus “Drive” (1999) 25. Breaking Benjamin “The Diary of Jane” (2006) 26. Incubus “Wish You Were Here” (2001) 27. Foo Fighters “Learn to Fly” (1999) 28. Sponge “Plowed” (1994) 29. Tonic “If You Could Only See” (1997) 30. Hoobastank “The Reason” (2003) 31. Creed “With Arms Wide Open” (1999) 32. The Verve Pipe “The Freshmen” (1996) 33. Alter Bridge “Metalingus” (2004) 34. Seether “Fine Again” (2002) 35. Local H “Bound for the Floor” (1996) 36. Semisonic “Closing Time” (1998) 37. Puddle of Mudd “She Hates Me” (2002) 38. Three Days Grace “Animal I Have Become” (2006) 39. Seether with Amy Lee “Broken” (2004) 40. Foo Fighters “All My Life” (2002) 41. Seven Mary Three “Cumbersome” (1995) 42. Audioslave “Like a Stone” (2002) 43. Foo Fighters “Best of You” (2005) 44. Foo Fighters “Big Me” (1995) 45. Hinder “Lips of an Angel” (2006) 46. Days of the New “Touch, Peel, and Stand” (1997) 47. 3 Doors Down “When I’m Gone” (2002) 48. Foo Fighters “Times Like These” (2002) 49. Foo Fighters “This Is a Call” (1995) 50. Candlebox “You” (1993) Resources and Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Other Genre/Category Song Lists” First posted 5/25/2017; last updated 8/30/2021.

Scott Weiland: His 20 Top Songs

Scott Weiland Top 20 Songs

Scott Weiland, best known as the lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots and the supergroup Velvet Revolver, died from a drug overdose on 12/3/2015 while on tour in Bloomington, Minnesota. He was 48. In honor of Weiland, here are his top 20 songs according to Dave’s Music Database, which compiles sales, chart performance, radio airplay, and best-of lists. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists. Top 20 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. 1. Stone Temple Pilots “Plush” (1992) 2. Stone Temple Pilots “Interstate Love Song” (1994) 3. Velvet Revolver “Fall to Pieces” (2004) 4. Stone Temple Pilots “Vasoline” (1994) 5. Stone Temple Pilots “Big Empty” (1994) 6. Velvet Revolver “Slither” (2004) 7. Stone Temple Pilots “Big Bang Baby” (1996) 8. Stone Temple Pilots “Creep” (1992) 9. Stone Temple Pilots “Trippin’ ona Hole in a Paper Heart” (1996) 10. Stone Temple Pilots “Sour Girl” (1999) 11. Stone Temple Pilots “Dancing Days” (1995) 12. Stone Temple Pilots “Sex Type Thing” (1992) 13. Stone Temple Pilots “Lady Picture Show” (1996) 14. Stone Temple Pilots “Pretty Penny” (1994) 15. Stone Temple Pilots “Wicked Garden” (1992) 16. Velvet Revolver “The Last Fight” (2007) 17. Stone Temple Pilots “Between the Lines” (2010) 18. Stone Temple Pilots “Revolution” (2001) 19. Stone Temple Pilots “Unglued” (1994) 20. Magnificent Bastards “Mockingbird Girl” (1995) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Scott Weiland DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Stone Temple Pilots DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Velvet Revolver Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 12/3/2015; last updated 10/21/2023.

Encomium tribute to Led Zeppelin released

Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin Various Artists

Released: March 14, 1995 Peak: 17 US, 12 DF Click for codes to charts. Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Genre: rock

Tracks: Click on a song title for more details about the original version by Led Zeppelin. Click on artists’ names to see their DMDB encyclopedia entries. 4 Non Blondes “Misty Mountain Hop” [5:44] (13 DF) Hootie & the Blowfish “Hey Hey What Can I Do” [3:27] (4/8/95, 15 AR, 11 DF) Sheryl Crow “D’Yer Mak’er” [4:20] (4/21/95, 31 GR, 30 RR, 11 DF) Stone Temple Pilots “Dancing Days” [3:46] (3/25/95, 63 BA, 3 AR, 11 MR, 46 CN, 11 DF) Big Head Todd & the Monsters “Tangerine” [3:36] (20 DF) Duran Duran “Thank You ” [4:32] (8 DF) Blind Melon “Out on the Tiles” [3:14] (24 DF) Cracker “Good Times, Bad Times” [2:43] (21 DF) Helmet with David Yow “Custard Pie” [4:41] Rollins Band “Four Sticks” [3:30] Never the Bride “Going to California” [4:24] (15 DF) Tori Amos with Robert Plant “Down by the Seaside” [7:49] (1 DF) Total Running Time: 52:02 Other Songs from This Era: Kevin Gilbert “Kashmir”

Rating: 3.203 out of 5.00 (average of 10 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

Led Zeppelin’s Legacy “Led Zeppelin have been worshipped intensely by generations of rock musicians ever since the 1969 release of their first of eight massively influential studio recordings. Despite a near-constant, and unrealistically cool critical reception, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, and John Bohnam's beyond-iconic status was hardly ever in doubt and indeed grew for a 20-year period after the band's 1979 demise.” AM Song Selection One of the interesting elements of this collection is how Led Zeppelin’s most familiar songs are largely avoided. Absent are any covers of “Stairway to Heaven,” “Whole Lotta Love,” “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll,” “Immigrant Song,” or “Kashmir.” One wonders if this was a directive or the artists were simply leery of being compared to the classics. It should be noted, though, that Kevin Gilbert did contribute a cover of “Kashmir” to the album, but it was rejected. He was weeks away from releasing his debut album. He’d been with the group Toy Matinee and was part of the behind-the-scenes collection that crafted Sheryl Crow’s Tuesday Night Music Club but he wasn’t a household name. Artist Selection As is always the case with various artists’ collections, the featured acts are a mixed bag. There are A-listers (Tori Amos, Sheryl Crow, Hootie & the Blowfish, Stone Temple Pilots). Of particular note is “Sheryl Crow’s sexy vocal performance of ‘D’yer Mak’er’ that stands up well to Plant’s sultry original.” AM Robert Plant himself also makes an appearance on a phenomenal duet of “Down by the Seaside” with Tori Amos. There are also B-listers (Big Head Todd & the Monsters, Blind Melon, Cracker, 4 Non Blondes) alongside largely unknown head scratchers (Helmet, Never the Bride, David Yow of Jesus Lizard). “Many of the appearing artists were signed to Atlantic or an affiliate at the time of the release.” WK For example, Atlantic Records’ promotional inclusion of their 1995 baby-band Never the Bride’s expressive ‘Going to California.’” AM Yow “could never even approximate Plant’s rendition of ‘Custard Pie,’ so when Yow teams with Helmet for their own bombastic version of the classic, the flailing results are quite fresh without being at all revisionist.” AM The Execution “Encomium’s tribute is appropriately reverent, with serious treatments generally true to their original arrangements. Before getting frustrated with what could be considered mere musical mimicry on the part of the record’s participants, listeners should be reminded that the unusual and painstakingly detailed arrangements are generally what made Led Zeppelin songs great. If Cracker, for instance, had made ‘Good Times Bad Times’ into their own kind of alt-country ditty, it might have been interesting, but Encomium’s producers weren't willing to risk it, so they appropriately ensured cohesion by allowing (or encouraging) Cracker, and each of the disc’s diverse list of contributors, to stay within earshot of their selected title’s original versions.” AM “While nothing compares to the original hard rock masterpieces, the transcendent power of this 12-track collection should satisfy fans of emotive guitar rock, no matter the era.” AM

Resources/References: AM AllMusic.com review by Vincent Jeffries WK Wikipedia Related DMDB Pages: First posted 9/12/2025.

 

Stone Temple Pilots Core released

Core Stone Temple Pilots

Released: September 29, 1992 Peak: 3 US, 27 UK, 8 CN, 29 AU Sales (in millions): 8.0 US, 0.06 UK, 12.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: grunge

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to charts. Dead & Bloated (27 DF) Sex Type Thing (1/2/93, 23 AR, 55 UK, 16 DF) Wicked Garden (9/29/92, 11 AR, 21 MR, 23 DF) No Memory Sin Naked Sunday Creep (11/1/93, 59 BA, 2 AR, 12 MR, 45 CN, 76 AU, 1 DF) Piece of Pie Plush (3/20/93, 39 BA, 81 CB, 14 RR, 1 AR 9 MR, 23 UK, 21 CN, 47 AU 4 DF) Wet My Bed Crackerman Where the River Goes (26 DF) Total Running Time: 53:37 The Players: Scott Weiland (vocals) Robert DeLeo (bass, backing vocals) Dea DeLeo (guitar) Eric Kretz (drums)

Rating: 3.895 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “Stone Temple Pilots were positively vilified once their 1992 debut, Core, started scaling the charts,” AM “lambasted in some quarters as cynical clones of the then-vaunted ‘Seattle sound’” MC and “pegged as fifth-rate Pearl Jam copyists.” AM “It is true that the worst moments of Core play like a parody of the Seattle scene – titles like Dead and Bloated and Crackerman tell you that much, playing like really bad Alice in Chains parodies, and the entire record tends to sink into gormless post-grunge sludge. Furthermore, even if it rocks pretty hard, it’s usually without much character, sounding like cut-rate grunge.” AM “While some tracks do seem to ape the era’s grunge ethos a bit too slavishly, there’s also a sense that perhaps Weiland and company were merely sharing some of the same influences as their contemporaries.” MC If STP were no more than “overt copycats,” AM than “Core …[would] be as forgettable as Seven Mary Three,” AM but the album “found a considerable following for its potent crunch and sly hooks” MC “that have remarkably stood the test of time to be highlights of their era.” AM Plush is “a majestic album rock revival more melodic and stylish than anything grunge produced outside of Nirvana itself.” AM It “belies a devotion to songcraft disdained by many of their peers, one that served as an effective bridge between the stadium rock of the ‘70s and ‘80s and the more introspective alt-rock just then coming into vogue.” MC “Sex Type Thing may have a clumsy anti-rape lyric that comes across as misogynist, but it survives on its terrifically lunk-headed riff” AM while “Wicked Garden is a surprisingly effective piece of revivalist acid rock.” AM Finally, there’s “the slow acoustic crawl of Creep that works as well as anything on AIC’s Sap.” AM “These four songs aren’t enough to salvage a fairly pedestrian debut, but they do find STP to be nimble rock craftsmen when inspiration hits.” AM The success of the album, as marked by its “sales showed just how ironic and misplaced the ‘alternative’ label could ultimately be.” MC Let’s face it – “edgy” and “commercial” are not often words that go together, but regardless of the faults or successes of Core, it remains a memorable album years later.

Resources: AM AllMusic.com review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine JM Amazon.com review by Jerry McCulley Related DMDB Links: First posted 10/27/2011; last updated 11/28/2024.