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.

Music in the '90s: When Alternative Became Mainstream

Originally published in my "Aural Fixation" column on PopMatters.com on October 1, 2012. See original post here.

image from mylot.com

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The genre once tied to college radio and indie record companies became mainstream in the '90s. Some of those icons of “alternative” are making comebacks – or never went away. Is this 2012 or 1996?

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I’m a Billboard magazine junkie. Every week I peruse the charts, eager to track music’s latest hitmakers. Lately, however, I’ve experienced a heavy dose of déjà vu. Among the pop and rock entries are songs and albums by Green Day, Matchbox 20, the Dave Matthews Band, Alanis Morissette, No Doubt, the Offspring, and Soundgarden.

Others who’ve unleashed new product this year include Fiona Apple, the Counting Crows, the Cranberries, Eve 6, Everclear, Garbage, Smashing Pumpkins, and Soul Asylum. Look for new stuff from Alice in Chains and the Wallflowers by year’s end. That would be the year 2012, not 1996.

It’s enough to make one believe the ‘90s never ended. Oh sure, most of those acts peaked over a decade ago, but their refusal to go away hints at a still-present passion for the alternative scene which became the mainstream music of the ‘90s.

That decade, a mere dozen years in the rear view mirror, proved a particularly productive era for sending album sales into the stratosphere. Less than 200 albums have sold 15 million or more worldwide (Dave’s Music Database blog, “The World’s Top 100 All-Time Best-Selling Albums,” 20 February 2012), but an astounding eighty albums released in the ‘90s make the cut. They cross multiple genres including rap (MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Kid Rock), country (Garth Brooks, Shania Twain), R&B (Boyz II Men, TLC), pop (Michael Jackson, Madonna), bubblegum (Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys), adult contemporary (Celine Dion, Michael Bolton), and rock (Metallica, Guns N’ Roses).

However, the decade’s most dynamic trend was the rise of alternative rock. If there’s any doubt as to the genre’s impact, check out this list of the “Top 100 Albums of the 1990s” (Dave’s Music Database Facebook page, 16 February 2011) in which albums are ranked by aggregating multiple best-of lists alongside sales figures, chart data, awards, and ratings; 9 of the top 10 albums and more than half the overall list fall under the alternative rock banner.

In the ‘80s, the genre was as a niche market confined to airplay on college radio stations. However, at the dawn of the ‘90s, genre stalwarts like U2 and R.E.M. had surfaced as bands capable of selling out major arenas and racking up millions in album sales (both have albums from the ‘90s on the list).

In 1991 and 1992, Nirvana and Pearl Jam (also on the list with ‘90s albums) didn’t just become the flagbearers for grunge, but the entire alternative rock scene. When Nirvana’s Nevermind toppled Michael Jackson on the album chart in early 1992, it was clear the “alternative” tag was looking a little silly. A once niche market had become the market.

However, the moniker remained – and a multitude of other “alternative” albums comfortably found a home in the 15-million club. Here’s a glimpse at five of the acts who joined the club via 1990s releases and how they are still impacting the charts today.

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GREEN DAY

Then:
In 1996, Green Day were just putting the chart run of Insomniac to bed. While the album generated a couple #3 alt-rock hits, it was a let down from 1994’s Dookie. Three #1 alternative hits (“Longview,” “Basket Case,” and “When I Come Around”) sent the album into the stratosphere, hitting 20 million in sales worldwide.

Now:
Two more albums followed before Green Day woke up and reasserted itself with a pair of rock operas (American Idiot, 21st Century Breakdown). The group now has the #1 rock song (“Oh Love”) as they prepare to launch a triple-album extravaganza.

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MATCHBOX 20

Then:
Matchbox 20 released its debut album, Yourself or Someone Like You, in 1996. Over two years, they milked it for five songs (including “Push,” “3 A.M.,” and “”Real World”) which hit the top ten on one chart or another. The album peaked at #4 and sold 15 million worldwide.

Now:
After a couple more outings, Matchbox 20 went on hiatus for a decade. They trotted out an obligatory anthology and frontman Rob Thomas had a successful stint as a solo act. However, the 22 September 2012 issue of Billboard loudly trumpeted the band’s return – with the #1 debut of new album, North.

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ALANIS MORISSETTE

Then:
Alanis began 1996 with “Ironic,” the fourth single from Jagged Little Pill. It became her third #1 on the alternative charts (after “You Oughta Know” and “Hand in My Pocket”) and was a #2 pop airplay hit. “You Learn” topped the airplay chart and “Head Over Feet” went to #3. Pill secured a dozen weeks atop the Billboard album chart on its way to 33 million sales worldwide.

Now:
A week before Matchbox 20 topped the Billboard album chart, Alanis made her own entrance into 2012 with the #5 debut of Havoc and Bright Lights. It is her fifth studio release since Pill. All have been top ten efforts.

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NO DOUBT

Then:
Gwen Stefani and Co. closed out 1996 with the #1 album (Tragic Kingdom) in the country. Their blend of ska and pop landed three top-ten alternative hits, but it was the ballad, “Don’t Speak,” which exploded at pop radio and topped the pop airplay chart for 16 weeks.

Now:
The group followed with two more studio albums before going into hibernation. In the interim, the group followed the Matchbox 20 blueprint. Stefani released a couple solo albums while the group appeased fans with a hits collection. No Doubt is back on the charts now with “Settle Down,” the song preceding their Push and Shove album, another September 2012 release.

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RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

Then:
In 1996, the Peppers were working singles from One Hot Minute, the follow-up to their breakthrough, Blood Sugar Sex Magik.  When that album launched – coincidentally on the same day as Nirvana’s Nevermind (24 September 1991) – the Peppers blend of funk, metal, and rap had built a small but loyal audience over the course of three albums in the 1980s. Thanks to “Give It Away” (#1 alternative), “Under the Bridge” (#2 pop), and other hits, Magik racked up 15 million in sales worldwide. 

Now:
Six studio albums have followed since Magik. All have been multi-platinum top-five efforts. 1999’s Californication was another entry into the 15-million-selling club. Proving they still have clout, their 2011 album, I’m With You, hit #2 and produced the group’s twelfth #1 modern rock hit (“The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie”) and two more top ten hits this year.

Whether it’s the Peppers or Alanis, the continued presence of ‘90s icons in today’s musical landscape makes the case that the decade was more than grunge. It was the decade when the music once on the fringes became the soundtrack for the masses. Sure, they aren’t selling 15 million albums anymore, but no one else is either these days. Well, except Adele. Tune back in 15 years or so for my reflection on how Adele helmed the neo-soul movement of the early 21st century.

Alice in Chains released Dirt

Dirt Alice in Chains

Released: September 29, 1992 Peak: 6 US, 42 UK, 25 CN, 13 AU Sales (in millions): 4.0 US, -- UK, 5.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: grunge rock

Tracks: (Click for codes to charts.) Them Bones (10/17/92, 24 AR, 30 MR, 26 UK, 27 DF) Dam That River (32 DF) Rain When I Die (40 DF) Down in a Hole (10/2/93, 10 AR, 36 UK, 1 DF) Sickman Rooster (3/13/93, 7 AR, 1 DF) Junkhead Dirt God Smack Iron Gland Hate to Feel Angry Chair (1/30/93, 34 AR, 27 MR, 33 UK, 27 DF) Would? (8/8/92, 19 AR, 19 UK, 6 DF) Total Running Time: 57:37 The Players: Layne Staley (vocals) Jerry Cantrell (guitar) Mike Starr (bass) Sean Kinney (drums)

Rating: 4.139 out of 5.00 (average of 22 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

A Tentpole of Grunge “When Seattle became identified as the epicenter of a musical movement in the early 1990s, Alice in Chains and their album Dirt found themselves unexpectedly in the spotlight. Until then, the band had been regarded as a rising metal band, opening for Van Halen and Poison.” RD They were “more of a hard rock band than a grunge or ‘alternative’ band” TM “but their appearance in Cameron Crowe’s movie Singles – the closest thing to a cinematic representation of grunge Seattle – immediately gave them greater prominence.” RD “The band typified the Seattle scene with their distorted guitars, melancholic lyrics, and penchant for wearing plaid. Armed with a Black Sabbath-influenced sound and the haunting melodies of lead singer Layne Staley, Dirt helped to establish grunge as a genre.” RD The band’s second full-length album proved to be their “major artistic statement and the closest they ever came to recording a flat-out masterpiece.” AM A Drug-Themed Concept Album “It’s a primal, sickening howl from the depths of Layne Staley’s heroin addiction, and one of the most harrowing concept albums ever recorded.” AM While recording the album, Staley checked out of rehab and quickly returned to using heroin. WK Drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Starr were also struggling with addiction. In their case, it was alcohol. WK Staley said the album focused on “personal anguish and turmoil, which turns into drugs to ease that pain, and being confident that that was the answer in a way. Then later on the songs start to slip down closer and closer to hell, and then he figures out that drugs were not, and are not, the way to ease that pain.” WK “There were omens enough in the drug-related and suicidal songs, such as Junkhead (‘We are an elite race of our own / The stoners, junkies, and freaks’) and Dirt (‘I want to taste dirty, stinging pistol / In my mouth, on my tongue.’)” RD Spin magazine said, “There’s a brutal, though troubling honesty in the lyrics…as a means of cutting yourself open and letting the listener look inside, Alice in Chains has certainly spit out a mouthful.” RD “Not every song on Dirt is explicitly about heroin, but Jerry Cantrell’s solo-written contributions (nearly half the album) effectively maintain the thematic coherence – nearly every song is imbued with the morbidity, self-disgust, and/or resignation of a self-aware yet powerless addict.” AM Pop Matters’ Michael Christopher said, “the record wasn’t celebratory by any means – but you’d be hard pressed to find a more brutally truthful work laid down – and that’s why it will always be one of the greatest records ever made.” WK The Band “Cantrell’s technically limited but inventive guitar work is by turns explosive, textured, and queasily disorienting, keeping the listener off balance with atonal riffs and off-kilter time signatures. Staley’s stark confessional lyrics are similarly effective, and consistently miserable. Sometimes he’s just numb and apathetic, totally desensitized to the outside world; sometimes his self-justifications betray a shockingly casual amorality; his moments of self-recognition are permeated by despair and suicidal self-loathing.” AM The album’s “most bludgeoning songs contain outbreaks of utterly lovely harmony singing. Its rhythm guitar attack is studded with jerky, odd-meter prog-rock riffs.” TM The Songs The album was led by the single Would?, which first appeared on the soundtrack for Cameron Crowe’s 1991 film Singles. The soundtrack boasted a slate of Seattle-based musicians and was one of the significant albums in introducing grunge to the mainstream. Cantrell wrote the song as a tribute to Andrew Wood, his friend and singer of Mother Love Bone, who died of a drug overdose in 1990. WK Them Bones was, as Cantrell said, about “mortality, that one of these days we’ll end up a pile of bones.” WK He wrote Dam That River after a fight with Kinney in which Kinney broke a coffee table over his head. WK Cantrell and Staley wrote Rain When I Die about their girlfriends. WK Sickman grew out of a challenge from Staley to Cantrell to “write the sickest, darkest, most fucked up and heaviest thing he could write.” WK Cantrell wrote Down in a Hole to his longtime girlfriend, Courtney Clarke. He said it’s one of his top three favorites. He said, “It’s the reality of my life, the path I’ve chosen and in a weird way it kind of foretold where we are right now. It’s hard for us both to understand…that this life is not conducive to much success with long-term relationships.” WK “Even given its subject matter, Dirt is monstrously bleak, closely resembling the cracked, haunted landscape of its cover art. The album holds out little hope for its protagonists (aside from the much-needed survival story of Rooster, a tribute to Cantrell’s Vietnam-vet father), but in the end, it’s redeemed by the honesty of its self-revelation and the sharp focus of its music.” AM

Resources: AM AllMusic.com review by Steve Huey RD Robert Dimery (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Quintet Publishing Limited: New York, NY. Page 699. TM Tom Moon (2008). 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die. Workman Publishing Company, Inc.: New York, NY. Pages 14-5. Related DMDB Links: First posted 3/27/2011; last updated 11/28/2024.