What Influenced Grunge Music?

What Influenced Grunge Music?

The grunge music scene of the early 1990s was heavily influenced by the punk rock and heavy metal scenes that preceded it. Grunge bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden built on the sounds of these earlier bands to create a new, more aggressive sound.

The Music of the 80s

The 80s was a decade that saw the rise of many different genres of music. One of the most influential genres of the 80s was grunge music. Grunge music was influenced by many different factors. In this article, we will explore some of the most influential factors that influenced grunge music.

The hair bands

One of the most iconic things about the 80s was the music. Big hair, even bigger personalities, and music that reflected the times. The hair bands were a big part of that. These bands defined an era with their sound and their look. But what influenced grunge music?

The hair bands were a major influence on grunge music. These bands took the hard rock sound of the 70s and added a more glamorously “hair metal” look to it. This look was all about big hair, makeup, and tight clothes. The sound was often over-the-top and catchy. It was this sound and look that would be later rejected by the grunge movement.

The hair bands of the 80s were not only a major influence on grunge music, but on the entire culture of the time. These bands defined an era with their sound and their look. They were a big part of what made the 80s so memorable.

The new wave

The new wave of music in the 80s was greatly influenced by the punk rock movement that came before it. Punk rock was a rebellion against the mainstream music of the time, and it inspired a new generation of musicians to create their own music that was raw and honest. The new wave of music was also influenced by electronic and dance music, which were becoming increasingly popular at the time. This new type of music was more accessible to a wider audience than punk rock, and it quickly gained popularity in the 1980s.

The Birth of Grunge

Grunge music is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the early 1990s. Grunge music is often characterized by its dark, depressing, and angsty lyrics. The genre is also known for its DIY aesthetic and lo-fi production values. Grunge music became popular in the early 1990s due to a number of factors.

The Seattle sound

The Seattle sound is a subgenre of grunge music that emerged in the mid-1980s in the American city of Seattle, Washington. The sound was characterized by a heavy, distorted guitar sound, often with ‘drop D’ tuning, and extended chords. Lyrics were often bleak and introspective, dealing with depression, loneliness, anxiety, and drug addiction.

The Seattle sound was influential on many subsequent grunge and alternative rock bands, and helped to make Seattle the epicenter of the grunge scene in the early 1990s. Some of the most successful and iconic bands of the Seattle sound era include Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains.

The grunge look

Grunge originates from the Punk subculture. Punk subculture includes people who wear unconventional clothing, have different hair-styles, and listen to punk rock music. Grunge was unique because it wasn’t just a look, it was a lifestyle. The people who belonged to this subculture didn’t just listen to grunge music, they lived it.

Grunge started in the mid-1980s in Seattle, Washington. There were a few key things that contributed to the development of this musical genre and fashion trend. First, there was the punk rock scene. Punk rockers were known for their DIY (do it yourself) attitude, which grunge musicians would later adopt. They were also known for their rejecting of mainstream culture and for their often rebellious behavior. This set the stage for grunge music to become an underground movement that would eventually emerge in the mainstream.

Around the same time as the punk rock scene was developing, there was also a growing interest in alternative and independent music. Bands like R.E.M., Pixies, and Sonic Youth were beginning to gain popularity among college students and other young people who were looking for something different than what was being played on commercial radio stations. These bands would later have a big influence on the sound of grunge music.

Another important factor that led to the development of grunge was the fact that many young people in Seattle were living in poverty or working low-wage jobs. This gave them a sense of alienation from mainstream society, which was reflected in their music and fashion choices.

All of these factors came together in the mid-1980s to create the grunge subculture

The Main Players

Grunge music was a major movement in the early 1990s. It was a reaction to the overproduced and polished sound of hair metal and pop music. Grunge bands were often from the Pacific Northwest and they blended punk, metal, and alternative rock to create a new sound. Some of the main players in the grunge scene were Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden.

Nirvana

Nirvana was an American rock band formed in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. The group’s line-up consisted of founder Kurt Cobain (lead vocals, guitar), Dave Grohl (drums, backing vocals), and Krist Novoselic (bass guitar). Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting and best-known being Dave Grohl, who joined in 1990. Though the band dissolved in 1994 after the suicide of Cobain, Nirvana has come to be regarded as one of the most influential and important rock bands of the modern era. In 2003, David Fricke’s list ranked Nirvana as the seventh greatest artist of all time, while Rolling Stone has ranked them ninth on their 2002 and 2004 lists of “The Greatest Artists of All Time”. In 2009, they were inducted into the Roll and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame.

Pearl Jam

One of the most successful and influential bands of the grunge era, Pearl Jam was formed in Seattle, Washington in 1990. The band’s lineup consists of Eddie Vedder (vocals), Jeff Ament (bass), Stone Gossard (guitar), Mike McCready (guitar), and Matt Cameron (drums). Cameron is the band’s most recent addition, joining in 1998.

Pearl Jam’s debut album, Ten, was released in 1991 and quickly became a commercial and critical success. The album features some of the band’s best-known songs, including “Alive,” “Even Flow,” and “Jeremy.” Pearl Jam followed up Ten with the equally successful Vs. in 1993. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and features the hits “Go,” “Daughter,” and “Animal.”

In 1994, Pearl Jam released Vitalogy, an album that saw the band experiment with a more eclectic sound. The album was another huge success, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and selling nearly 950,000 copies in its first week of release. Vitalogy was nominated for four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year.

Pearl Jam has continued to release successful albums throughout the years, including No Code (1996), Yield (1998), Binaural (2000), Riot Act (2002), Pearl Jam (2006), Backspacer (2009), Lightning Bolt (2013), and Gigaton (2020). The band has also been active in promoting various social and political causes throughout their career.

Soundgarden

Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1984 by singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto. Matt Cameron became the band’s full-time drummer in 1986 while bassist Ben Shepherd became a permanent replacement for Yamamoto in 1990. Soundgarden was one of the seminal bands in the creation of grunge music and is commonly credited as one of the leading architects of the genre.

The Legacy of Grunge

Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the late 1980s. Grunge music is often associated with Seattle and the grunge scene that developed there. The style is marked by heavy guitars, angst-filled lyrics, and a general feeling of despair. Grunge music was influenced by a variety of factors, including punk rock, metal, and indie rock.

The end of an era

By the early 1990s, the desired sound was becoming faster and heavier due to the influence of bands like Metallica and Nirvana. This new sound would come to be known as grunge. The genre is often credited with Ending the Glam Rock Era and bringing alternative rock into the mainstream. Some of the most well-known grunge bands include Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden.

Grunge music is characterized by its raw and heavy sound. Guitars are often distorted and played loudly, while drums are played with a lot of reverberation. Lyrics are typically angsty and deal with topics such as depression, anxiety, drug abuse, and nihilism. The fashion associated with grunge is also quite casual, with flannel shirts, ripped jeans, and Doc Martens being common items of clothing.

The end of an era is never easy, but grunge brought about a new age of music that would change the course of rock history forever.

The influence on today’s music

Grunge music was a major force in the 1990s, influencing the sound and style of many bands that came after. Grunge bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam brought alternative rock into the mainstream, paving the way for other genres like punk and metal to crossover. Today, you can still hear the influence of grunge in many modern rock bands.