The Best Documentaries on Grunge Music
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If you’re a fan of grunge music, then you’ll love this list of the best documentaries on the subject. From the early days of Nirvana to the rise and fall of Kurt Cobain, these films capture the true spirit of grunge.
What is grunge music?
Originating in Seattle in the late 1980s, grunge music is a mix of punk and heavy metal that came to define a generation. With its anti-establishment attitude and disdain for the artificiality of the music industry, grunge became the sound of a generation of disaffected young people.
The best grunge documentaries capture this spirit, telling the stories of the bands and the people who created this vital musicians. From intimate portraits of Kurt Cobain to looks at the Seattle scene that nurtured grunge, these are the best documentaries on grunge music.
The history of grunge music
Grunge music is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the early 1990s. Grunge bands are characterized by their abrasive, hard-edged sound and their disdain for the mainstream music industry. Seattle is considered the birthplace of grunge music, and many of the most popular grunge bands, including Nirvana and Pearl Jam, hailed from the Pacific Northwest.
Grunge music was born out of the punk rock scene, but it was also influenced by heavy metal and indie rock. Grunge bands tended to be less polished and more raw than their predecessors, and they often wrote songs about personal angst and insecurity. Grunge music came to define a generation of disaffected youth in the 1990s, and it continues to be an influential force in alternative rock today.
If you’re interested in learning more about grunge music, check out some of these excellent documentaries.
The best grunge bands
Grunge music was a reaction to the polished, hair metal that dominated the airwaves in the early 1990s. Heavily influenced by punk and alternative rock, grunge bands stripped down their sound and created a more raw, abrasive style of music. Seattle became the epicenter of the grunge scene, with bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains quickly gaining popularity.
If you’re interested in learning more about grunge music, there are some great documentaries available. Here are a few of the best:
-Hype! (1996) – Hype! chronicles the rise of grunge music in Seattle in the early 1990s. The film features interviews with many of the key players in the grunge scene, including Kurt Cobain, Eddie Vedder, and Chris Cornell.
-Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015) – This critically-acclaimed documentary offers an intimate look at Kurt Cobain’s life through never-before-seen home movies, journals, and audio recordings.
-Gringspotting (2017) – Gringspotting is a documentary about the Seattle grunge scene that features interviews with musicians like Mudhoney’s Mark Arm and Tad Doyle.
-Nirvana: Live at Reading (2009) – Nirvana’s headlining performance at the Reading Festival in 1992 is considered one of their best live shows ever. This film documents that historic concert.
The best grunge albums
Nirvana – Nevermind
Released in September 1991, Nirvana’s second album was the one that broke them into the mainstream, propelling them to global superstardom. thanks to the power of singles like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come As You Are.” The album also cemented producer Butch Vig as one of the most in-demand producers of the grunge era.
Pearl Jam – Ten
Pearl Jam’s debut album was released in August 1991, just a month before Nevermind, and while it didn’t achieve the same level of commercial success, it was equally as important in establishing grunge as a commercial force. Ten is full of classics like “Alive,” “Jeremy,” and “Even Flow,” and helped to turn Pearl Jam into one of the biggest bands in the world.
Soundgarden – Badmotorfinger
Soundgarden’s third album, released in October 1991, is often cited as one of the best grunge albums of all time. It’s packed with heavy hitters like “Rusty Cage,” “Outshined,” and “Jesus Christ Pose,” and its dark, heavy sound was a major influence on the sound of grunge.
The best grunge documentaries
Grunge music took the world by storm in the early 1990s, with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam becoming global superstars. While the genre has since faded from the mainstream, its influence can still be felt today. For those who want to learn more about grunge and its roots, there are a number of excellent documentaries that are well worth watching.
Some of the best grunge documentaries include:
-Hype! (1996)
– Kurt Cobain: About a Son (2006)
– Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge (2011)
– Montage of Heck (2015)
If you’re a fan of grunge music, or simply want to learn more about this pivotal moment in musical history, these documentaries are essential viewing.
