From Alt to Pop: When Did Alternative Music Officially Go Mainstream?
What did it? Grunge? Britpop? Indie rock? Pop-punk? When did so-called "alternative" music officially become mainstream, making all other forms of rock music the alternative? Is it as simple as the MTV debut date of the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit?” Is that when it happened? Or was that just the first domino to fall? Amazon Music's Rediscover the '90s: Alternative playlist is going to help solve this all-time alternative rock conundrum.
1. Nirvana
May as well jump right into discussing the single-biggest band to factor into “alternative” music becoming the mainstream in the 1990s. When Nirvana’s Nevermind was released in 1991, it felt to many rock music fans as if aliens had landed and bestowed upon the listening community an otherworldly onslaught of sonic majesty like nothing that had been heard before.
All right, that might be making things a little too dramatic. But especially to those fans who’d been used to a decade of Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Poison, Warrant, Ratt, et al, Nirvana were truly and completely different. They were still using electric guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. They were still writing catchy songs. Amazing melodies were still the ultimate goal. The harmonies weren’t as lush, but they were still there, too.
So what was so different? It was the attitude. Kurt Cobain wanted nothing more than to neutralize every so-called “hair band” on the planet with Nevermind. And he did, almost single-handedly. Nirvana still rocked—in fact, they rocked harder than most of the pop-metal bands of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. But they weren’t solely talking about superficial stuff in their lyrics. (Granted, even Cobain didn’t know what some of his lyrics really meant. But they sure sounded cool—and they definitely were not about scoring with the ladies.)
But one cannot simply determine that that first Nevermind single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” along with the other earth-shaking classics from that album that are also on the Rediscover the '90s: Alternative playlist, were the sole reason alternative rock went “pop,” so to speak. As much as they changed the music world, and inspired countless copycat bands that would also score big hits on radio and MTV, Nirvana were not the straw that broke the camel’s back. As suggested above, they were but the first domino to fall. Because even at the end of the Nevermind album cycle, after “Teen Spirit,” “Something in the Way,” “Come as You Are,” and “Lithium” among all the other tracks on that album had run their course over the airwaves, the band still felt new and exotic. It’s hard to explain, but while almost everybody loved Nirvana, the band still felt like an “alternative” to everything else because it was so fresh.
2. The Offspring
Now here’s an interesting case study to consider. SoCal pop-punk pioneers the Offspring started off as hardcore punk as punk could be. Like many bands who made waves in the ‘90s alternative music scene, the band started off heavy, and gradually morphed into a more accessible version of themselves. Nothing wrong with that, right?
It was Offspring’s third album that proved to be the perfect brew of brash punk attitude mixed with ultra-melodic songcraft. The band’s lead singer, Dexter Holland, also wrote most of the tunes, and the singles off 1994’s Smash were indeed instant classics. And yet, they were still punk. Lead-off single “Come Out and Play” sounded completely unique compared to anything else on the radio. It was a flavor of aggressive music many music fans who weren’t steeped in classic punk were blown away by. Follow-up single “Self Esteem” sealed the deal, and “Gotta Get Away” proved to be equally ubiquitous on alt-rock radio.
More hits followed on the band’s next album, Ixnay on the Hombre, the rights to which were snapped up by major label Columbia (the band’s previous albums had been released on legendary punk label Epitaph). The singles on Ixnay were a little less quirky, and one could even be called straight-up punk. It was unusual to release a track like that as a single, but it worked. It sounded authentic.
But then the Offspring’s second major-label record, Americana, took a turn in overall theme. Holland had often leaned on his sense of humor in his lyrics. But first single “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” bordered on parody. It was something of a sister song to their breakout hit, “Come Out and Play,” but instead of a quirky edge, the track was content to just be silly. It rocked, all right, but it was silly. Two of the band’s subsequent singles, “Why Don’t You Get a Job” and “She’s Got Issues,” were similarly goofy. (To be fair, second single “The Kids Aren’t Alright” is one of the band’s very best.)
Point being: one factor that might indicate when alternative rock went mainstream is when bands like the Offspring, who started off hardcore, lost their edge. In this case, the band doubled down on the quirks that only served to spice up their previous work. When the quirks were highlighted, they became gimmicks.
3. Pearl Jam
Of course, Pearl Jam are one-quarter of the “Big Four” that made up the Seattle grunge scene that emerged in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The other club members: Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains.
All four bands progressed over the years without losing themselves as artists. Nirvana only lasted for three years in the spotlight, unfortunately, due to Cobain’s passing in April of 1994. Soundgarden released what might just be the perfect grunge record in Superunknown a month before Cobain’s death. All five singles off the album were standouts, but the album from top to bottom was beyond-stellar. And while Alice in Chains were a heavier band than their counterparts much of the time, they also had a penchant for writing moody acoustic music. The acoustic EPs Sap and Jar of Flies were released between full-lengths, and the band’s rootsy musings culminated in a triumphant appearance on MTV Unplugged. (This was singer Layne Staley’s last public appearance before his death.)
Of all the Big Four, though, Pearl Jam purposefully dialed back their efforts after the monster success of their debut album, Ten. Commercial success wasn’t necessarily an evil to be avoided, but it clearly wasn’t the band’s top priority, either. They never made another music video after their clip for “Jeremy” from Ten was censored and widely misinterpreted. And while every Pearl Jam album release continued to be an event throughout the ‘90s, there was very little effort on the band’s part to do anything to promote their music besides going on tour. And even touring was an adventure, as the band spent a large chunk of the 1990s rebelling against Ticketmaster, who they saw as having monopolized the ticket industry.
Perhaps, then, Pearl Jam decided (whether consciously or unconsciously) that the movement they’d been a part of that was so special when it started in Seattle was no longer special. Success spoiled it. And purposefully limiting their own progress—at least the kind of mainstream progress their record label surely wanted—was a sign that alternative rock was no longer alternative anymore.
4. Oasis
In the middle of the grunge movement that originated in the Pacific Northwest of the United States came a completely different movement originating from about as far away from Seattle as one could get. “Britpop,” as it was called, was about as different aesthetically from grunge as it could get, too, while still qualifying as alternative rock. The dark themes and moody tones taken on by grunge artists were shunned by the Britpoppers. Instead, they celebrated happier, shinier melodies, and embraced major chords in place of the minor chords grunge bands were so fond of.
Britpop had its “Big Four,” as well. Pulp and Suede (known in the U.S. as the London Suede) were hugely successful, but not to the extent Blur were. Blur, led by Gorillaz’s Damon Albarn, came in second place in the Britpopularity sweepstakes, however. While the British media played up their supposed rivalry with Oasis for all it was worth, Blur couldn’t match the phenomenon-level success they achieved in the mid- to late ‘90s.
Adding to the allure of Oasis was the quarreling between the brothers who fronted the group. Singer Liam Gallagher was the face of the band, but brother Noel was the songwriter. Between the physical confrontations amongst themselves and the confrontations Oasis had with Blur via the media, the non-music nonsense constantly threatened to get in the way of the music.
And the music was worthy of the hype, too. What it lacked in originality--the Beatles, as ever, were Noel Gallagher’s biggest influence—it made up for in maximum melody and big, infectious anthem-style choruses that were impossible not to sing along to. All of Oasis’s albums were sensations in their native UK and throughout Europe, while their second and third albums ([What’s the Story] Morning Glory and Be Here Now) ended up holding America spellbound for a time as well.
Britpop died down before the end of the decade, though. Was there just not enough conflict amongst the bands to sustain the media’s interest? Did the river of good songs finally dry up? For their part, all of Oasis’s albums are great, but one man can only churn out so many timeless tunes the caliber of “Supersonic,” “Live Forever,” “Wonderwall,” “Morning Glory,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Champagne Supernova,” et cetera, et cetera.
Or, was it just that Britpop had become so popular as to simply wear out its welcome, as most subgenres that take over a time period in pop music history always seem to do? (And here’s a follow-up question: was Britpop even properly categorized as alternative rock? It was, by definition, “pop” music, after all.)
5. Stone Temple Pilots (and Bush, and Godsmack)
Here’s a pretty tell-tale sign that a music movement has gone mainstream: when the upper-echelon bands of the genre inspire copycats.
Ultimately it is unfair and inaccurate that the three bands listed above should be considered pale imitations of bands that came before them. Each group found incredible success, and for a good length of time. That said, when Stone Temple Pilots first hit the scene, they had a problem with their lead singer, Scott Weiland, being accused of ripping off the singing and performing style of Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. Bush were accused of overall sonic impersonation of Nirvana. And Godsmack have been accused of the same thing Bush were, except with Alice in Chains (and the accusations have been a bit more direct, and harsh).
The good news for Stone Temple Pilots is that Weiland shook off all comparisons to Vedder with the release of the band’s second album, Purple, and that album’s singles “Interstate Love Song,” “Vasoline,” and “Big Empty.” Weiland had drastically updated his look and stage persona after months and months of touring behind debut album Core, so he’d gotten all the Vedder out of his system. And his vocals on the album displayed a much more distinctive style as well. The bad news: Weiland did indeed appear to be pinching Eddie Vedder’s wild-eyed facial expressions in the video for the massive hit “Plush.” But hey, that was then. And besides, STP went on to become successful enough to keep folks from dwelling on any early-career artistic transgressions, anyway.
Bush endured non stop heat from fans and media alike suggesting that the sound of the band was too derivative of Nirvana. In particular, the thinking was that frontman Gavin Rossdale’s voice was especially reminiscent of Kurt Cobain’s. And indeed, the resemblances are pretty clear. Is Bush a ripoff, though? Nah. Is Nirvana their main influence? Probably. But to keep things in perspective, the level of innovation Nirvana brought to the table with Nevermind should legitimately be put up there with the Beatles in terms of influence on the music industry. Beatles descendant bands were inevitable, and plentiful. And the same is true with Nirvana. Now, were Rossdale and company’s songs any good? The alternative rock fanbase of the world (especially in grunge-happy America) sure thought so—back in the mid-’90s, at least. The band’s first seven singles across their first two albums, Sixteen Stone and Razorblade Suitcase, went mostly Top 5 on the alternative charts of the U.S. and Canada and included three Number 1’s.
For Godsmack’s part, they don’t hear the close similarities to Alice in Chains that so many critics and fans do. The bottom line for them, presumably, is that the critics hate them for sounding like Alice and the fans love them for sounding like Alice. Singer Sully Erna’s nasally growl in particular reminds of the late Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley. But here again, if people like it, and the band isn’t committing outright plagiarism...at some point folks should probably be content to say it is what it is and let Godsmack fans rock out in peace.
6. Weezer
As influential as the “Big Four” grunge bands were in the ‘90s, the cold hard truth is that grunge fell out of popularity by the end of the decade. It simply got too popular, just like the hair metal bands did in the late ‘80s, and just like the Second British Invasion artists like Duran Duran, Culture Club, and Human League did in the early ‘80s (and for that matter just like the so-called “nü-metal” rap-rock bands of the early ‘00s did, including Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Staind).
But then there’s Weezer. Like the Britpop invasion, Weezer’s arrival in the middle of the grunge explosion was somewhat curious and unexpected. The style of bandleader Rivers Cuomo and his band wasn’t as groundbreaking as Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, perhaps, but they were going for something quite a bit less ambitious. The sound was just a smart blend of classic rock and power-pop like Kiss and Cheap Trick, mixed with indie rock like Pavement and the Pixies, mixed with some Beach Boys harmonies sprinkled on top.
So Weezer sounded like nothing else in the music industry. It was crunchy guitars and happy-sounding melodies and harmonies interspersed into songs about isolation and jamming in the garage with your buds. And it came out in the summer of ‘94, at a time when it could be suggested that grunge had officially entered into the mainstream. Which meant Weezer were the real alternative rockers. Tracks from Weezer’s debut album, like “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and “Undone (The Sweater Song),” sat next to Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Pearl Jam on the charts and on MTV’s playlist. And it was a little weird to see them all together! But not too weird to accept for fans of grunge.
Weezer’s second album, Pinkerton, was gloomier and perhaps a bit more “out there” and artsy than its predecessor, which resulted in dismal sales and unaccepting fans. It caused the band to go on hiatus with their tails between their legs to an extent. But then a funny thing happened: bands started referring back to Pinkerton and finding it to be a major influence. The somber sentiments paired with loud guitars on the LP created an aesthetic that young bands kept adopting, and eventually that aesthetic was given a name: emo. And although Weezer had reunited and returned to a sunnier overall sound by the time that genre really started bubbling up thanks to bands like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, the moral of the story was still evident: Weezer’s brand of alternative rock, which had been an outlier during grunge, had transitioned over to the mainstream by the mid-‘00s.
7. Post-grunge
Ultimately, the genre that is now called grunge ended up becoming an all-encompassing umbrella category for all kinds of mid- to late ‘90s alternative rock artists who valued dirty guitar sounds and catchy songs performed with a sizable chip on one’s shoulder. Inevitably, all the bands that dominated the early part of the ‘90s greatly influenced the bands that gained prominence in the later ‘90s. Makes sense, right? And yet those subsequent bands ended up being called “post-grunge,” when in reality most of them were living proof that grunge still factored heavily into the popular music of the time—it was just decided that the word “grunge” had a negative connotation and needed to be expunged.
But as is proven by the Rediscover the '90s: Alternative playlist, there were some incredible songs that came out “after” grunge had its run. It’s just that, if we’re being honest, these songs and the artists who released them also represented a harsh reality: their very existence meant that alternative rock was now the mainstream.
Here are the three top post-grunge songs on Amazon Music’s Rediscover the '90s: Alternative playlist. Enjoy!
Marcy Playground
“Sex & Candy” (1997)
There was a touch of slacker thrown in with the overall Nirvana vibe that John Wozniak created for his project Marcy Playground’s only big hit. He starts right in with the vocal, and he sounds awfully bored: “Hangin’ ‘round downtown by myself, and there she was.” The lazy jangle of the not-too-distorted guitar never really gets crunchy like a Nirvana cut usually would, but that’s okay. The infamous refrain of “I smell sex and candy, yeah / Who’s that loungin’ in my chair? / Who’s that castin’ devious stares in my direction? / Mama, this surely is a dream” was memorable and original enough to make the song a Number 1 modern rock hit as well as a Number 8 pop hit.
Lit
“My Own Worst Enemy” (1999)
Another killer song with an über-catchy chorus that sports a supremely memorable refrain: “Please tell me why my car is in the front yard and I’m sleeping with my clothes on / I came in through the window last night?” Musically it’s pop meat and punk potatoes, which was all that was needed to push the track to the Number 1 spot on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, and it even came within one position of making the pop Top 50. Lit followed “Enemy” up with another ever-so-slightly risqué single in “Miserable,” which made it to the Alternative Airplay Number 3 slot.
Semisonic
“Closing Time” (1998)
Everyone who was near a radio in the spring and summer of 1998 knows how the last line of the verse goes: “Closing time / You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” Semisonic bandleader and songwriter extraordinaire Dan Wilson’s genius, of course, was that now every bar manager in the world would have a theme song for the end of the evening they could play to signal to patrons it’s time to vamoose—assuming the bar manager isn’t so sick of hearing the song that they can’t bring themselves to play it, of course. “Closing Time” not only landed at Number 1 on the alternative chart but went to Number 4 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart. The success of the late-night anthem paved the way for Wilson to write even-bigger smash hits (and win a couple Grammys) with the Chicks (“Not Ready to Make Nice”) and Adele (“Someone Like You”).
What did it? Grunge? Britpop? Indie rock? Pop-punk? When did so-called "alternative" music officially become mainstream, making all other forms of rock music the alternative? Is it as simple as the MTV debut date of the video for Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit?” Is that when it happened? Or was that just the first domino to fall? Amazon Music's Rediscover the '90s: Alternative playlist is going to help solve this all-time alternative rock conundrum.
1. Nirvana
May as well jump right into discussing the single-biggest band to factor into “alternative” music becoming the mainstream in the 1990s. When Nirvana’s Nevermind was released in 1991, it felt to many rock music fans as if aliens had landed and bestowed upon the listening community an otherworldly onslaught of sonic majesty like nothing that had been heard before.
All right, that might be making things a little too dramatic. But especially to those fans who’d been used to a decade of Mötley Crüe, Bon Jovi, Poison, Warrant, Ratt, et al, Nirvana were truly and completely different. They were still using electric guitar, drums, bass, and vocals. They were still writing catchy songs. Amazing melodies were still the ultimate goal. The harmonies weren’t as lush, but they were still there, too.
So what was so different? It was the attitude. Kurt Cobain wanted nothing more than to neutralize every so-called “hair band” on the planet with Nevermind. And he did, almost single-handedly. Nirvana still rocked—in fact, they rocked harder than most of the pop-metal bands of the ‘80s and early ‘90s. But they weren’t solely talking about superficial stuff in their lyrics. (Granted, even Cobain didn’t know what some of his lyrics really meant. But they sure sounded cool—and they definitely were not about scoring with the ladies.)
But one cannot simply determine that that first Nevermind single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” along with the other earth-shaking classics from that album that are also on the Rediscover the '90s: Alternative playlist, were the sole reason alternative rock went “pop,” so to speak. As much as they changed the music world, and inspired countless copycat bands that would also score big hits on radio and MTV, Nirvana were not the straw that broke the camel’s back. As suggested above, they were but the first domino to fall. Because even at the end of the Nevermind album cycle, after “Teen Spirit,” “Something in the Way,” “Come as You Are,” and “Lithium” among all the other tracks on that album had run their course over the airwaves, the band still felt new and exotic. It’s hard to explain, but while almost everybody loved Nirvana, the band still felt like an “alternative” to everything else because it was so fresh.
2. The Offspring
Now here’s an interesting case study to consider. SoCal pop-punk pioneers the Offspring started off as hardcore punk as punk could be. Like many bands who made waves in the ‘90s alternative music scene, the band started off heavy, and gradually morphed into a more accessible version of themselves. Nothing wrong with that, right?
It was Offspring’s third album that proved to be the perfect brew of brash punk attitude mixed with ultra-melodic songcraft. The band’s lead singer, Dexter Holland, also wrote most of the tunes, and the singles off 1994’s Smash were indeed instant classics. And yet, they were still punk. Lead-off single “Come Out and Play” sounded completely unique compared to anything else on the radio. It was a flavor of aggressive music many music fans who weren’t steeped in classic punk were blown away by. Follow-up single “Self Esteem” sealed the deal, and “Gotta Get Away” proved to be equally ubiquitous on alt-rock radio.
More hits followed on the band’s next album, Ixnay on the Hombre, the rights to which were snapped up by major label Columbia (the band’s previous albums had been released on legendary punk label Epitaph). The singles on Ixnay were a little less quirky, and one could even be called straight-up punk. It was unusual to release a track like that as a single, but it worked. It sounded authentic.
But then the Offspring’s second major-label record, Americana, took a turn in overall theme. Holland had often leaned on his sense of humor in his lyrics. But first single “Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)” bordered on parody. It was something of a sister song to their breakout hit, “Come Out and Play,” but instead of a quirky edge, the track was content to just be silly. It rocked, all right, but it was silly. Two of the band’s subsequent singles, “Why Don’t You Get a Job” and “She’s Got Issues,” were similarly goofy. (To be fair, second single “The Kids Aren’t Alright” is one of the band’s very best.)
Point being: one factor that might indicate when alternative rock went mainstream is when bands like the Offspring, who started off hardcore, lost their edge. In this case, the band doubled down on the quirks that only served to spice up their previous work. When the quirks were highlighted, they became gimmicks.
3. Pearl Jam
Of course, Pearl Jam are one-quarter of the “Big Four” that made up the Seattle grunge scene that emerged in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The other club members: Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains.
All four bands progressed over the years without losing themselves as artists. Nirvana only lasted for three years in the spotlight, unfortunately, due to Cobain’s passing in April of 1994. Soundgarden released what might just be the perfect grunge record in Superunknown a month before Cobain’s death. All five singles off the album were standouts, but the album from top to bottom was beyond-stellar. And while Alice in Chains were a heavier band than their counterparts much of the time, they also had a penchant for writing moody acoustic music. The acoustic EPs Sap and Jar of Flies were released between full-lengths, and the band’s rootsy musings culminated in a triumphant appearance on MTV Unplugged. (This was singer Layne Staley’s last public appearance before his death.)
Of all the Big Four, though, Pearl Jam purposefully dialed back their efforts after the monster success of their debut album, Ten. Commercial success wasn’t necessarily an evil to be avoided, but it clearly wasn’t the band’s top priority, either. They never made another music video after their clip for “Jeremy” from Ten was censored and widely misinterpreted. And while every Pearl Jam album release continued to be an event throughout the ‘90s, there was very little effort on the band’s part to do anything to promote their music besides going on tour. And even touring was an adventure, as the band spent a large chunk of the 1990s rebelling against Ticketmaster, who they saw as having monopolized the ticket industry.
Perhaps, then, Pearl Jam decided (whether consciously or unconsciously) that the movement they’d been a part of that was so special when it started in Seattle was no longer special. Success spoiled it. And purposefully limiting their own progress—at least the kind of mainstream progress their record label surely wanted—was a sign that alternative rock was no longer alternative anymore.
4. Oasis
In the middle of the grunge movement that originated in the Pacific Northwest of the United States came a completely different movement originating from about as far away from Seattle as one could get. “Britpop,” as it was called, was about as different aesthetically from grunge as it could get, too, while still qualifying as alternative rock. The dark themes and moody tones taken on by grunge artists were shunned by the Britpoppers. Instead, they celebrated happier, shinier melodies, and embraced major chords in place of the minor chords grunge bands were so fond of.
Britpop had its “Big Four,” as well. Pulp and Suede (known in the U.S. as the London Suede) were hugely successful, but not to the extent Blur were. Blur, led by Gorillaz’s Damon Albarn, came in second place in the Britpopularity sweepstakes, however. While the British media played up their supposed rivalry with Oasis for all it was worth, Blur couldn’t match the phenomenon-level success they achieved in the mid- to late ‘90s.
Adding to the allure of Oasis was the quarreling between the brothers who fronted the group. Singer Liam Gallagher was the face of the band, but brother Noel was the songwriter. Between the physical confrontations amongst themselves and the confrontations Oasis had with Blur via the media, the non-music nonsense constantly threatened to get in the way of the music.
And the music was worthy of the hype, too. What it lacked in originality--the Beatles, as ever, were Noel Gallagher’s biggest influence—it made up for in maximum melody and big, infectious anthem-style choruses that were impossible not to sing along to. All of Oasis’s albums were sensations in their native UK and throughout Europe, while their second and third albums ([What’s the Story] Morning Glory and Be Here Now) ended up holding America spellbound for a time as well.
Britpop died down before the end of the decade, though. Was there just not enough conflict amongst the bands to sustain the media’s interest? Did the river of good songs finally dry up? For their part, all of Oasis’s albums are great, but one man can only churn out so many timeless tunes the caliber of “Supersonic,” “Live Forever,” “Wonderwall,” “Morning Glory,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Champagne Supernova,” et cetera, et cetera.
Or, was it just that Britpop had become so popular as to simply wear out its welcome, as most subgenres that take over a time period in pop music history always seem to do? (And here’s a follow-up question: was Britpop even properly categorized as alternative rock? It was, by definition, “pop” music, after all.)
5. Stone Temple Pilots (and Bush, and Godsmack)
Here’s a pretty tell-tale sign that a music movement has gone mainstream: when the upper-echelon bands of the genre inspire copycats.
Ultimately it is unfair and inaccurate that the three bands listed above should be considered pale imitations of bands that came before them. Each group found incredible success, and for a good length of time. That said, when Stone Temple Pilots first hit the scene, they had a problem with their lead singer, Scott Weiland, being accused of ripping off the singing and performing style of Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. Bush were accused of overall sonic impersonation of Nirvana. And Godsmack have been accused of the same thing Bush were, except with Alice in Chains (and the accusations have been a bit more direct, and harsh).
The good news for Stone Temple Pilots is that Weiland shook off all comparisons to Vedder with the release of the band’s second album, Purple, and that album’s singles “Interstate Love Song,” “Vasoline,” and “Big Empty.” Weiland had drastically updated his look and stage persona after months and months of touring behind debut album Core, so he’d gotten all the Vedder out of his system. And his vocals on the album displayed a much more distinctive style as well. The bad news: Weiland did indeed appear to be pinching Eddie Vedder’s wild-eyed facial expressions in the video for the massive hit “Plush.” But hey, that was then. And besides, STP went on to become successful enough to keep folks from dwelling on any early-career artistic transgressions, anyway.
Bush endured non stop heat from fans and media alike suggesting that the sound of the band was too derivative of Nirvana. In particular, the thinking was that frontman Gavin Rossdale’s voice was especially reminiscent of Kurt Cobain’s. And indeed, the resemblances are pretty clear. Is Bush a ripoff, though? Nah. Is Nirvana their main influence? Probably. But to keep things in perspective, the level of innovation Nirvana brought to the table with Nevermind should legitimately be put up there with the Beatles in terms of influence on the music industry. Beatles descendant bands were inevitable, and plentiful. And the same is true with Nirvana. Now, were Rossdale and company’s songs any good? The alternative rock fanbase of the world (especially in grunge-happy America) sure thought so—back in the mid-’90s, at least. The band’s first seven singles across their first two albums, Sixteen Stone and Razorblade Suitcase, went mostly Top 5 on the alternative charts of the U.S. and Canada and included three Number 1’s.
For Godsmack’s part, they don’t hear the close similarities to Alice in Chains that so many critics and fans do. The bottom line for them, presumably, is that the critics hate them for sounding like Alice and the fans love them for sounding like Alice. Singer Sully Erna’s nasally growl in particular reminds of the late Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley. But here again, if people like it, and the band isn’t committing outright plagiarism...at some point folks should probably be content to say it is what it is and let Godsmack fans rock out in peace.
6. Weezer
As influential as the “Big Four” grunge bands were in the ‘90s, the cold hard truth is that grunge fell out of popularity by the end of the decade. It simply got too popular, just like the hair metal bands did in the late ‘80s, and just like the Second British Invasion artists like Duran Duran, Culture Club, and Human League did in the early ‘80s (and for that matter just like the so-called “nü-metal” rap-rock bands of the early ‘00s did, including Limp Bizkit, Korn, and Staind).
But then there’s Weezer. Like the Britpop invasion, Weezer’s arrival in the middle of the grunge explosion was somewhat curious and unexpected. The style of bandleader Rivers Cuomo and his band wasn’t as groundbreaking as Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, perhaps, but they were going for something quite a bit less ambitious. The sound was just a smart blend of classic rock and power-pop like Kiss and Cheap Trick, mixed with indie rock like Pavement and the Pixies, mixed with some Beach Boys harmonies sprinkled on top.
So Weezer sounded like nothing else in the music industry. It was crunchy guitars and happy-sounding melodies and harmonies interspersed into songs about isolation and jamming in the garage with your buds. And it came out in the summer of ‘94, at a time when it could be suggested that grunge had officially entered into the mainstream. Which meant Weezer were the real alternative rockers. Tracks from Weezer’s debut album, like “Buddy Holly,” “Say It Ain’t So,” and “Undone (The Sweater Song),” sat next to Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Pearl Jam on the charts and on MTV’s playlist. And it was a little weird to see them all together! But not too weird to accept for fans of grunge.
Weezer’s second album, Pinkerton, was gloomier and perhaps a bit more “out there” and artsy than its predecessor, which resulted in dismal sales and unaccepting fans. It caused the band to go on hiatus with their tails between their legs to an extent. But then a funny thing happened: bands started referring back to Pinkerton and finding it to be a major influence. The somber sentiments paired with loud guitars on the LP created an aesthetic that young bands kept adopting, and eventually that aesthetic was given a name: emo. And although Weezer had reunited and returned to a sunnier overall sound by the time that genre really started bubbling up thanks to bands like Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, the moral of the story was still evident: Weezer’s brand of alternative rock, which had been an outlier during grunge, had transitioned over to the mainstream by the mid-‘00s.
7. Post-grunge
Ultimately, the genre that is now called grunge ended up becoming an all-encompassing umbrella category for all kinds of mid- to late ‘90s alternative rock artists who valued dirty guitar sounds and catchy songs performed with a sizable chip on one’s shoulder. Inevitably, all the bands that dominated the early part of the ‘90s greatly influenced the bands that gained prominence in the later ‘90s. Makes sense, right? And yet those subsequent bands ended up being called “post-grunge,” when in reality most of them were living proof that grunge still factored heavily into the popular music of the time—it was just decided that the word “grunge” had a negative connotation and needed to be expunged.
But as is proven by the Rediscover the '90s: Alternative playlist, there were some incredible songs that came out “after” grunge had its run. It’s just that, if we’re being honest, these songs and the artists who released them also represented a harsh reality: their very existence meant that alternative rock was now the mainstream.
Here are the three top post-grunge songs on Amazon Music’s Rediscover the '90s: Alternative playlist. Enjoy!
Marcy Playground
“Sex & Candy” (1997)
There was a touch of slacker thrown in with the overall Nirvana vibe that John Wozniak created for his project Marcy Playground’s only big hit. He starts right in with the vocal, and he sounds awfully bored: “Hangin’ ‘round downtown by myself, and there she was.” The lazy jangle of the not-too-distorted guitar never really gets crunchy like a Nirvana cut usually would, but that’s okay. The infamous refrain of “I smell sex and candy, yeah / Who’s that loungin’ in my chair? / Who’s that castin’ devious stares in my direction? / Mama, this surely is a dream” was memorable and original enough to make the song a Number 1 modern rock hit as well as a Number 8 pop hit.
Lit
“My Own Worst Enemy” (1999)
Another killer song with an über-catchy chorus that sports a supremely memorable refrain: “Please tell me why my car is in the front yard and I’m sleeping with my clothes on / I came in through the window last night?” Musically it’s pop meat and punk potatoes, which was all that was needed to push the track to the Number 1 spot on Billboard’s Alternative Airplay chart, and it even came within one position of making the pop Top 50. Lit followed “Enemy” up with another ever-so-slightly risqué single in “Miserable,” which made it to the Alternative Airplay Number 3 slot.
Semisonic
“Closing Time” (1998)
Everyone who was near a radio in the spring and summer of 1998 knows how the last line of the verse goes: “Closing time / You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.” Semisonic bandleader and songwriter extraordinaire Dan Wilson’s genius, of course, was that now every bar manager in the world would have a theme song for the end of the evening they could play to signal to patrons it’s time to vamoose—assuming the bar manager isn’t so sick of hearing the song that they can’t bring themselves to play it, of course. “Closing Time” not only landed at Number 1 on the alternative chart but went to Number 4 on Billboard’s Adult Top 40 chart. The success of the late-night anthem paved the way for Wilson to write even-bigger smash hits (and win a couple Grammys) with the Chicks (“Not Ready to Make Nice”) and Adele (“Someone Like You”).