Grunge, otherwise known as the Seattle sound, is a music genre and a pop culture phenomenon– no, it's not an aesthetic you found on Pinterest. Grunge is a music subculture that emerged during the ’80s but really hit the mainstream and its peak in the ’90s. Falling into the alternative rock category, grunge most commonly fuses the elements of punk and heavy metal, excluding the typical speed of punk music. Overall, grunge was the sound seeping from the basements and inferior rehearsal rooms of cities in the Pacific Northwest such as Olympia and Seattle.

When talking about grunge music, ‘The Big Four’ will often pop up. Consisting of the bands Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden, these guys can also be considered ‘the grunge founding fathers’. The overall grunge movement was made up of these themes: the tolerance of difference, feminism, mistrust of the authorities, and cynicism towards big corporations. The music's angst-driven lyrics often depict and address themes in songs such as: social alienation and isolation, abuse, assault, and self-doubt. Overall, the grunge genre both indicated and expressed concern for social matters most commonly affecting youth, summing up to be the alternative revolution of the ’90s.

Although the grunge scene and music will most likely not have a revival, the modernization of grunge really deflects from the meaning of the genre as a whole. It is truly disappointing when one refers to oneself as ‘grunge’, but also is completely unaware of the subculture. In the end, grunge has become a shared memory between individuals who followed this cultural prodigy, all the way to its tragic consequences. The music will forever be cherished by many, and from the contents of Kurt’s suicide letter, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.”