Fallon talks about the true history behind the grunge 'aesthetic'.
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.
The meaning of the word ‘grunge’ itself, according to dictionary.com, is: “dirt; filth; rubbish”…“something of inferior quality; trash”. Therefore, the fashion following along with it often emphasizes the use of clothing in that category. The style associated with grunge consists of many major components, including the following: thrifted or thrift-store attire, loose and baggy clothing, flannels, mismatched and disoriented items, Doc Martens or combat boots, and cardigans, all followed along by either ripped denim or leather. Grunge generally tilted away from the references of feminine or masculine stereotypes, whilst both men and women moshed beside one another. Unlike the ’80s hair-metal bands, whose motifs often depicted women as vulnerable trophies. Even the grunge legend Kurt Cobain was man enough to once in a while be feminine.
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.
On Apr. 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain was discovered dead in his Lake Washington Boulevard home. His suicide had a great impact on not only the grunge scene but also the world as a whole. In the text of Dave Grohl’s autobiography, he states, “Kurt was more than just a name to me; he was a friend, he was a father, he was a son, he was an artist, he was a human being, and over time he had became the center of our universe, to the point that our entire world orbited” (Grohl 183). Just as the deaths of Layne Staley and Chris Cornell, these passings all led to the inevitable decline of grunge. In 1994, many grunge bands broke up and became less visible, leading to the genre's demise.
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.”
Sources:
"The Storyteller" By Dave Grohl