Top 5 Grunge Albums
By Cara Sullivan, Staff Writers
June 17, 2022
Grunge music emerged during the mid-80s but became increasingly popular during the 90s around Washington giving the genre the lesser-known name of “Seattle Sound.” Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock music, with influences from lots of different punk, metal, and rock music. Grunge began to fade away after bands were broken up, and the passing of Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain, in 1994. It never truly went away. To help keep grunge alive, here are the top five grunge albums and their best songs.
#5. Ten - Pearl Jam
Released August 27, 1991, “Ten” is the debut studio album by Pearl Jam, after the breakup of their previous band “Mother Love Bone”. The best song on this album is one of the most popular, “Alive.” It makes sense that it is a popular song because it sounds pretty upbeat for the message it sends, telling the story of Eddie Vedder’s teenage years, finding out his father was really his step-father and that his biological father had died. This album will forever be one of my favorites, as it helped pave the way for other “Seattle Sound” bands in the 90s.
#4. Superunknown - Soundgarden
Released March 8, 1994, “Superunknown” is the fourth studio album by Soundgarden, and the second studio album with bassist Ben Shephard. The best song on this album has to be “Fell on Black Days.” I think this song is the best on the album because it stands out from the rest, it’s definitely on the softer side compared to the rest of the album.
#3. Core - Stone Temple Pilots
Released September 29, 1992, “Core” is the debut studio album by Stone Temple Pilots. This album is their best-selling album, selling around 8 million copies worldwide. The best song on this album is easily “Creep,” although some of the band’s other popular songs could be considered better. I’d have to argue, seeing as this song sounds similar to the rest of the band’s music and other loud grunge music, but slower, which I think makes a great addition to any playlist.
#2. Bleach - Nirvana
Released June 15, 1989, “Bleach” is the debut studio album by Nirvana. This album was put out after the successful release of their debut single “Love Buzz.” The best song on this album is “Negative Creep.” I think this song is the best, and the whole album in general because it doesn’t sound like the typical Nirvana sound that people are used to hearing from later or more popular albums like “Nevermind” or “In Utero.” Nirvana’s earlier music is much louder and seems much angrier.
#1. Dirt - Alice in Chains
Released September 29, 1992, “Dirt” is the second studio album by Alice in Chains. Dirt is the band’s best-selling album, selling 5 million copies worldwide. I love every song on this album, and I think it’s pretty hard to find an album where every song is equally as great, but my favorite has to be “Rooster.” It has a slightly different feel than other songs on the album because it is a somber tribute to Jerry Cantrell’s father, who is a Vietnam veteran. This song showed a much darker side to the group, while still containing a similar Alice in Chains sound to the rest of the album.