I like all their pretty songs and I like to sing along

June 27, 2008 7:18 AM

Great '90s grunge songs EXCLUDING Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, STP, and early Radiohead?

I'm working on a blog post that will be "an appreciation of '90s grunge." I've already come up with most of a top-10-or-15 list just from the above bands, but I want to make sure I'm not overlooking some less obvious gems.

My goal is to find a couple more songs that really stand out from the crowd, so that even people who think of grunge as a played-out, over-hyped fad would listen and say: "Wow, that was really something."

I'm looking for songs that are mainstream enough to have a high-quality YouTube clip I can link to -- either an MTV video or professional concert footage.

I want to focus on that specific time period and that specific genre. Distorted guitars, power chords, loud vocals, etc. Not "pop-punk," not metal, not indie folk -- just pure grunge.

I'm just looking for songs, songs, songs. Not bands, and not albums. Songs.

posted by Jaltcoh to media & arts (93 comments total)

Don't forget the ladies!

4 Non Blondes
L7
Hole...
posted by phunniemee at 7:27 AM on June 27, 2008

Oops, you said songs. Here's one of the biggest hits. What's Up.
posted by phunniemee at 7:28 AM on June 27, 2008

Debonair by the Afghan Whigs.
posted by tiny crocodile at 7:30 AM on June 27, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

that dog - He's Kissing Christian

Eric's Trip - My Room

Sonic Youth - Kool Thing

Each of these bands is worth further exploration. :)
posted by TheNewWazoo at 7:31 AM on June 27, 2008

Nada Surf - Popular (boy, haven't they changed?)
posted by afx237vi at 7:31 AM on June 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

It's very late 80s, but I don't think you can talk about grunge without mentioning "Rockin' in the Free World" by The Godfather of Grunge, Neil Young.
posted by bondcliff at 7:32 AM on June 27, 2008

Handsome and Gretel by Babes in Toyland
Pretend We're Dead by L7
Nearly Lost You by Screaming Trees
posted by fire&wings at 7:32 AM on June 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Blind Melon - No Rain
posted by gyusan at 7:32 AM on June 27, 2008

Good point, phunniemee. Hole had a couple great songs.

Cracker: Low
Dinosaur Jr: Feel the Pain
Does Sonic Youth count? Bull in the Heather
Does Tool count? Sober
posted by knave at 7:33 AM on June 27, 2008

The Pixies - ... just about any song from Surfer Rosa.
The Breeders - Cannonball
Porno for Pyros - Pets or Porno for Pyros
posted by furtive at 7:33 AM on June 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Violet by Hole
posted by xena at 7:34 AM on June 27, 2008

Does Toadies's "Possum Kingdom" fit the bill?
posted by saladin at 7:34 AM on June 27, 2008

If 1994 isn't too late, I'd suggest the Meat Puppets' "Backwater" and the Toadies' "Possum Kingdom." Both fantastic songs, and reasonably big hits.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:34 AM on June 27, 2008

Mudhoney needs to be on this list. Start with "Suck You Dry" because that's Their One Song That Everyone's Heard Of.
posted by giraffe at 7:35 AM on June 27, 2008

Sloan - Underwhelmed (despite going all Beatles after their first album, Sloan were almost Canada's Nirvana to start with)

Monster Magnet - Negasonic Teenage Warhead. They were a bit of a one-hit wonder but this was a pretty popular grunge track overall.
posted by wackybrit at 7:35 AM on June 27, 2008

Scratch that - I nominate Gentlemen instead.
posted by tiny crocodile at 7:36 AM on June 27, 2008

(Veruca Salt's "Seether" is pretty good, too.)
posted by uncleozzy at 7:36 AM on June 27, 2008

Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick
posted by entropicamericana at 7:39 AM on June 27, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

Anything on Sub Pop 200. Try Tad's 'Behemoth'.
posted by jonathanbell at 7:39 AM on June 27, 2008

someone mentioned nearly lost you, but i would say bed of roses by screaming trees. there seems to be a video for plainclothes man by heatmiser.
posted by snofoam at 7:41 AM on June 27, 2008

Two songs by Seattle's own, didn't-quite-hit-the-big-time, Gruntruck -- Tribe and Crazy Love

R.I.P Ben.
posted by Balonious Assault at 7:41 AM on June 27, 2008

I can't listen to these right now, but I can see just from the song titles I recognize that there's lots of great stuff in here. My only concern is that my blog post will be ridiculously long just to include all the essentials, but I'll deal with it somehow.

Thanks, everyone. Keep 'em coming!

If 1994 isn't too late...

Ha! 1994 was the year I started listening to this music (7th grade).
posted by Jaltcoh at 7:43 AM on June 27, 2008

The Cranberries - "Zombie"
The Toadies - "Possum Kingdom" (and "I Come From the Water")
Silverchair - "Tomorrow"
posted by xbonesgt at 7:53 AM on June 27, 2008

Love Battery was one of the better Seattle grunge-era bands that got overlooked.

Also, seconding TAD, TAD a thousand times TAD.
posted by Otis at 7:54 AM on June 27, 2008

ahem. Radiohead were -never- grunge.
posted by ascullion at 7:56 AM on June 27, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

I'd recommend checking out Eleven, who I wish I'd known about back in those days, although their best stuff now (for my money) is the later Desert Sessions, Euphoria Morning the Chris Cornell album, and their last album Howling Book.
posted by opsin at 7:59 AM on June 27, 2008

Second Dinosaur Jr, but Goin' Home is my favorite. Complete with mumbly intro from J. Mascis. Love.
posted by peep at 7:59 AM on June 27, 2008

I suggest Candlebox's "You" and "Far Behind". I would link to YouTube it is blocked by my company.
posted by LouMac at 8:01 AM on June 27, 2008

Oh, plus nthing Mudhoney. Also, check out Mad Season - what could be better than Layne Staley, with Mark Lanegan showing up on a couple of songs?
posted by opsin at 8:01 AM on June 27, 2008

Though I would vote for perhaps (tricky choice) Witness by Screaming Trees.
posted by opsin at 8:06 AM on June 27, 2008

Off the top of my head:
Seven Mary Three - Cumbersome
Bush - Swallowed, Machinehead, or Everything Zen
posted by chrisamiller at 8:11 AM on June 27, 2008

Any Liz Phair from Exile from Guyville: 1 2
Because no one has mentioned yet: Pearl Jam's Alive
Temple of the Dog's one good song
Mother Love Bone
posted by lubujackson at 8:19 AM on June 27, 2008

I'll mention Why I'm Here by Oleander.
posted by stovenator at 8:20 AM on June 27, 2008

Um, The Lemonheads were vastly underrated, epitomized pop-grunge fame, and Dando was wicked hot.
Some good songs:
Skulls(cover)
If I Could Talk I´d Tell You
Great Big No
Break Me

But really, just pick up the soundtracks for Singles, The Crow, and Natural Born Killers and you'll be good.
posted by esmerelda_jenkins at 8:20 AM on June 27, 2008

oh, missed the Pearl Jam exclusion.
posted by lubujackson at 8:21 AM on June 27, 2008

Plowed by Sponge
posted by AvailableName at 8:25 AM on June 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

A few Local H songs come to mind. All The Kids Are Right, for example.
posted by backwards guitar at 8:26 AM on June 27, 2008

Belly - Feed the Tree. A one hit wonder, but a great song.

And you better include the most grunge song that could ever be: Temple of the Dog - Hunger Strike. A super band comprised of both Pearl Jam AND Soundgarden, the perfect 90's alt rock explace of soft loud soft
posted by nemoorange at 8:27 AM on June 27, 2008

I really like the album Dust by the Screaming Trees and for me, Sworn and Broken is the stand out song. I also really like Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns by Mother Love Bone.
posted by Palmcorder Yajna at 8:32 AM on June 27, 2008

PS: PJ Harvey-
Man-Size
Rid of Me
posted by esmerelda_jenkins at 8:32 AM on June 27, 2008

Todd Snider, "Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues," which is not grunge, but it is about grunge.

Now to fit in fast we wear flannel shirts, we turn our amps up until it hurts.
We've got bad attitudes and what's more, when we play we stare straight down at the floor.
Wowee ... pretty scary ... how pensive ... how totally alternative.

Now to fit in on the Seattle scene, you've gotta do somethin' they ain't never seen.
So thinkin' up a gimmick one day, we decided to be the only band that wouldn't play ... a note.
Under any circumstances ... silence, music's original alternative ... roots grunge!

Well, we spread the word through the underground, that we were the hottest new thing in town.
The record guy came out to see us one day, and just like always we didn't play.
It knocked him out ... he said he loved our work ... he said he loved our work but he wasn't sure if he could sell a record with nothing on it.
I said "Tell 'em we're from Seattle."
He advanced us two and a half million dollars.
posted by adipocere at 8:39 AM on June 27, 2008

Mudhoney's Touch Me I'm Sick.
posted by Ironmouth at 8:58 AM on June 27, 2008

Mother Love Bone - Chloe Dancer and Stardog Champion
Temple of the Dog - Hungerstrike
The Nixons - Sister
...and maybe you want something by Candlebox, too, but I don't really know their music
posted by qxntpqbbbqxl at 8:59 AM on June 27, 2008

The band's not really grunge, but this song blew up on the grunge/alternative scene, and is still fucking great:

Hum - Stars
posted by naju at 8:59 AM on June 27, 2008 [2 favorites has favorites]

OK, some of these push the definition of "grunge"...but in my mind, they all share the spirit, if not the geography:

Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Full Grown
The Muffs - Agony
Spoon - All The Negatives Have Been Destroyed
Breeders - Iris (live, from the No Alternative comp)
Yo La Tengo - Little Honda
Dump - Erotic City
Flaming Lips - Kim's Watermelon Gun
Fugazi - Back To Base
McLusky - Lightsaber Cocksucking Blues
Supergrass - Caught By The Fuzz
posted by Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific at 9:02 AM on June 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Oh yeah, and Sebadoh - Brand New Love. Crank it!
posted by Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific at 9:03 AM on June 27, 2008

Daisy Chainsaw -- Love Your Money or my personal favorite, Sick Of Sex
posted by waraw at 9:13 AM on June 27, 2008

4 Non Blondes aren't grunge, not by a long shot. Linda Perry may wear grungy clothes in that video, but their music was solidly alternafolk. Nada Surf isn't grunge, either -- they were too late, and Popular, while a great song, is alternapop. If your blog post were about Weezer and its early contemporaries, they'd be perfect, but they don't fit here. I wouldn't put Blind Melon or the Lemonheads in the category, either -- Blind Melon qualifies more as a jam band, and they never had much to do with the grunge scene except for the drugs. The Lemonheads, although punky earlier in their career, by the time they broke big were solidly alternapop. I have a really hard time taking Candlebox or Bush seriously as 'grunge.' I'm on the fence about Dinosaur Jr. being grunge, but that's me being a hard-ass, probably. Supergrass and Sebadoh REALLY push the definition, Gee Your Hair...

Try Pond, one of the best bands of the scene. Videos here and here. That first video is especially priceless, although the song isn't Pond's best.

Also look into The Spinanes here.
posted by incessant at 9:15 AM on June 27, 2008

The Gits - Seaweed

Seaweed - Kid Candy

Archers of Loaf - Web in Front

Green River - This Town

The Melvins - Honey Bucket

Afghan Whigs - Turn on the Water

Pavement - Summer Babe
posted by Pecinpah at 9:21 AM on June 27, 2008

Holy Crap! 2nding Pond and the Spinanes in a big way!

forgot about them...long time back
posted by Pecinpah at 9:23 AM on June 27, 2008

wow. this totally shows some info about the askme demographics.
posted by Amby72 at 9:24 AM on June 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

And how about
Jesus Lizard - Thumper
posted by naju at 9:24 AM on June 27, 2008

Sorry for the post-diarhea...

Poster Children - If You See Kay

Sonic Youth - Dirty Boots
posted by Pecinpah at 9:28 AM on June 27, 2008

Ooooh, wait, what about Superchunk? Driveway to Driveway? Is that grunge enough for y'all?
posted by esmerelda_jenkins at 9:34 AM on June 27, 2008

Mudhoney, mudhoney, mudhoney, mudhoney (ignore crappy video, listen to amazing song), Green River.

Please note that some of these are from the late 80's.
posted by dersins at 9:35 AM on June 27, 2008 [1 favorite has favorites]

Blind Melon has so much more than No Rain. Tones of Home is a solid grungy one, but their whole discography is awesome.
posted by solipsophistocracy at 9:59 AM on June 27, 2008

Grey Cell Green by Ned's Atomic Dustbin

Sucked Out by Superdrag

The Concept by Teenage Fan Club

Bandwagonesque and Regretfully Yours are probably my favorite underrated albums of the era. Not quite sure they are technically grunge but they were awesome.
posted by any major dude at 10:04 AM on June 27, 2008

How far afield are you going to go? Because "grunge" was really kind of a smaller and more "focused" idiom than most people think, in part because there was so much that was sold as "grunge" after '92 that really had very little to do with the scene or the sound.

Like, in the above litany, you can strike nearly half the answers as bullshit—they're either alterna-pop, too late, or expanding "grunge" beyond what it actually was.

I mean, c'mon, Killdozer, Flipper and Paw are closer than Nada Surf, Blind Melon or Cracker (WTF?), but of Killdozer, Flipper and Paw, only Paw's "Jessie" would legitimately fit your question.

Something else to remember is that a lot of the bands that the "grunge" artists were playing with either didn't consider themselves grunge or were on the fringes—Nirvana had Shonen Knife open up for them, and while 7 Year Bitch was part of the grunge scene, they sound more like The Gits than Black Sabbath, and they played with Jack Off Jill, who were kinda industro-pop. Or The Mono Men, who were another Seattle band in that scene, who sounded like a Sonics rip-off and predated the garage rock explosion that happened later in the '90s.

If you're OK with stretching a little, I'd recommend The Toadies' "Possum Kingdom," Hum's "Counting Stars," REM's "Crush with Eyeliner," Smashing Pumpkins' "I Am One," Superchunk's "Slack Motherfucker," Silverchair's "Tomorrow". Let me know if you want more, but really, go listen to more Mudhoney and Tad.
posted by klangklangston at 10:11 AM on June 27, 2008

Another vote for Dinosaur Jr. It may not have the epic quasi-operatic vocals we came to expect from bands like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden (and the legions of half-baked imitators today), but they still had an early 90's grungy vibe.

Oh and they rock.
posted by inoculatedcities at 10:20 AM on June 27, 2008

Any of the previously mentioned Dino Jr. songs and Sponge - Plowed.
posted by euphorb at 10:37 AM on June 27, 2008

Dandelion - Waiting for a Ride
posted by The Straightener at 10:39 AM on June 27, 2008

Mudhoney's best song -- "In N Out of Grace" 2001 (at 0:40), MTV, 1990 (at 3:00)

Screaming Trees, Butterfly, "Shadow of the Season"
posted by msalt at 10:48 AM on June 27, 2008

Soul Asylum! I wore out that Grave Dancer's Union album. The biggest hit was "Runaway Train" but "Somebody to Shove" is a great grunge song.
posted by witchstone at 11:19 AM on June 27, 2008

Heavy Vegetable, "Couch", "Junior" (at 3:35) Great band featuring Rob Crow of Pinback fame
posted by msalt at 11:28 AM on June 27, 2008

Either Honky's Ladder or Gentlemen by the Afghan Whigs.
posted by cnc at 11:43 AM on June 27, 2008

Local H are a must here. They got a little more poppy/less grungy over time, but Cynic, from their first album, is a monster.

In a similar vein, Unconsciously Screamin' by The Flaming Lips is a winner.
posted by sinfony at 11:46 AM on June 27, 2008

berlin chair or adam's ribs by you am i. (when they had hair)


although i could be falling into the "music that i listened to when grunge was around that may or may not have been grunge itself" trap that many others have. (4 non blondes grunge? really?)
posted by onya at 12:49 PM on June 27, 2008

Violent Femmes
Midnight Oil
posted by premortem at 1:04 PM on June 27, 2008

Slightly later, but still 90's and certainly very grungy, I'd recommend anything from the vastly underated 20-20 Sound album by Dark Star
posted by Chairboy at 1:41 PM on June 27, 2008

Three Strange Days by School of Fish.... though maybe it's a little too slick? hard to say. Seconding Feed the Tree and Gentlemen.
posted by chr1sb0y at 1:44 PM on June 27, 2008

Three Strange Days - School of Fish
Seven - Sunny Day Real Estate
posted by eyeballkid at 1:45 PM on June 27, 2008

And just to copy the rest of chr1sb0y's comment, thirding Screaming Trees and Gentleman (The Afghan Whigs and Greg Dulli's later side projects - Twilight Singers and Gutter Twins [both with Mark Lanegan from Screaming Trees] - are some of the best rock in the last 20 years)
posted by eyeballkid at 1:48 PM on June 27, 2008

lots of stuff from Left Of The Dial
posted by softlord at 1:51 PM on June 27, 2008

Violent Femmes and Midnight Oil? So not grunge. Grunge is not "stuff that happened to be played on alternative radio in the late 80s and early 90s."

I'm going to agree with those who have mentioned Tad, Mudhoney, and Love Battery. And Green River for sure. (Yes, that was late 80s, but that's because they kind of helped invent the genre, here in Seattle before the rest of you heard about it.) The Melvins, too.

Of course, any thing on the Deep Six album counts as proto-grunge, but you're not going to find much of it on YouTube.
posted by litlnemo at 6:24 PM on June 27, 2008

I'm always late to the game with all of these music questions, but I'm going to answer anyway. Also, to complicate matters, many of my links will just be to the search queries on YouTube. I don't really have time to preview the videos, even the ones I do link to directly, so my entire comment might be useless to you (mouse over links for txt). But, here goes..

You (and I) want Mudhoney's 'Superfuzz Bigmuff,' which was just reissued. Okay okay, I get it, you want songs. Go with the best, 'Touch Me I'm Sick.' I haven't previewed the video, but here's one live in Chester, England from 1989. And, there are plenty of other great Mudhoney songs. Yes, 'Suck You Dry' [video?] is great.. I had a particular afinity for 'Acetone,' also from 'Piece of Cake,' but I doubt that had a video. And, there's also 'Nearly Lost You' by the Screaming Trees. (I was about to search for a video, but fire&wings, who clearly has great musical taste, got to it first.. that's happened before in music posts!).

Beyond the Screaming Trees, and Mudhoney mostly, when I think of REAL grunge, I actually think of one of Kurt Cobain's favorites, The Melvins. I can't say that I enjoy listening to their.. uh.. dulcet sounds, though. What song? God if I know.. Here's a generic Melvins search query on YouTube. The song I know best is called 'Creepy Smell'. Whether or not it's pleasant listening or not.. well, they were pretty influential. I'd somehow put Killdozer in this category as well.. a band I didn't really like but were far more 'grungy' than grunge really was. I'd also recommend The Jesus Lizard's 'Puss' which was on a famous split 7" with Nirvana's 'Oh The Guilt.' Here is the YouTube query if you want a quick link to look at live stuff.

Oh yeah, Dinosaur Jr, while not grunge, were pretty essential for their scuzzy.. grungy sound. 'Little Fury Things,' Start Choppin', 'Freak Scene.' Also here's footage of Dino Jr playing 'Freak Scene' on a 1991 European tour with Sonic Youth and Nirvana. 'Feel The Pain' is good, but too mellow to really hit the spot. Regardless of whether you want a video or live footage of Dino Jr, you want it from the 90s or before.

Finally, I see someone mentioned Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. I'd go with 'Sweet Little Hi-Fi' by Pussy Galore. 'Dick Johnson' is the only video I'm finding for PG, though. As far as the Afghan Whigs go, 'Gentleman' was the one that I liked best. And, yeah, TAD's pretty much the grunge band that should've made it but didn't. Not helpful, but just to pass on my two 90s band prejudices, I'd stay away from Superchunk or Girls v. Boys! YMMV. I'm probably forgetting loads of worthwhile stuff, and I am sorry that I'm not previewing all the videos for you. Mostly, I'm sorry for the length of my comment! This is some great music, and good luck on your blog post(s)!
posted by Mael Oui at 10:15 PM on June 27, 2008

Also, it's not a song (and it includes a band that you're excluding), but I wouldn't mention anything music-related.. rock/indie/grunge, etc. from that time without saying how mind blowing 1991: The Year Punk Broke was.. or, at least it was for me when I saw it at twelve or thirteen. It's on YouTube: part one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven.
posted by Mael Oui at 10:30 PM on June 27, 2008

IMHO the Afghan Whigs, much as I love them, weren't close to grunge by the time Gentlemen came around but.. "Retarded" or "White Trash Party" off their Sub Pop record Up in It, Gutter Twins album is pretty fantastic.

MELVINS

Babes in Toyland "Bruise Violet"
posted by citron at 12:35 AM on June 28, 2008

I'm partial to bikini kill.
posted by Tlogmer at 1:45 AM on June 28, 2008

Thanks again for all the responses. I'll definitely be using a lot of these. I plan to do this over a series of posts, with the first one posted on Friday. My blog is in my profile in case you're interested (not to hawk my blog in AskMe, but I did get some people asking me about it, so I thought I'd point it out here).

I probably shouldn't have made a big deal about how I just wanted "pure grunge." I didn't really mean to restrict it that much. I noticed a lot of people questioning whether certain songs are really grunge -- hey, it's all grunge to me...

I'm not even done listening to everything yet, but perusing through these has been a great trip down memory lane. Superdrag, Daisy Chainsaw, Monster Magnet -- who's even thought about any of those bands in the past few years?!

I'm surprised by some of the bands that get mentioned most often. There are clearly a lot of mefites whose musical taste I can't say I share. So I'm sure many of you would be disappointed with my list -- but hey, you can always make your own list!
posted by Jaltcoh at 9:46 AM on June 28, 2008

" I noticed a lot of people questioning whether certain songs are really grunge -- hey, it's all grunge to me..."

All of it? Even the stuff that has no relation to grunge at all, other than having been popular at roughly the same time? I hope not!

Mael Oui's answers were pretty good, I thought.
posted by litlnemo at 3:20 PM on June 28, 2008

I hope not!

Well, see that's what I don't get. You hope not? Why is my perception of musical genres of any concern to you? Why does it matter whether anyone thinks of 4 Non Blondes as grunge or not grunge? I mean, on the one hand, it's mellower than most things that are called "grunge" ... but it does have sort of a grunge feel when it gets all loud in the chorus, and this seems to have been influenced by the musical trends of the time. You could make similar points about Blind Melon, Weezer, Cracker, etc. (And my list will contain songs that are even more heretical than any of these examples.) I just don't see any need to worry about policing the genre boundaries. Why not just accept that all the labels are utterly contrived, and the reality is it's all one huge, amorphous continuum? Isn't there something a little incongruous about having a doctrinaire attitude about grunge rock, of all things?

Also, since my purpose with this is to make a big list of songs with YouTube clips ... it'd be a pretty boring listening experience if I just chose the songs that most sounded exactly like what you expect "grunge" to sound like. (Of course, none of this is at all to criticize any of the song suggestions, which have been fantastic.)
posted by Jaltcoh at 4:25 PM on June 28, 2008

People tend to forget the global reach the Dinosaur Jr aesthetic used to have, back in the day. Here's a wee taster:

Loves Ugly Children, Suck.
Superette, Killer Clown.
Bailter Space, Splat.
posted by Sonny Jim at 1:22 AM on June 29, 2008

Well, it's just that there's no point in using the term "grunge" at all if the definition's that broad. It sounds like what you want is early 90s alternative rock, which is fine, and quite a bit influenced by grunge, but... they aren't one and the same thing. Grunge is alternative, but alternative wasn't necessarily grunge. It's almost like calling all the music that was popular in 1964 "British Invasion" whether it was British or not. (The bands I was personally questioning though, Midnight Oil and Violent Femmes are further from grunge than 4 Non Blondes, though. Their major popularity well-predated the grunge explosion, and they did not have anything resembling the grunge sound.)

If you got what you wanted, cool. You did ask for "grunge", though. :) And I disagree that "it'd be a pretty boring listening experience if I just chose the songs that most sounded exactly like what you expect 'grunge' to sound like" -- the "true" grunge bands that people mentioned certainly don't all sound the same. But they were pretty clearly in the same genre.
posted by litlnemo at 2:50 AM on June 29, 2008

Correction to what I said before: I won't post it on Friday since that's July 4. I'll start the list the Friday after that.

It sounds like what you want is early 90s alternative rock, which is fine

Well, not exactly... I wouldn't include Green Day, Offspring, Indigo Girls, Tori Amos, NIN, U2, Spacehog, Elastica, or Ben Folds Five. That's a lot of music to be excluding. But again, you can define "grunge" broadly or narrowly -- I prefer to define it broadly to have a more diverse list.
posted by Jaltcoh at 5:59 AM on June 29, 2008

I will second Silverchair, particularly "tomorrow". Did anyone mention Helmet? Would they fit in here? I don't know enough of their back catalogue to recommend specific songs.
posted by chronic sublime at 6:06 PM on June 29, 2008

No one mentioned Juliana Hatfield, either.. she was def pretty popular around the height of grunge, on the cover of Spin magazine, friends with Evan Dando etc. "My Sister" was the song that showed up on "Alternative Nation" all the time.
posted by citron at 10:48 PM on June 29, 2008

Why is my perception of musical genres of any concern to you?

Um, because you specifically asked about a specific musical genre? If you weren't actually interested in that genre, but instead were interested in music which was roughly contemporaneous to that genre, perhaps you should have specified that in your question, instead of specifying a particular genre.
posted by dersins at 11:00 PM on June 29, 2008

[end of discussion about definition of grunge]
posted by Jaltcoh at 11:44 AM on June 30, 2008

Man, completely forgot about this band until the keyboard player Natasha (who went on to play with QOTSA) just died. Thread's still open, figured I'd throw it in here:

Eleven - Crash Today

Eleven - Reach Out
posted by The Straightener at 7:59 AM on July 6, 2008

In case anyone is still reading this and is curious to see/hear how it turned out, here's the list.

As you can see if you look through all the songs, I used a lot of people's ideas, and some of your ideas got me thinking about other songs. As I explain in the intro, though, this is a subjective list based on the music I actually listen to; if you don't see your favorite grunge band here, that's why.
posted by Jaltcoh at 4:50 AM on August 31, 2008

A note about the "best answers" (in case anyone is still reading this): I've marked a few that give songs I ended up using. This is very personal -- someone else could easily have completely different best answers. Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions.
posted by Jaltcoh at 5:50 AM on April 2

Hey very cool, thanks for the update. Now I just have to spend hours compiling a playlist in iTunes and downloading the songs I don't already have.

Oh, and torturing my girlfriend with days of 90s rock
posted by TheNewWazoo at 2:13 PM on April 2 [1 favorite has favorites]

Heh, good to hear!
posted by Jaltcoh at 4:06 AM on April 3