Grunge

1990s

Grunge was a hard-sounding rock-based music pioneered by American bands mostly based in Seattle in the north-west United States: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Mudhoney, former metal-rocker Soundgarden, and Temple of the Dog.

Kurt Cobain

Grunge was a reaction against American soft rock by a disillusioned and bored 'Generation X'. Its lyrics often dealt with difficult issues such as drugs and mental illness.

When Nirvana's front-man Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994 he was quickly elevated to cult status.