Grunge music is a subgenre of alternative rock which emerged in the 1980s and peaked in the 1990s. There are plenty of well known grunge bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jams, and more.
Grunge music is appealing to people because it focuses more on emotional intensity and themes that are relatable to a lot of people that deal with personal struggle.
At number ten for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “Even Flow” by Pearl Jam. This is one of the standout songs from Pearl Jam’s debut album, “Ten.” This song has a remarkable and recognizable guitar riff from band members Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, and vocals by Eddie Vedder to bring an emotional feeling to the song.
At number nine for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “Polly” by Nirvana. This is arguably one of the best songs from Nirvana’s best performing album, “Nevermind.” Although this song is quieter than a lot of other grunge songs, it’s still memorable in the unsettling atmosphere of the song created mostly by Kurt Cobain’s work on the acoustic guitar.
At number eight for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “Seasons” by Chris Cornell. This song showcases Chris Cornell’s strong vocals, which helps give this song a gloomy atmosphere.
At number seven for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “Dam That River” by Alice in Chains. One of the best songs in Alice in Chains best performing album, “Dirt,” “Dam That River” showcases an energetic atmosphere that’s supported by Layne Staley’s high-quality vocals, and Jerry Cantrell’s heavy performance on the guitar.
At number six for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “Lounge Act” by Nirvana. Lounge Act is a song on Nirvana’s best performing album, “Nevermind.” Kurt Cobain creates an energetic and fast-paced atmosphere for this song through his vocals. This song also features arguably one of Krist Novoselic’s best performances on the bass guitar, which adds on to the energetic tone for this song.
At number five for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “Nutshell” by Alice in Chains and is a song on their album, “Jar of Flies.” Layne Staley helps with creating the emotional and melancholic tone that’s associated with this song. Jerry Cantrell supports this song’s emotional and melancholic tone through his work on the guitar and performs a phenomenal guitar solo.
At number four for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “Wake Up” by Mad Season. This is a song on Mad Season’s only album, “Above.” Layne Staley’s high-quality vocals help create the desolative tone that’s present in this song. One of the more noticeable aspects of this song is Mike McCready performing one of his best works on the acoustic and electric guitar.
At number three for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “The Day I Tried to Live” by Soundgarden. This is a song on Soundgarden’s best performing album, “Superunknown.” This song presents Chris Cornell’s top-notch vocals which helps bring energy to this song, and this song features Kim Thayil’s outstanding work on the electric guitar which supports this song’s energetic tone.
At number two for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “Big Empty” by Stone Temple Pilots. This is a song on Stone Temple Pilot’s album, “Purple.” Scott Weiland brings intensity and an emotional tone to this song through his vocals. Dean LeLeo also supports this song’s intensity through his heavy guitar riffs.
At number one for my top ten ranking of grunge music would be “River of Deceit” by Mad Season. This is another song on Mad Season’s only album, “Above.” Layne Staley arguably enacts one of his best vocal performances through this song and presents several vocal shifts throughout this song, one of these shifts is when he goes from his signature, more recognizable vocal tone of melancholy to a more emotionally intense tone. The emotional shifts are also presented by other band members such as Mike McCready, who plays the electric guitar and creates more intensity when Layne Staley shifts from melancholy to intensity.
If you want to step your toes into grunge music, I recommend listening to these ten songs, they rarely fail to disappoint listeners. The spotify playlist below contains these ten songs.
https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/1rA8oia4Hd9dhmBJMOoJB9?utm_source=generator
