Grunge & Alternative

The '90s reset: Nirvana and Pearl Jam bring the underground overground, and alternative rock, R.E.M., Radiohead, the Pixies, takes over.

Part of Rock

34 moments in this segment.

1. 1985-11-01 - The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey. The Mary Chain buried pop melody in feedback and inspired a movement.
2. 1987-01-01 - Dinosaur Jr. - Freak Scene. J Mascis's Dinosaur Jr. helped invent '90s indie guitar rock.
3. 1988-03-21 - Pixies - Where Is My Mind?. The Pixies' loud-quiet-loud dynamic shaped Nirvana and all of alt-rock.
4. 1988-08-01 - Jane's Addiction - Jane Says. Jane's Addiction bridged '80s underground and '90s alternative.
5. 1988-08-01 - Mudhoney - Touch Me I'm Sick. Mudhoney's 1988 single crystallized the Seattle grunge sound.
6. 1988-10-18 - Sonic Youth - Teen Age Riot. Sonic Youth's noise-rock art shaped the entire alternative movement.
7. 1989-10-20 - Nine Inch Nails - Head Like a Hole. Trent Reznor brought industrial rock into the alternative mainstream.
8. 1991-02-19 - R.E.M. - Losing My Religion. R.E.M.'s 1991 breakthrough brought college rock to the mainstream.
9. 1991-07-07 - Pearl Jam - Alive. Pearl Jam's 1991 debut single made them grunge's other giants.
10. 1991-09-10 - Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit. Nirvana's 1991 single ended the hair-metal era and made grunge the sound of a generation.
11. 1991-09-24 - Red Hot Chili Peppers - Under the Bridge. The Chili Peppers' 1991 ballad broke funk-rock into the mainstream.
12. 1991-11-04 - My Bloody Valentine - Only Shallow. My Bloody Valentine's Loveless defined shoegaze and reshaped guitar rock.
13. 1992-03-02 - Nirvana - Come as You Are. Another single from Nevermind that made Nirvana a generational voice.
14. 1992-07-13 - Nirvana - Lithium. Another Nevermind single that captured grunge's quiet-loud dynamics.
15. 1992-09-21 - Radiohead - Creep. Radiohead's 1992 debut single hinted at the ambition to come.
16. 1992-09-29 - Stone Temple Pilots - Plush. Stone Temple Pilots carried grunge's melody into the mainstream.
17. 1992-09-29 - Alice in Chains - Would?. Alice in Chains brought a darker, heavier edge to the Seattle sound.
18. 1992-11-01 - R.E.M. - Man on the Moon. R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People made them the world's biggest alt band.
19. 1992-11-03 - Rage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name. Rage fused metal, rap and revolt on their incendiary 1992 debut.
20. 1993-05-04 - PJ Harvey - 50ft Queenie. PJ Harvey's raw, fierce rock made her one of the '90s' most vital artists.
21. 1993-09-21 - Nirvana - Heart-Shaped Box. From In Utero, Nirvana's darker, final studio statement.
22. 1994-02-08 - Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun. Soundgarden's surreal 1994 hit and video defined alt-rock's peak.
23. 1994-03-01 - Beck - Loser. Beck's genre-collapsing 1994 hit captured the slacker era.
24. 1994-04-12 - Hole - Doll Parts. Courtney Love's Hole gave the '90s one of its rawest records.
25. 1994-08-01 - Manic Street Preachers. The Manics carried Welsh fury and intellect into '90s alt-rock.
26. 1994-09-10 - Weezer - Buddy Holly. Weezer and its Spike Jonze video became alt-rock's power-pop peak.
27. 1995-06-19 - Foo Fighters - This Is a Call. Dave Grohl's debut as a frontman launched the Foo Fighters in 1995.
28. 1995-08-14 - Blur - Country House. Blur's 1995 Britpop chart battle with Oasis gripped Britain.
29. 1995-09-01 - Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains. Garbage fused grunge, electronica and pop with Shirley Manson up front.
30. 1995-10-01 - Pulp - Common People. Jarvis Cocker's Pulp gave Britpop its sharpest class anthem.
31. 1995-10-23 - The Smashing Pumpkins - 1979. The Smashing Pumpkins' 1995 nostalgia anthem defined mid-'90s alt-rock.
32. 1995-10-30 - Oasis - Wonderwall. Oasis led Britpop's 1990s charge with Wonderwall.
33. 1997-01-01 - Radiohead - Karma Police. Another OK Computer landmark that made Radiohead alt-rock's leaders.
34. 1997-05-21 - Radiohead - Paranoid Android. From OK Computer, Radiohead reinvented what alt-rock could be in 1997.