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 — Alice in Chains — Would?. Alice in Chains brought a darker, heavier edge to the Seattle sound.
17. 1992-09-29 — Stone Temple Pilots — Plush. Stone Temple Pilots carried grunge's melody into the mainstream.
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.