Grunge Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Grunge
Nirvana band members Krist Novoselic (left) and Kurt Cobain performing at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.
Stylistic origins	Punk rock Alternative rock Hard rock Noise rock Hardcore punk Heavy metal
Cultural origins	Mid-1980s, United States
Typical instruments	Guitar, drums, vocals, bass guitar
Derivative forms	Post-grunge
Regional scenes
Seattle Sound

Grunge music or Seattle sound (as it is called sometimes) is a style of rock music that has elements of punk rock and heavy metal. It started in the mid- 1980s in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, especially in the states of Washington and Oregon. It became more popular in the early 1990s. Grunge songs often had lyrics with depression, unhappiness, or apathy as themes.

The songs often had light (or clean) guitar sounds in the verses, and the high energy boost of distorted (or dirty) guitars in the choruses. The line-up for these bands was the typical rock band of guitars, bass, drums and vocal.

Although grunge as a movement became less popular by the last 1990s, its influence is still heard in many bands today.

A well known grunge group was Nirvana.

Images for kids

Mark Arm of Green River whose Dry as a Bone EP was described as "ultra-loose grunge" in 1987
A museum exhibition about the Seattle music scene, with record sleeves of Nevermind and In Utero by Nirvana and Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden
Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready
The relatively affordable, widely available Boss DS-2 distortion pedal was one of the key effects (including the related DS-1) that created the growling, overdriven guitar sound in grunge.
Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil's punk attitudes encouraged him to downplay soloing in the 1980s; however, when other leading grunge bands such as Nirvana started to de-emphasize the role of the solo during the early 1990s, he began to do solos again.
Drummer Matt Cameron, who played with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden
Vocalist Eddie Vedder, from Pearl Jam, is noted for his expressive singing style.
Grunge concerts, like the heavy metal, punk rock, and hardcore shows that influenced grunge's development, were loud. Pictured is Pearl Jam's bassist Jeff Ament in front of a wall of bass stacks.
Neil Young has been called the "Godfather of Grunge", and has had albums such as Rust Never Sleeps and Ragged Glory described as proto-grunge and grunge.
Cosmic Psychos, one of several Australian bands which influenced and interacted with the Seattle scene
Seattle grunge pioneers Green River
Nirvana performing at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards
Grunge band Pearl Jam in Columbia, Maryland in 2000
British band Bush were described by Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone as "the most successful and shameless mimics of Nirvana's music".
Britpop band Oasis performing in Canada in 2002
Post-grunge band Creed in 2002
Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist Courtney Barnett in 2015
This photo of a Mudhoney concert captures some of the band's live show energy.

Grunge facts for kids

Images for kids

See also