Top 10 Most Important Albums in Grunge Music History

Grunge music was a phenomenon that emerged from the Pacific Northwest in the mid-1980s and quickly took the world by storm. Known for its heavy guitar riffs, raw vocal delivery, and angst-ridden lyrics, grunge became a defining sound of the 1990s. It was a genre that spoke to a generation disillusioned by the political climate and social issues of the time, and its popularity continued to grow throughout the decade.

The grunge movement was spearheaded by bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains, among others. These bands and their music became synonymous with the grunge sound, and their albums were pivotal in shaping the genre. Each of these bands had their own unique style, but they all shared a common thread of authenticity and a DIY ethos.

As grunge continued to gain popularity, it became clear that it was more than just a passing trend. It was a movement that would go on to influence countless bands and musicians for years to come. It's no surprise, then, that the albums that came out of this era are still regarded as some of the most important and influential in music history.
The Top Ten
1 Nevermind - Nirvana

Really, didn't "originate" the genre? Then why isn't something by Chuck Berry or Little Richard the most important rock album? Or something by Frank Sinatra the most important pop album?

What was I gonna say... Nevermind

2 Dirt - Alice in Chains
3 Mudhoney - Mudhoney

Never expected this album to hit #1 on this list.

4 Ten - Pearl Jam
5 Superunknown - Soundgarden

This was Soundgarden's first and only #1 album on the Billboard 200 charts.

6 Facelift - Alice In Chains
7 Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden

"Louder Than Love" and "Superunknown" are higher and this album isn't? I don't get it.

8 Melvins - Melvins

Important for influencing Nirvana no matter how overrated they are.

9 Superfuzz Bigmuff Plus, Early Singles - Mudhoney
10 In Utero - Nirvana
The Contenders
11 Temple of the Dog - Temple of the Dog

It bridged the gap between Mother Love Bone and Pearl Jam.

For being the first Grunge supergroup album.

12 Bleach - Nirvana

This album came out two years before "Nevermind", so it was obviously important for grunge.

13 Alice in Chains - Alice in Chains
14 Smash - The Offspring

This album isn't grunge at all. It's pop punk anyone can tell the difference between pop punk and grunge it isn't that hard. Pop punk: Soft punk music with clean vocals and electronic guitars. Grunge: Distorted guitars with unclean vocals and power.

This album doesn't belong on this list at all. It's not grunge and the fact it was voted one in "Most Important Albums in Rock History" makes me cringe.

The Offspring may sound a little bit like Nirvana on this album, but that doesn't make this album or this band grunge.

15 Core - Stone Temple Pilots

Even though I'm not a fan of STP this album was somewhat important to Grunge music.

16 God's Balls - Tad
17 Apple - Mother Love Bone

Obviously an important album because, not only is it a swansong for Andrew Wood, but this was the band that Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament played in between Green River and Pearl Jam.

This album is seriously important to grunge.

18 Foo Fighters - Foo Fighters

Sure it's important for starting Dave Grohl's career but did it really influence the genre that much? Not really... sure it was a raw and kickass album but not really influential to me.

Essentially important because songs like "This Is a Call" and "I'll Stick Around" were played to death on MTV and radio.

Important for being the path that Dave Grohl took after the death of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana.

19 Frogstomp - Silverchair

This album has one of their best known hits "Tomorrow".

More post-grunge than pure grunge.

20 Come on Down - Green River

1985 - it was the very FIRST grunge record. It's an EP and not an album but I guess it counts in the context of this list. This EP was also the debut release by Green River.

21 Louder Than Love - Soundgarden

Superunknown is better but this album is more important.

22 Sixteen Stone - Bush
23 Sweet Oblivion - Screaming Trees
24 Houdini - Melvins
25 Candlebox - Candlebox
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