Best Grunge Albums Ever

The Top Ten
Dirt - Alice In Chains

Amazing. Someone up there is saying that although Nevermind is overplayed, if we heard it for the first time it would overpower the rest of the albums on this list. Although I do agree with that, with a few exceptions, it couldn't overpower this. Not in a million years. Nevermind or any Nirvana album, or even further than that, any grunge album, or even further than that, any damn album on the planet can't match the dark, evil, and traumatized tones that the band perfectly delivers on this album. If you like grunge for its dark and murky side, you can't go wrong with Alice in Chains. Every album (but especially Dirt) is a masterpiece.

Nevermind - Nirvana

This album is incredible! My favorite albums of all time are the Neverminds. Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols and Nevermind by Nirvana. This album rocks so hard, and it shows that you don't have to play musically complex songs. You can write simple but very, very effective songs. From Smells Like Teen Spirit to Something in the Way, there are no duds, just killer songs back to back. Poetic lyrics, pounding drums, pulsating bass, aggressive, amazing guitar playing, and... That voice. That voice... RIP Kurt Cobain.

Ten - Pearl Jam

Come on. This is probably the most consistently good album ever made. There is not one bad song on here. The worst is probably Deep, and it's still great.

Nirvana is Nirvana, but if we compare the other "big" bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Stone Temple Pilots... they were so simple. Maybe "Nevermind" could reach number one in grunge history, but "Ten" is Top Ten of the last 25 years including all genres of music.

I'm listening to every kind of music and every album that I've heard in my entire life, and this album is the best. Just listen to it. Then you'll come here and press vote automatically.

Superunknown - Soundgarden

Dirt is a trip through the desert depths of despair and decay. Nevermind is an introspective and hopeless, simultaneously cerebral and primal, attack on a disingenuous world filled with insincerity. Ten is a more hopeful affair, but that hope only fuels its anger with a world built on injustice and immorality, desperate to accuse, even if it must accuse itself.

Then there's Superunknown. It's internalized everything wrong with its world, and hasn't an ounce of faith or hope, let alone love, to spare. Occasionally this is only demonstrated by virtue of some fun escapism (My Wave, Spoonman, Half), but much more often it's stuck in its own head. Desperate to escape its depression, but unwilling and generally unable to do so. The Day I Tried To Live illustrates this perfectly. Try as its author may, he only winds up becoming the evil in his head when he tries to escape its grasp. In Mailman, he lets this evil work through him by rising up against his unnamed oppressor only to oppress it, leading them both to destruction. Much more could be said. Most every song here is an episode from the truth of Hell on earth. It's black, cold, hopeless, makes false promises, and brings evil to everything it touches.

Ten sees the potential for this reality and fights to keep it from occurring.
Nevermind finds itself on the path to this reality and can't find a way off the train.
Dirt illustrates the path into this reality as though it were almost desirable.
Superunknown lives this reality. Superunknown is a depiction of Hell.

In Utero - Nirvana

Pure grunge... Pure Nirvana... In Utero should be 2nd best after Nevermind... Nirvana and their music was the only band that changed a generation. In fact, they did create a new generation...

If we're talking strictly grunge, then this is a much better album than Nevermind, simply because every song is so raw and displays everything that grunge is about. Nevermind is the commercial album, In Utero is the real sound of Nirvana and grunge.

Easily better than Nevermind, and up there with Dirt. Should be #2 or #1.

Badmotorfinger - Soundgarden

Don't know very much about grunge, but this one is a fantastic album.

This album is amazing! How is this not in the top 10?

I like it more than anything on this list.

Purple - Stone Temple Pilots
Facelift - Alice In Chains

This album came out in 1990, which is at least a year or two before many of the albums on this list. It's safe to say that it's a very important album in the history of grunge. Not only that, but it is heavy as all hell. I must also mention that Layne Staley's best vocals are often found here, especially on Man in the Box, I Can't Remember, Love Hate Love, and Confusion. This album is right on par with Dirt, in my opinion, if not better. It's also my favorite Alice in Chains album and favorite grunge album.

Major album in making grunge known.

Core - Stone Temple Pilots

How is this only 9th? This is top 5 EASILY. Probably one of the few albums I'd consider absolutely perfect. From Plush to Sex Type Thing to Creep to Wicked Garden to even Piece of Pie, this album doesn't have a single song that's less than great. A better album than Nevermind for sure, and certainly on the level of Ten and Dirt.

I feel a lot of people underrate this album. It is very good.

Very strong album with Scott Weiland's very strong vocals. They're really grunge.

Apple - Mother Love Bone

This is at #73... no that isn't right. This should be in the top two with Alice in Chains' Dirt.

The Newcomers

? Degradation Trip - Jerry Cantrell
? Sound of White Noise - Anthrax
The Contenders
Siamese Dream - Smashing Pumpkins

Not only the greatest grunge album, but one of the greatest albums of all time.

One of the greatest albums ever!

Temple Of The Dog - Temple Of The Dog

By far the greatest album on this list. It doesn't get more grunge than Pearl Jam and Soundgarden combining together to breed euphoria in our ears.

Bleach - Nirvana

Nirvana's surface. No Bleach no Nirvana - no Nirvana no grunge! Get with it guys! What did Kurt Cobain play at his last concert? About a Girl! Amazing song. Look it up fools!

This isn't in the top 10! This is the best Nirvana album!

Alice In Chains - Alice In Chains

AKA the Tripod album. One of the darkest, creepiest, slimiest grunge albums ever and a damn good one too. Best song, Frogs. Check it out!

Best Alice album and the best piece of art from the '90s grunge scene.

Why in the living hell isn't this in the top 10?

Jar of Flies - Alice In Chains
Vs. - Pearl Jam
Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness - Smashing Pumpkins
Down on the Upside - Soundgarden

For "Tighter & Tighter"... The best Soundgarden song.

Mad Season - Above

Listening to it now, had to vote for it because it's so undervoted. Fantastic album with Layne Staley on vocals.

Really underrated, in my opinion, it belongs in the top 5, but not first. Had to vote for it because it was 21st.

Fantastic Planet - Failure
Live Through This - Hole
Vitalogy - Pearl Jam

The first full album I heard and one of my favorites! I just like this slightly more than Ten.

Superfuzz Bigmuff - Mudhoney

My favorites: Nevermind, Superfuzz Bigmuff, and Ten. I prefer the original EP version of this one.

Grunge starts here... Must be in the top 5.

Candlebox - Candlebox

How is this at #23? Start to finish, a solid album. Has to be one of the top ten grunge albums. Easily the best album of 1993.

Stoner Witch - The Melvins
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