Top 10 Best Grunge Bands

AIC has finally gotten the credit they deserve. Somehow this band was always overshadowed by Nirvana, despite having a literal demigod as their frontman and the best album of the 1990s (Dirt). So happy to see them at number one.

Nirvana will always be voted number one by this generation, and it's not like that's bad - Nirvana kicked ass. However, Alice in Chains was insane, I mean, come on. Have you heard the song Man in the Box? Alice in Chains is so beautifully dark. They just embody grunge.

Layne Staley's voice was perfect for what you would want in grunge, but also so beautiful, not to mention his harmonies with guitarist Jerry Cantrell. The power of Layne's voice just blows your mind, and his sincerity and ability to turn his feelings into sick imagery is unmatched.

The definitive grunge band. If you're from the State of Washington, I'm simply saying that Nirvana made the biggest impact on music on a worldwide scale. With their song Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana was the first to bring the grunge sound to the forefront. Check your dates and Billboard's Top 100 lists if you have any doubt. There may have been bands that shared a similar sound, but that was the song that changed everything worldwide. If you disagree with this fact, then you're denying the truth.

Google can kiss my butt. Ask Rolling Stone magazine. They have been the authority for a lot longer, and they only print FACTS. I am a fan and I was there. I can only tell the truth. I'll give time to anything that is worthy of it.

Do I think that AIC is a better band? They make bigger, deeper music. I prefer their music right now. But I have to consider that Nirvana's widely appealing, simplistic sound didn't just start the grunge revolution. People don't realize that they started another significant movement as well. They reignited a huge Unplugged revolution. Kurt Cobain's acoustic performance on MTV's Unplugged series was groundbreaking. It was so beautiful that it started a wave that swept through the entire industry. Pretty much every band around, from pop to rock - including AIC, by the way - released an Unplugged album thereafter. It's one of the only albums that I've enjoyed from beginning to end.

By comparing what grunge really is, I think it's arguable to put Soundgarden at the top of the list. Pearl Jam makes a compelling argument to be at the top, and Ten is, without a doubt, one of the best albums of all time. However, when you consider what Soundgarden produced from album to album, and how they evolved and still presented their very own sound while Pearl Jam evolved away from Ten, they deserve the top spot.

As a collective, they have the chemistry that every band from the time coveted and has rarely been duplicated. When you really stop and define grunge and work from that definition, it's a no-brainer to place Soundgarden at the top of the list.

Pearl Jam is music I like to call Eargasm or ear orgasm. They are amazing, and the best thing is, they're the only grunge band to have never broken up or faded into obscurity. Instead, they have evolved, whether the new direction is good or bad, and they have stuck with it.

And although their early grunge records, like Ten and Vs., are still their best, I also appreciate how they tried new things instead of sticking with their grunge sound because it's more comfortable. Forget the best grunge band. Pearl Jam is perhaps the greatest band in the history of music.

Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Alice In Chains all had their own unique sounds, but Stone Temple Pilots takes this to a whole new level. They're not just a blend of those four bands, but they've dabbled in so many different sounds and styles and perfected them. Once Core was released in 1992, grunge had effectively reached its peak. All of those amazing albums from 1991 (Ten, Nevermind, and Badmotorfinger) were building up to STP's debut.

This band had amazing versatility, mixing grunge with multiple genres. I consider their grunge tone to have softened on the third album, but they still made great music afterward. Scott's voice wasn't as unique as Cobain's, but he used many different styles throughout STP's discography.

The Smashing Pumpkins are one of my favorite bands, considering I'm into metal. Now, Nirvana is probably the best grunge band on this list, but I think the Smashing Pumpkins deserve more credit for songs like:

- Bullet with Butterfly Wings
- Today
- 1979
- Perfect
- Zero

Just a great band, truly underrated.

It's so hard to choose. There are so many fantastic grunge bands. Smashing Pumpkins has to be my favorite for one reason: they evolved over time. Now, maybe that's blasphemous since they ventured into techno-ish music and lighter music, and kind of left grunge behind after Mellon Collie, but they stayed relevant (for the most part) and continued to put out fantastic music regardless of the musical genre. The only album I would say was "bad" was Zeitgeist. Even that one deserves a listen from time to time.

Mudhoney is so underrated. This band should have gotten a lot more attention. I'll never understand why they didn't make it into the mainstream. Shaking my head.

Mudhoney should be number 2 or 3. How could you even put Bush or Foo Fighters on this list?

Almost every grunge band owes Mudhoney credit. This band transcends the whole grunge scene, and the Superfuzz Bigmuff EP was extremely influential on the grunge scene.

Bush should not be in the top ten. They are a cheap post-grunge band. Foo Fighters are a good band but shouldn't be there either.

Grunge probably wouldn't exist without them. Plus, they invented sludge metal, which is an awesome genre too.

The Melvins are great. The guitar-drum synergy is really cool, and the lyrics make no sense but are cool also.

Temple Of The Dog consists of two of the best grunge bands of all time, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Absolutely every song on their self-titled album, their only album, is a work of art! In my opinion, Temple Of The Dog is the best grunge band of all time.

This is amazing simply because it combines three great bands - Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and even Mother Love Bone to an extent.

How come there are no comments here? Chris Cornell's collaboration with Eddie Vedder is more than great!

Have you ever had the chance to listen to their album Sweet Oblivion? It's a masterpiece, on the same level as Dirt, Ten, Vs., Superunknown, or Nevermind. They were not conventionally appealing: quite a quirky band name, the Conner brothers were not typical rock-star material, and Mark Lanegan was challenging to deal with, even compared to other singers. So the media didn't like them, but forget everything and just listen.

Lanegan's voice is recognizable right off the bat. The songs are well-written, with a bluesy undertone.

Screaming Trees is a very good band. Very successful. Mark's voice is very good, compatible with grunge music. Witness, Traveler, Black Sun Morning, Who Lies in Darkness... The songs are very good. If you like the grunge style, you should listen to this band. If you like Mark too much, you can listen to Mark Lanegan's music. This music is alternative.

Great band. Monkey Wrench, Hero, and Everlong are great songs. By the way, how are U2, Linkin Park, Green Day, and Thirty Seconds to Mars not in the top 20? The person who made this list should listen to the songs of the bands and not just rank them because of their popularity.

Amazing band, but it has a lot of Nirvana in it because their drummer, Dave Grohl, is Foo Fighters' vocalist.

I love Dave Grohl, and I loved this band's earlier stuff, but I just find this band too commercial.

Mother Love Bone was a great band, and they were around when grunge was first getting started. They greatly influenced the sound of grunge, even though they never really sounded like other grunge bands. Pearl Jam and Temple of the Dog would never have existed without Mother Love Bone.

Tragically, Mother Love Bone never got to be a part of the golden age of the music they helped to create. Their lead singer, Andrew Wood, died in 1990. Wood was the David Lee Roth of grunge. He was a great frontman and had tremendous talent and charisma. His voice suited Mother Love Bone's funky sound perfectly. If he had not died, MLB would probably have gone on to be as great and famous as Nirvana or Pearl Jam.

According to Alice in Chains' lead singer, the song "Would" is about Andrew Wood. "So I made a big mistake, try to see it once my way" is a reference to Wood's death by overdose. If anyone is interested in getting into Mother Love Bone, I recommend "This is Shangri-La" and "Thru Fade Away." Those are my favorites.

Get this higher! Really underrated band. The only reason why they're this low is that they're often labeled as post-grunge. But to be honest, I disagree. They mirror Nirvana a lot in plenty of their songs, including some of their biggest hits like "Glycerine" and "Swallowed."

Post-grunge, in my opinion, started with the Foo Fighters and transformed into bands like 3 Doors Down, Puddle of Mudd, Creed, and (gulp), Nickelback. The riffs of Bush are much harder than all those bands except maybe Foo Fighters, but Gavin Rossdale's vocals are delivered in a more "lazy" tone than Dave Grohl, which gives them the classic grunge sound.

Listen to Smashing Pumpkins' "Tonight" and any of Nirvana's MTV Unplugged. Okay, now listen to "Gouge Away," "Gigantic," or "Monkey Gone to Heaven" by the Pixies. Grunge, despite being a genre, is still a relatively broad term to describe music, and the Pixies are a part of it.

They don't sound like grunge that much, but they're very influential to many grunge bands!

I have never listened to anything better than their song "Where Is My Mind." Every single time, I get goosebumps! Love them.

Candlebox was by far my favorite of the grunge era. Kevin's voice is amazing, and their lyrics so empathized with the struggles of that generation.

Like it's been said, Layne Staley on vocals (from Alice in Chains), and there are two songs in which Mark Lanegan (from Screaming Trees) sings too. Mike McCready (guitarist from Pearl Jam) is also part of the lineup. You can't go wrong.

Christ, seeing this so far down is like a sharp knife cutting into my heart. It's Layne Staley, people! This deserves so much more...

I think it should be close to first place, but because it's a one-album/one-season band, I'd be happy seeing Mad Season in the 15th-ish place. Layne Staley, Mark Lanegan, etc.

Nirvana is the obvious pick for this list and for good reason, but we have to mention Kurt's wife's band. Hole is one of the most underrated bands I have ever seen! Courtney Love is an amazing singer as well!

They were grunge. After the first two albums, they just kind of dropped the sound.

Radiohead's first and second albums have strong grunge elements.

Since Nirvana is already number one, I'll help out another great, lesser-known band. Green River created the heavy sound that would inspire the rest of the Seattle bands to start going down that road. When they broke up, their members would go on to found Mudhoney, Mother Love Bone, and Pearl Jam.

I think they deserve to be on top. Nirvana is an amazing band, but Green River pioneered the genre and gave it great meaning.

They created the genre for God's sake!

They are a good grunge band. They deserve a higher position in the top 10 bands. Very good lyrics, and their singer is good enough. I believe they are better than others.

Should have been in the top 5 at least. This band is fantastic, and even though Adam left, their music will always be better than half the bands on here.

Surely, they need to be higher than this?

Sweet Staley, Jane's Addiction isn't on this list, but Three Days Grace and Nickelback are? Peasants, man.

Great band, but not the greatest.

Nirvana is the best, of course, but these guys! I really believe Silverchair was an amazing band in the grunge scene. The first three albums are great.

If you like Nirvana or grunge and don't know these guys, listen to their albums.

P.S.: You won't regret it.

Just because they were late on the scene doesn't mean you can overlook them. Frogstomp and Freak Show are the best grunge albums of all time.

So underrated. Freak Show was the heaviest grunge album, in my opinion.