Better to burn out than to fade away

The northwest rock explosion had to happen somewhere and had to happen sometime.  In the early nineties, popular music and popular culture was about to undergo a change.  The seattle music scene had been blossoming for quite some time, but big media had only begun to become aware of the marketability of what would become known as grunge.  Soon kids everywhere would be wearing flannel in July and would be cruising main to the sounds of heavily distorted guitars.  Grunge had become a fad, and like all fads, it would not last long.

for many fans including myself, the influence of grunge rock will be felt for years to come. grunge music will also continue to inspire and influence many future bands for years to come.  In my opinion, the lasting effect of grunge can be attributed to the artists’ passion for their own music.  Grunge bands tended to write music for themselves and for those close to them.  It had real meaning, and in many cases was not meant for the mainstream public.  The prime example of this would be NIRVANA, who actually tried to drive away fans who did not understand their music.  Other bands, like PEARL JAM, still wrote very personal songs, but did not so much mind the fame.  Still other bands, such as MUDHONEY, seemed to somehow evade huge mainstream success.

The bands on this page are a few of my favorite bands that were involved in the northwest rock explosion.  I believe these bands are an example of what grunge was all about.