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Alternative rock in the 90s was something else, man.

T-Virus

T-Virus

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Jun 5, 2020
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I grew up in the 90s so I might be biased but alt rock in the 90s was incredible and the amazing thing is that it was extremely popular. You could hear these song by just waking on the streets, going to the mall. These songs were all over MTV and the radios. It was glorious.










and so much more.

Alice in Chains
Pearl Jam
Alanis Morissette
Nirvana
Sound Garden
Stone Temple Pilots
Smashing Pumpkins
Foo Fighters
Sound Garden
Dave Matthews Band
Garbage
No Doubt
Counting crows
etc

Incredible decade for alt music
 
Fuchsia

Fuchsia

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Oct 28, 2017
6,712
Yeah. That was a really great time for alternative rock. So much variety. I still go back and listen to a lot of the bands you listed.
 

Capricorn

"This guy are sick"
Avenger
Oct 25, 2017
717
I agree wholeheartedly, 90s alt rock is my jam.

I also grew up on the 90s but I only actually discovered most of these bands during the last decade, except for the big ones like Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins, so I can honestly say they're great without being influenced by nostalgia at all!

As an aspiring guitarist myself I just can't comprehend how insanely good and prolific Billy Corgan was during his peak, and I wish we still lived in a world where I could listen to decent rock music on pretty much any radio station... šŸ˜“
 
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Neutra

Neutra

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Oct 27, 2017
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NYC
i've been listening to a bit of early Morphine recently, they're on the college rock side of alt i suppose.



Mark Sandman also did the very 90s alt rock thing of dying young.
 
Goldenroad

Goldenroad

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Nov 2, 2017
9,475
What's weird is that that was all mainstream rock, but it was all categorized as "alternative" in any record store you went into. Hard to think how the music and bands that completely dominated the charts in the early-mid 90's was ever deemed as "Alternative". I was actually just talking to my fiancee about this the other night. Like how any band that played the first couple "Lollapaloozas" just got their music put in the "Alternative" section whether it was Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Body Count, Living Colour, Flaming Lips, Red Hot chili Peppers...like none of those groups have anything in common, in terms of the way they sound, but yet, they are all "Alternative" the way George Jones and Johnny Cash are Country, or Miles and Coltrane are jazz...but it's like not a genre, it was just a weird blanket "we don't want to call it rock because the kids don't want to listen to the same kind of music their parents listen to, so let's come up with another term for rock bands formed after 1990". It's weird...but also one of my favorite era's of music. I love me some Blind Melon, Ween, Jane's Addiction, Pumpkins, Westerberg, Oasis, Blur, and of course Phish (which I remember always seeing the "alternative" section). I'm not still as in love with the Grunge stuff as I was an an angsty pre-teen, but I'll still throw some on now and then for the sake of nostalgia.
 

flyingorion

Member
Dec 4, 2017
360
I loved the 90s era alternative. Yes, it was many subgenres lumped together under an umbrella category such as: grunge, britpop, shoegaze, pop punk, funk metal, post-grunge, pop rock, etc... There was a similarity too and just overall vibe I can't quite place. I grew up knowing and hearing quite a bit of it as a kid, but it wasn't until the 00s when I was a teen that I got into it hardcore. Now I'm really nostalgic for 90s alternative. Evwn if I wasn't into it as much in 90s it still gives me nostalgia for the 90s



 
Tigerfog

Tigerfog

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Oct 28, 2017
770
Montreal
I'm online listening to alt-rock now and it's really good!
I was too young to appreciate them back then. As always, I'm late to the party.
 
AusGeno

AusGeno

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
1,076
Yeah, amazing era for music. Popular music was a lot heavier back then. I asked Siri to play some Alternative Rock the other day and she played all this modern, wishy washy non-threatening Indie shit.
 

flyingorion

Member
Dec 4, 2017
360
There's been some really great revival music that captures the era very well like these. It's good to hear the spirit is still alive.





The Hype by Twenty-One Pilots has an Oasis sort of vibe going
 
Sonicbug

Sonicbug

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Oct 26, 2017
1,436
The Void, MA
Goldenroad said:
What's weird is that that was all mainstream rock, but it was all categorized as "alternative" in any record store you went into. Hard to think how the music and bands that completely dominated the charts in the early-mid 90's was ever deemed as "Alternative". I was actually just talking to my fiancee about this the other night. Like how any band that played the first couple "Lollapaloozas" just got their music put in the "Alternative" section whether it was Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Body Count, Living Colour, Flaming Lips, Red Hot chili Peppers...like none of those groups have anything in common, in terms of the way they sound, but yet, they are all "Alternative" the way George Jones and Johnny Cash are Country, or Miles and Coltrane are jazz...but it's like not a genre, it was just a weird blanket "we don't want to call it rock because the kids don't want to listen to the same kind of music their parents listen to, so let's come up with another term for rock bands formed after 1990".
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I think it was mostly a marketing thing to separate the radio stations that played it from the ones that played "hard rock." (Aka: Butt Rock.) Punk Rock was always considered Alternative, no matter how mainstream it was. That became more defined as you moved into the 2000s.

Then by 2010 all the alt-rock radio stations here were dead so..... *pours one out for BCN, FNX, and BRU*
 
LossAversion

LossAversion

The Merchant of ERA
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Oct 28, 2017
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flyingorion said:
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brandon-baker-now-johnny-tsunami-2-1574374093267.png
 
Cat Party

Cat Party

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Oct 25, 2017
10,603
It may not be true, but my favorite story I heard from back then is how some guy from a famous hair metal band saw the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit and basically said "Whelp, that's the end of us."

Anyone hear this story/know if it is actually true?
 

Deleted member 9241

Oct 26, 2017
10,416
I love how Nirvana tutned the record industry upside down. They didn't know what to sign, so they signed goddamn everything. It was a watershed moments for music as the radio was flooded with a huge variety of voices and sounds. It was artistic, eclectic, experimental, and just plain weird for quite awhile there. The types of music they played back to back on the radio & Mtv was super interesting. I felt like I discovered a new band every week for years.
 

flyingorion

Member
Dec 4, 2017
360
It's crazy how 2 of my favorite iconic 00s bands both released first albums in 1999. That is The White Stripes and Muse. They are normally not lumped into the 90s.
 
entremet

entremet

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Oct 26, 2017
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GrandmaKnowsBest said:
Is there a good 90s alt rock Spotify playlist?
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Have fun. 800 tracks. Three parts. Still around too. Has some other genres too, but mostly rock.

www.openculture.com

A Massive 800-Track Playlist of 90s Indie & Alternative Music, in Chronological Order

In the time itā€™s taken me to grow out of my wayward 90s youth and into mostly solid citizen adulthood, cultural memories of that decade have crystalized around a few genres that have seen some renewal of late. Iā€™m more than pleased to find current musicians reviving shoegaze, 90s electronica...
www.openculture.com www.openculture.com
 
Artdayne

Artdayne

Banned
Nov 7, 2017
5,015
I grew up with it, it was a great time for music, no doubt. Though I can't really take some of those bands like Collective Soul. I don't really know where Tool fits in genres, I'm not sure anyone does but they were my favorite band from that era. They were almost a heavier grunge sound with the Opiate and Undertow but became more of a progressive rock outfit later. I like what Rick Beato has to say about the era, it was a return of rock music to its blues roots and that's generally when rock music has been at its best and he thinks part of the reason rock music lost its popularity was because again in the 2000s there were a lot of generic bands, emo was on the rise it had lost its origin so to speak.
 
j7vikes

j7vikes

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Jan 5, 2020
6,105
It was the best of times...no really it was the best of times.

born in 83 really "discovered" music in the early 90's. I still listen to more 90's stuff than anything else. I remember in MS we would make mixtapes (cassette tapes kids not CD's) by listening to the radio and hitting record before songs came on. We would do this for hours at a time to get a great tape.
 

Deleted member 1086

User requested account closure
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Oct 25, 2017
14,796
Boise Area, Idaho
Cat Party said:
It may not be true, but my favorite story I heard from back then is how some guy from a famous hair metal band saw the video for Smells Like Teen Spirit and basically said "Whelp, that's the end of us."

Anyone hear this story/know if it is actually true?
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I think it was Winger or Warrant or one of those other lame bands. Many of the bigger 80s bands disintegrated from their own doing, and not because alternative became popular.
 
Skyebaron

Skyebaron

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,416
entremet said:
Have fun. 800 tracks. Three parts. Still around too. Has some other genres too, but mostly rock.

www.openculture.com

A Massive 800-Track Playlist of 90s Indie & Alternative Music, in Chronological Order

In the time itā€™s taken me to grow out of my wayward 90s youth and into mostly solid citizen adulthood, cultural memories of that decade have crystalized around a few genres that have seen some renewal of late. Iā€™m more than pleased to find current musicians reviving shoegaze, 90s electronica...
www.openculture.com www.openculture.com
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Wow. Thank you so much. This is great.
 

Deleted member 24079

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
3,287
entremet said:
Have fun. 800 tracks. Three parts. Still around too. Has some other genres too, but mostly rock.

www.openculture.com

A Massive 800-Track Playlist of 90s Indie & Alternative Music, in Chronological Order

In the time itā€™s taken me to grow out of my wayward 90s youth and into mostly solid citizen adulthood, cultural memories of that decade have crystalized around a few genres that have seen some renewal of late. Iā€™m more than pleased to find current musicians reviving shoegaze, 90s electronica...
www.openculture.com www.openculture.com
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Thank you!!!
 
sfedai0

sfedai0

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,161
Ive spent these last few months rediscovering my preteen/teen years. I unfortunately didnt pay much attention to the music scene back then so lotta songs I had no idea which band was behind.

Two bands stood out to me for that era. Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana.
 
j7vikes

j7vikes

Definitely not shooting blanks
Member
Jan 5, 2020
6,105
sfedai0 said:
Ive spent these last few months rediscovering my preteen/teen years. I unfortunately didnt pay much attention to the music scene back then so lotta songs I had no idea which band was behind.

Two bands stood out to me for that era. Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana.
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Love Smashing Pumpkins. Here's a killer cover of my favorite song.

m.youtube.com

Thrice - "1979" (Smashing Pumpkins Cover) [LIVE @ SiriusXM]

Thrice performs a cover of the Smashing Pumpkins 1979 live in the SiriusXM Studios. Octane is pure, high-powered hard rock that's loud, uncensored and in you...
m.youtube.com m.youtube.com
 
sfedai0

sfedai0

Member
Oct 27, 2017
10,161
Shadow

Shadow

One Winged Slayer
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Oct 28, 2017
4,212
I love it. It's my favorite type of music for sure. Gonna have to listen to some of these I've never heard of.

 
lunarworks

lunarworks

Member
Oct 25, 2017
22,523
Toronto
Goldenroad said:
What's weird is that that was all mainstream rock, but it was all categorized as "alternative" in any record store you went into. Hard to think how the music and bands that completely dominated the charts in the early-mid 90's was ever deemed as "Alternative".
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Click to shrink...
Here's the thing: It its original context, it was alternative rock. That was when shitty hair metal bands dominated the charts. REM and The Pixies were an alternative to Def Leppard or Bon Jovi. The name just stuck.

Ten years later, smaller rock bands signed to independent labels were termed "indie" bands. Then in the '00s, as bands like The White Stripes and The Strokes blew up as an alternative to shitty nu metal and butt rock bands, the indie name stuck even as some became global superstars.
 
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