3 Alternative Rock Tracks From the Mid-1990s That Felt Like Grunge’s Final Swan Songs

After the passing of Kurt Cobain and the changing tides of rock music in the mid-1990s, grunge was starting to head out the door. It wouldn’t disappear completely from the mainstream until around the early 2000s, but many a fan of the era and the genre would say that the mid-90s were when the grunge bubble popped. And the following three excellent alternative rock tunes from the mid-1990s were so good, they could be considered swan songs of the grunge era.

“Tomorrow” by Silverchair from ‘Frogstomp’ (1995)

Silverchair carried the “grunge torch” into a new era, and many would consider this alternative rock song to be a post-grunge track. Post-grunge got a lot of flak back in the day for basically being considered a watered-down version of true grunge. But I think “Tomorrow” took all of the elements of grunge and post-grunge and made something perfect for a new era of rock music.

“Tomorrow” by Silverchair peaked at No. 1 on both the Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts in the US.

“Seether” by Veruca Salt from ‘American Thighs’ (1994)

“Seether” is grunge with a bubblegum pop of sweetness, complete with the crunchy guitars and angsty attitude that made the genre so appealing to youths at the time. If there’s a swan song for the grunge era’s peak, I’d say it’s “Seether”.

This gem from Veruca Salt peaked at No. 8 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart in the US.

“Backwater” by Meat Puppets from ‘Too High To Die’ (1994)

Meat Puppets didn’t get as much love as mega-smash-hit bands like Nirvana did, but they played a major role in grunge’s rise. And “Backwater”, to me, is one of their best songs. It came toward the end of the grunge era, after the band had already heavily influenced the Seattle grunge scene that became a sensation around the globe… despite the fact that Meat Puppets hailed from Arizona.

This entry on our list of alternative rock swan songs from the mid-1990s ended up being the band’s most commercially successful single. “Backwater” peaked at No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 2 on the Album Rock Tracks chart.

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