3 Funk Rock Bands That Defined the 1990s As Much as Grunge

Genres like “alternative rock” and “grunge” help organize music into neat categories. But the labels also flatten music scenes that are much more diverse than the names reveal. Grunge certainly shifted pop culture in the 1990s, but it wasn’t the only iteration of rock or alternative rock that mattered.

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Several factors made rock “alternative,” but one of the most crucial was how artists blended various genres. Funk rock was one such blend, and defined the 1990s as much as grunge, as these three groundbreaking bands prove.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers’ funk rock masterpiece, Blood Sugar Sex Magik, arrived the same day as Nirvana’s Nevermind. Both albums helped define rock music in the 1990s, but they also represented something very different. Kurt Cobain was a reluctant rock star, and his songs spoke to a generation of disaffected youth. However, RHCP hyped the party and were often the party themselves. The band’s signature hit, “Under The Bridge”, is an emotionally raw ballad that fits right in with the gloomy anthems of grunge. But there’s a reason RHCP still close the stadium gigs with “Give It Away”.

Jane’s Addiction

Jane’s Addiction emerged from the same L.A. club scene as the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but they were one of the first alternative rock bands to achieve mainstream success. Singer Perry Farrell’s vision for his band included surreal and X-rated imagery that pushed the boundaries of pop culture. Then, with the co-creation of his festival Lollapalooza, Farrell delivered that subculture to the rest of the country. The band fused post-punk with heavy metal, but a heavy dose of psychedelic funk propelled them on hits like “Been Caught Stealing” and “Stop”.

Faith No More

Like Jane’s Addiction, Faith No More helped usher in the 90s with a colossal left-of-center hit. “Epic” was ubiquitous on MTV and introduced the world to singer Mike Patton. And it’s hard to imagine the alt-metal of Korn, System Of A Down, and others existing without the success of both the song and its iconic music video. Similar to grunge, Faith No More relied on classic heavy metal riffs. But drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Billy Gould supported those riffs with funky grooves. Patton led the group down a more experimental path, and though they never repeated the commercial success of “Epic”, Faith No More remains as influential as any band from the era.

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