3 Grunge Bands From the 1990s With Short Five-Year Careers

Anyone who witnessed the grunge movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s knows that the music offered its fans and participants the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In a way, it’s almost hard to look back and remember the sounds of all the tragedy that took place.

Videos by American Songwriter

But that’s what we’re going to do here today. We wanted to dive into the careers of three massively important grunge groups that were only around for a brief period. Indeed, these are three grunge bands from the 1990s with short five-year careers.

Mother Love Bone

When it comes to grunge music in Seattle, perhaps the biggest “what if” is Mother Love Bone. The group was poised to take over the world, and then it all fell apart when the dynamic lead vocalist Andrew Wood died of an overdose just weeks before the band’s debut LP, Apple, was set to hit shelves. For a band that included Wood and future Pearl Jam members Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard, missing out on years of Mother Love Bone albums is a real loss. After Wood’s death, his friend and roommate Chris Cornell started the one-off tribute band Temple of the Dog in his honor.

Nirvana

A lot of ink has been spilled over the years about Nirvana—and rightfully so. The rock group was likely the most influential band of the entire 1990s. Their songs are still ringing out today. But incredibly, Nirvana was only around for a handful of years. The Kurt Cobain-led group released its debut LP, Bleach, in 1989. Then came their breakout sophomore release, Nevermind, in 1991. And finally, the band released In Utero in 1993. Cobain died shortly after, leaving a hole in Seattle and music at large that no one has really filled since.

The Gits

Of all the sad Seattle music stories, the one about The Gits might just be the saddest. While many of the prominent figures shot themselves in the foot with drug overdoses or undiagnosed depression, The Gits frontwoman, Mia Zapata, died as the result of an assault. She was walking home late one night when she was attacked and killed. For a band that released its debut LP in 1992 and was on the brink of making it big, The Gits ended when Zapata took her last breath. It’s incredibly sad.

Photo by Gutchie Kojima/Shinko Music/Getty Images