Generational starting years vary depending on your source. But most would say that Generation X includes those born in the mid-1960s through the late 1970s. The following iconic songwriters would be considered Gen X, and they’re some of the finest music-makers that the generation ever had to offer.
Kurt Cobain (Born February 20, 1967)
Well, I couldn’t leave Nirvana’s legendary frontman off this list, could I? Gen X birthed grunge, and grunge was easily the most noteworthy genre to take over the airwaves in the 1990s. Kurt Cobain wrote the vast majority of Nirvana’s music and took the band to the mainstream charts, right up until his untimely passing in 1994. He was so influential that his death was considered the death of the genre. Songs like “Come As You Are”, “Lithium”, “Something In The Way”, and many others remain go-tos among remaining fans of the genre. His impact on rock music probably won’t ever be forgotten.
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Fiona Apple (Born September 13, 1977)
Fiona Apple truly is the gift that keeps on giving. Maybe I’m biased because I love her so much. But Apple’s albums from Tidal (1996) to Fetch The Bolt Cutters (2020) follow a chronological timeline of her emotions, state of mind, and growth as a human being so beautifully. Listening to her work is like reading someone’s journal, but that journal is full of the greatest poetry a person could write. Her vulnerability and delivery have never faltered after all these years. It’s crazy to think that Apple hasn’t topped the charts more often. Though, I’d say she’s quite far from being underrated.
Billy Corgan (Born March 17, 1967)
Smashing Pumpkins touched on every genre from alternative rock to alt-metal to psych-rock to grunge. And at the forefront of it all was frontman Billy Corgan, who wrote the majority of the band’s music. Corgan is one of the few Gen X songwriters who tangibly helped popularize alternative rock as a genre in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Records like Siamese Dream (1993) and Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness (1995) still pull in new fans across generations today. And Corgan’s solo work is nothing to sneeze at, either.
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More The List
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Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees in New York City, New York (Photo by Bobby Bank/WireImage) -
Rock music legend Janis Joplin performs at the free Woodstock Music and Art Fair. The festival took place on Max Yasgur's dairy farm, which he rented to event organizers for $75,000. About 450,000 people attended the three day concert, which turned into chaos due to the crowds, heavy rains, and traffic jams. It is nonetheless romantically remembered as a symbol of the liberal spirit of the hippie generation. (Photo by Henry Diltz/Corbis via Getty Images) -
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ – AUGUST 30: Daryl Hall of Hall & Oates performs in concert at Etess Arena on August 30, 2019 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. (Photo by Donald Kravitz/Getty Images) -
LOS ANGELES – MAY 1999: (EDITORS NOTE: THIS IMAGE WAS CREATED USING COLOR INFRARED FILM) American rock band Smash Mouth (L – R) drummer Kevin Coleman, vocalist Steven Harwell, guitarist Greg Camp and bassist Paul De Lisle pose for a May 1999 portrait in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Bob Berg/Getty Images) -
Left to right: Doug Clifford, Tom Fogerty, John Fogerty and Stu Cook of American rock group, Creedence Clearwater Revival, in New York City, 1970. (Photo by PoPsie Randolph/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
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CIRCA 1967: Members of the rock band "Youngbloods" pose for a circa 1967 portrait. Original members include Jesse Colin Young, Lowell "Banana" Levinger, Jerry Corbitt and Joe Bauer. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images) -
The Beatles, from left to right: Paul McCartney, George Harrison (1943 – 2001), John Lennon (1940 – 1980) and Ringo Starr, jump for joy during a rehearsal for the Royal Command Performance at the Prince of Wales Theatre. (Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images)