3 Seattle Rock Bands From the 1980s That Inspired Grunge

Before grunge music hit in the late 1980s and early 1990s, there were rock bands in and around Seattle that were setting an early foundation. Indeed, before the sludgy rock attitudes of the Pacific Northwest could take over the musical globe, there were earlier rock bands helping to set the grunge standard.

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Here below, we wanted to go back in time to the early 1980s and highlight three groups. These are bands that helped to light the grunge fuse—a trio of groups that may not be considered grunge today but who helped establish the genre’s sounds. These are three Seattle rock bands from the 1980s that inspired grunge.

Melvins

Buzz Osborne is a crucial musical figure from the Pacific Northwest, and his rock band, Melvins, has been cited as inspiration for many a Seattle-based group. Melvins, which started in 1983, put out their first record three years later in 1986. One of the band’s biggest fans was Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. In fact, it was Osborne who introduced drummer Dave Grohl to Cobain. That alone would be enough to mark their impact on grunge. But the band’s discography has done even more.

Bam Bam

Speaking of Cobain, the Nirvana singer was also a fan of Seattle songwriter and performer Tina Bell and her Seattle band Bam Bam. The late Bell, who never got the recognition she deserved in the 1980s, experienced a bit of a renaissance more recently, but it was her artistry and impact on grunge in the 80s that will make her memory live forever in Seattle. Rock songs of Bam Bam’s like “Ground Zero” and “Villains Also Wear White” clearly impacted the local scene and grunge history.

The Sonics

While The Sonics did release music in the 1980s, their impact was really felt decades prior in the 1960s. So, we’re cheating a little bit here, but so what? This is grunge! Seattle rock bands have always felt pride over the fact that The Sonics are from the region. Their proto-garage-rock tracks helped to shape music in the mid-60s, and that would go on to shape Seattle rock and, more specifically, grunge forever. You can hear it in the most famous release, “The Witch”.

Photo by Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns