3 Totally Strange Grunge Music Videos From the 1990s

Grunge music began in the 1980s and continued on into the 1990s. That’s when it became arguably the most important musical sound in the world. Grunge was a juxtaposition to the party and glam rock of years prior. As a result, grunge was darker, stranger, weirder.

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That’s just what we wanted to highlight below. We wanted to examine three weird grunge music videos during the 1990s, the decade that made the sounds famous. Indeed, these are three of the strangest grunge music videos of the 90s.

“Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden from ‘Superunknown’ (1994)

Earlier this year, Soundgarden was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame—and with good reason. The band’s most well-known song was their hard-rocking track “Black Hole Sun”, which helped both define the grunge sound and the 1990s as a whole. But there was no getting around it, the music video for the hit single is odd. Weird. Unnerving. Almost nightmarish. That, of course, was the point, with the people and their giant eyes and wide mouths. Even today, weird stuff!

“Heart-Shaped Box” by Nirvana from ‘In Utero’ (1993)

Nirvana was a lot of things. But scared wasn’t one of them. That’s why they released such brash, buzzy, and influential songs. It’s also why their music videos could venture into the strange. Case in point: the band’s video for the 1993 song, “Heart-Shaped Box”. An old man dying on a cross, the trio kicking up dirt on a weird Halloween-like set? What’s happening here? We love it… But what is it…??

“Man In The Box” by Alice In Chains from ‘Facelift’ (1990)

Perhaps more than any other grunge band, Alice In Chains was dark and brooding. Solemn and pained. Their music video for the hard-rocking grunge band’s track “Man In The Box” showcases their depraved side. Who knows what they’re doing in that barn, but we’re not sure you’d want to invite your mother to the event. It looks like everyone is losing their minds, and a call to the E.R. is imminent. Of course, AIC is great, and their music is timeless. But this video? Strange, strange, strange!

Clip of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” music video