4 Alt-Rock Guitar Heroes From the 1990s

As alternative rock began dominating culture in the 1990s, most hair metal bands lost their record deals. The new guard wasn’t interested in “nothing but a good time.” They tried their best to avoid rock cliches, and the idea of the guitar hero was one they rejected. However, 1990s bands were loaded with alt-rock guitar heroes: Dave Navarro, John Frusciante, Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo, J Mascis, Stephen Malkmus, and Graham Coxon… plus the four legends below.

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Billy Corgan: The Smashing Pumpkins

Most remember Billy Corgan for being one of the decade’s best songwriters. The run of hits he wrote between Gish and Machina/The Machines Of God remains impressive. But Corgan was also one of the best rock guitarists of his time. He played a Fender Stratocaster and Big Muff distortion to create a new sound that linked The Cure to Black Sabbath to Electric Light Orchestra. The indie rockers of the time were bashful, embarrassed even, to play well. Not Corgan. He went big every time.

Tom Morello: Rage Against The Machine

Tom Morello isn’t the first guitarist to mine Led Zeppelin for heavy blues. But he is one of the few to do so faithfully while also inventing a new way to play the guitar. Like Eddie Van Halen before him, Morello took a new approach. He used a minimalist setup of pedals on the floor in front of him and mimicked hip-hop DJs by intermittently cutting the guitar volume and “scratching” on the fretboard. Meanwhile, Morello could kick out the punk jams and burn solos, and if that wasn’t enough, he occasionally rocks stadiums with Bruce Springsteen.

Rivers Cuomo: Weezer

Weezer made nerds cool by writing slacker pop songs with an indie aesthetic. But listen closely to Weezer’s music, and you’ll notice some of those guitar parts wouldn’t be out of place in another band where everyone played pointy guitars. Rivers Cuomo kickstarted his future by moving to Los Angeles with his heavy metal band. Though he grew up on KISS and Yngwie Malmsteen, Cuomo learned how to write alt-rock songs while working at Tower Records. His friends introduced him to Sonic Youth, Pixies, and Nirvana, and Cuomo learned the lessons quickly. His metal licks were slowed down and played ironically over emo hits with a grunge guitar tone. Cuomo suppressed his Sunset Strip instincts, retooled with Weezer in the garage, and still became a guitar hero.

Jonny Greenwood: Radiohead

For many reasons, Jonny Greenwood would loathe everything about this piece. But before he became a leading modern classical composer, Greenwood made an art out of being an anti-guitarist. In his most iconic moments, he attacks his instrument, like in “Creep” where it sounds as though he’s trying to destroy the track with the loudest shoegaze noise he can muster.

Listen as well to how he uses the octatonic scale on “Just” then count the number of rock guitarists borrowing from French composer Olivier Messiaen. Or the beautiful chaos of “Paranoid Android”. You might first think of the pedals or soundscapes Greenwood orchestrates with Radiohead, but check out the dry indie riff on “2+2+5”. It fits right at home on PJ Harvey’s Rid Of Me or Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation.

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