The golden era of grunge has come and gone, and many of the biggest albums of that particular era came after each respective band’s first album release. Still, a few debut albums from the heyday of 1990s grunge were hits right out the gate, and they’ve aged pretty dang well. Let’s look at some of the best debut grunge albums of all time!
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1. ‘Ten’ by Pearl Jam
This album is by far one of the best debut grunge albums of all time, if not the best. It was one of the greatest alt-rock albums to come out of 1991 and kickstarted a truly legendary career for Pearl Jam that is still going strong today.
Ten was produced after the band had only been embarking on gigs for a few months. If anything, this album is proof that you don’t have to be a musician for decades in order to start a killer rock band. “Even Flow” and “Alive” are essential listening.
2. ‘Core’ by Stone Temple Pilots
Released in 1992, Core by Stone Temple Pilots was an ambitious and successful debut in the world of grunge. Unfortunately, a lot of alt-rock fans through Stone Temple Pilots were trying too hard to be Pearl Jam. There was even a Beavis And Butt-Head reference about it.
Still, nobody could ignore how stellar this album was when it was first released. It’s unabashedly grunge with some 1970s glam-rock elements that make it stand out. “Wicked Garden” is essential listening.
3. ‘Bleach’ by Nirvana
Ah, the record that started it all. Bleach was released in 1989 and put Nirvana on the map. It’s considered by many die-hard fans to be the weakest of the band’s trio of albums before their inevitable breakup, but it’s still a dreary, dirty, and pioneering album from the early days of grunge. “Negative Creep” and “About A Girl” are essential listening.
4. ‘Superfuzz Bigmuff’ by Mudhoney
With the wildest album title in history, Mudhoney released Superfuzz Bigmuff in 1990 and inadvertently created one of the most influential records in the history of grunge music. It’s still crazy to think that Mudhoney was as underrated as they were in the 1990s. Their music was killer and managed to fit the grunge mold perfectly while still sounding uniquely like Mudhoney.
Their contemporaries like Nirvana and Pearl Jam are more well-known, but Mudhoney inspired a slew of grunge bands that followed the release of this particular debut. The whole album is essential listening, honestly.
Photo by Faith West, Courtesy of Pop Legendz
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