The 1990s was an incredible era for alternative rock and grunge. In fact, a huge wave of bands in those genres flooded the music world for a few years. Sadly, that made it hard to stand out with bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam in the mix. These four influential rock bands from the 90s may not be as well-known today as their more famous contemporaries, but their contributions to the genre just can’t be forgotten. Let’s dive in!
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1. Screaming Trees
Plenty of people know who Screaming Trees are, but they’re still underrated in the sense that they should have been as big as their more famous grunge contemporaries.
Screaming Trees may have been just another Washington grunge band, but their sound was so unique and stood out from the rest. Their musical influences went beyond the distortion and anguish that grunge is known for. They used elements of psychedelic rock as well as classic rock in their work.
2. Majesty Crush
Love a bit of shoegaze? Majesty Crush was much more than a shoegaze band. This Influential rock outfit from the 90s was one of the most underrated bands of the era. Known for blending glittering walls of sound with dream pop elements, Majesty Crush only released a couple of records before disbanding in 1995.
3. Bark Psychosis
If you’ve never heard of Bark Psychosis, you’re not alone. This band is a hard one to define, but their debut album Hex is something you just have to experience to understand why they’re on this list.
Few bands can make post-rock, jazz, and ambient music work together perfectly. Bark Psychosis did exactly that, and then promptly broke up after the release of their debut album in 1994.
4. Rodan
Rodan deserves a spot on our list of influential rock bands of the 90s, though few might even know who they are. That’s a shame; Rodan is one of the most underrated post-hardcore bands to come out of the 90s.
They were only together for a few years, and only released one album, Rusty, in 1994. It only takes one thorough listen to hear how ahead of their time they were. If you love intricate songwriting and chaotic intensity, Rusty is worth adding to your collection.
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