3 Grunge Hits From the 1990s That Introduced Classic Rock to a New Generation of Listeners

By 1991, grunge had evolved from an underground indie scene to mainstream dominance. It felt like a cultural revolution, but the music was based on a familiar sound. It combined punk and heavy metal, but there were plenty of classic rock influences, as you’ll hear below. For a new generation of listeners, they may have discovered new favorites in their parents’ old record collection because of grunge.

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“Even Flow” by Pearl Jam

Out of Seattle’s best-known grunge bands, Pearl Jam always felt closest to classic rock. Eddie Vedder’s baritone echoed Jim Morrison, while Stone Gossard’s guitar riffs recalled Aerosmith, The Who, Neil Young, and Led Zeppelin. Lead guitarist Mike McCready continued the blues-rock tradition of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan with Van Halen’s technique, in an era when many alternative rock bands shunned traditional guitar solos.

Pearl Jam’s debut album Ten wouldn’t have been out of place if it had been released in the 1970s. And “Even Flow” is full of enough classic riffs and guitar licks to make Pearl Jam fit comfortably on rock radio playlists alongside the bands that inspired them.

“Man In The Box” by Alice In Chains

Alice In Chains’ breakthrough song “Man In The Box” helped define both grunge and the band. Though hard rock and heavy metal influences are present, the grinding groove and vocal harmonies in “Man In The Box” and its gloomy video ushered in a new era. You can detect Jimi Hendrix in Jerry Cantrell’s wah-wah guitar parts. But Cantrell’s talk box riff also recalls Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ On A Prayer”.

Though Jon Bon Jovi offered some hope in Tommy and Gina’s working-class tale, Layne Staley wrote lyrics about the media’s manipulation of a credulous public. He references a beaten dog living in its own filth and told Rolling Stone that the song was also motivated by images of calves raised in boxes, destined to become someone’s dinner. Still, the fingerprints of classic, blues-based rock bands are present.

“Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden

If you needed to describe Soundgarden to an alien, and the alien knew about classic rock, try this: Imagine Black Sabbath fronted by Robert Plant. Soundgarden updated the blues with borrowed doom and sludge metal riffs from Tony Iommi, while Chris Cornell had a rock scream worthy of Plant comparisons. Now throw in Killing Joke, Ramones, and Melvins, and you get a pretty idea of the style.

Then there’s Soundgarden’s biggest hit, “Black Hole Sun”, which has much in common with The Beatles’ psychedelic period. With John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s influence continuing on the band’s 1996 single, “Blow Up The Outside World”.

Photo by Steve Eichner/WireImage