No Skips: 3 Grunge Albums From the 1990s You’ll Never Have To Fast-Forward

In the early 1990s, grunge music ruled the day. Sure, there was plenty of other music to choose from. But you couldn’t walk down the street of any town during the time period and not hear a song from a band from the Pacific Northwest. It was just the way it was.

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Here below, we wanted to highlight three reasons why. We wanted to explore three grunge records from that part of history that were beloved in their era. And they’re albums that still stand the test of time. Indeed, this is no skips: three grunge albums from the 1990s you’ll never have to fast-forward.

‘Ten’ by Pearl Jam (1991)

When you think about grunge music from the 1990s, it’s often the Kurt Cobain-led band below that springs to mind first. But in the seminal summer of 1991, it was the Eddie Vedder-led band Pearl Jam that made the first big splash. Their LP Ten hit shelves in the late summer of that year. That was weeks before Nirvana dropped their now-iconic release (see more below). On Ten, Pearl Jam shines. Songs like “Once”, “Alive”, “Black”, and “Jeremy” helped to redefine rock in the decade.

‘Nevermind’ by Nirvana (1991)

As noted above, Nirvana was an important musical force in the 1990s. That was largely due to their 1991 release, Nevermind. The LP is a veritable greatest hits album today, opening with the track of the decade, “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, and continuing with others like “Come As You Are” and “Lithium”. The record made lead singer Kurt Cobain a household name almost as soon as it hit record store shelves.

‘Dirt’ by Alice In Chains (1992)

As if the releases noted above weren’t enough for rock fans in the early 1990s, another Pacific Northwest-born grunge band added to the mix in 1992. That’s when Alice In Chains dropped their now-iconic LP, Dirt. It’s a masterpiece among grunge albums thanks to songs like “Down In A Hole”, “Them Bones”, “Dam That River”, and the tribute song, “Would?” Indeed, in the early 1990s, PNW groups threw haymaker after haymaker, and music lovers ate it up.

Photo by Frans Schellekens/Redferns