List of American grunge bands

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This is a list of American grunge bands. It includes rock bands and solo artists formed in the USA whose primary genre is grunge or either they have or had the elements of it in their music style. Grunge music is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song dynamics, and apathetic or angst-filled lyrics. The grunge aesthetic is stripped-down compared to other forms of rock music, and many grunge musicians were noted for their unkempt appearances and rejection of theatrics.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

#[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
7 Year Bitch 1990–1997 Seattle, Washington

A[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
The Afghan Whigs 1986–Present Cincinnati, Ohio
Alice in Chains[1] 1987–2002 / 2005–Present Seattle, Washington
Alice Donut 1986–1996 / 2001 – Present New York City, New York
  • Donut Comes Alive (1988)
  • Bucketfulls of Sickness and Horror in an Otherwise Meaningless Life (1989)
  • Mule (1990)
  • Revenge fantasies of the impotent (1990)
  • The Untidy Suicides of your Degenerate Children (1992)
  • Pure Acid Park (1995)
  • Three Sisters (2004)
  • Fuzz (2006)
  • Ten Glorious Animals (2009)
Alcohol Funnycar 1991–1996 Seattle, Washington
  • Burn (1993)
  • Time To Make The Donuts (1993)
  • Weasels (1995)

B[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Babes in Toyland 1987–2001 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Big Chief 1989–1996 Ann Arbor, Michigan
Blind Melon 1990–1999 / 2006–2008 / 2010–Present Los Angeles, California
Blood Circus 1988–1989 / 1992 / 2007 Seattle, Washington
Bullet LaVolta 1987-1992 Boston, Massachusetts
  • The Gift (1989)
  • Swandive (1992)
Bundle of Hiss 1980–1988 Seattle, Washington
  • Sessions: 1986-1988 (2000)

C[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Cat Butt 1987–1990 Seattle, Washington
Coffin Break 1987–1994 Seattle, Washington
  • Psychosis (1989)
  • Rupture (1990)
  • Crawl (1991)
  • Thirteen (1992)

D[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Daddy Hate Box 1989–1990 Seattle, Washington
  • Sugar Plow (1990)
Dandelion 1989–1996 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Das Damen 1984–1991 New York, New York
  • Das Damen (1986)
  • Jupiter Eye (1986)
  • Triskaidekaphobe (1988)
  • Mouse Trap (1989)
Dickless 1989–1998 Seattle, Washington
Drop Acid 1991–1993 Sacramento, California
  • Making God Smile (1991)
  • 36th & Teeth E.P. (1992)

E[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Earth 1989–1997, 2003–present Olympia, Washington

F[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Failure 1990–1997, 2014–present Los Angeles, California
Fecal Matter 1985–1986 Aberdeen, Washington
  • Illiteracy Will Prevail (1986)
Flowerhead 1987–1995 Austin, Texas
The Fluid 1984–1993 / 2008 Denver, Colorado
  • Punch n Judy (1986)
  • Clear Black Paper (1988)
  • Roadmouth (1989)
  • Purplemetalflakemusic (1993)

G[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Gas Huffer 1989–2006 Seattle, Washington
The Gits 1986–1993 Yellow Springs, Ohio
Green River 1984–1988 / 2008–2009 Seattle, Washington
Gruntruck 1989–1993 / 1996–2002 Seattle, Washington
  • Inside Yours (1990)
  • Push (1992)
  • Gruntruck (2017)
Gumball 1990–1994 New York City, New York

H[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Hammerbox 1990–1994 Seattle, Washington
Hater 1993–1997 / 2005 Seattle, Washington
Hazel 1992–1997 Portland, Oregon
  • Toreador of Love (1993)
  • Are You Going to Eat That (1995)
Hole[1] 1989–2002 / 2010–2012 Los Angeles, California
Hullabaloo 1986–1993 / 2013–present Cambridge, Massachusetts

J[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Jerry Cantrell Seattle, Washington

L[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
L7 1985–2001, 2014–present Los Angeles, California
Local H 1990–Present Zion, Illinois
Love Battery 1989–2002, 2006, 2011–2012 Seattle, Washington

M[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Mad Season 1994–1999 Seattle, Washington
Malfunkshun 1980–88, 2006–present Bainbridge Island, Washington
Mark Arm Seattle, Washington
Melvins[1] 1983–present Montesano, Washington
Mother Love Bone[1] 1988–1990 Seattle, Washington
Mono Men 1987–1998, 2006, 2013 Bellingham, Washington
Mudhoney[1] 1988–present Seattle, Washington
My Sister's Machine 1988–1994 Seattle, Washington

N[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Napalm Beach 1981–present Portland, Oregon
  • Rock And Roll Hell (1984)
  • Pugsley (1984)
  • Teen Dream (1985)
  • Liquid Love (1988)
  • Moving To And Fro (1989)
  • Fire Air And Water (1990)
  • Thunder Lizard (1991)
  • Curiosities (1993)
  • In My Tree (1994)
Nirvana[1] 1987–1994 Aberdeen, Washington
Nudeswirl 1989–1995 New Brunswick, New Jersey
The Nymphs 1985–1992 New Jersey

P[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Paw 1990–2000, 2008 Lawrence, Kansas
Pearl Jam[1] 1990–present Seattle, Washington
Pond 1991–1998 Portland, Oregon
  • Pond (1993)
  • The Practice of Joy Before Death (1995)
  • Rock Collection (1997)
The Presidents of the United States of America 1993–1998 / 2000–2002 / 2003–2016 Seattle, Washington

S[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Screaming Trees[1] 1985–2000 Ellensburg, Washington
Seaweed 1989–2000, 2007–present Tacoma, Washington
  • Weak (1992)
  • Four (1993)
  • Spanaway (1995)
  • Actions and Indications (1998)
Skin Yard 1985–1993 Seattle, Washington
Skunk 1986–1991 Maplewood, New Jersey
  • Last American Virgin (1989)
  • Laid (1991)
The Smashing Pumpkins 1988–2000, 2006–Present Chicago, Illinois
Smile 1992–2003 Orange County, California
  • Maquee (1994)
  • Girl Crushes Boy (1998)
Solomon Grundy 1989–1990 Ellensburg, Washington
  • Solomon Grundy (1990)
Soundgarden[1] 1984–1997, 2019 Seattle, Washington
Splendora 1995–2002 New York City, New York
Stone Temple Pilots[1] 1985–2002, 2008–present San Diego, California
Sweet Water 1990–present Seattle, Washington
  • Sweet Water (1992)
  • Superfriends (1995)
  • Suicide (1999)
  • Clear The Tarmac (2009)

T[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Tad 1988–1999, 2013 Seattle, Washington
Temple of the Dog 1990–1992 Seattle, Washington
Treepeople 1988–1994 Boise, Idaho
  • No Mouth Pipetting (1989)
  • Time Whore (1990)
  • Guilt Regret Embarrassment (1991)
  • Something Vicious For Tomorrow (1992)
  • Just Kidding (1993)
  • Actual Re-Enactment (1994)
Tripping Daisy 1990–1999 Dallas, Texas
Truly 1990–1998, 2000, 2008–present Seattle, Washington

V[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Veruca Salt 1992–2012 / 2013–Present Chicago, Illinois

W[edit]

Band Years active Origin Studio albums
Willard 1989–1992 Seattle, Washington
Wool 1990–1996 Washington, D.C. based out of Los Angeles, California
  • Box Set (1994)
  • Lunar Momento: Lost Rancho Session 1 (2012)
  • Lunar Momento: Lost Rancho Session 2 (2012)

See also[edit]

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Childers, Chad (28 September 2012). "10 Best Grunge Bands of All Time". Loudwire. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
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