I know both of these styles are associated with the mainstram pop/hard rock after 1991/92 and through to today. Sometimes they're lumped in as one, but I always detected a definite difference between the two.

Grunge (which is more late 1991-1994 -- although it creeped into as far as 1996) to me was always musically a bit "murky" - the guitars are more de-tuned, the production of the instruments pushed up front to give it a more "in your face" feel. Heavy but slow at the same time (in fact, many grunge songs were played only at a medium tempo). The lyrics are more often than not dealing with drug abuse, darkness/loneliness, or being p*ssed of at your parents or life altogether.

Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains fit this bill (STP sometimes gets lumped in with this, but I always thought they were more anthemic and "up"-paced).

Alternative, on the other hand, is more punk-ish in nature. Usually this sounds better and more natural at a very fast level (even more upbeat than many of the 80's hair bands!). There might be negative or angry themes, but often they're done in a more uptempo way, so it still sounds a bit fun/happy/entertaining. It's also, I think a little more commercial sounding, and oftentimes contains more 'comedy' songs.

Green Day, Collective Soul, Third Eye Blind, STP and Offspring fit this description.

Actually, that brings me to a third category (which, say Offspring could qualify as) - the pop/punk bands popular since the mid 90's -- although especially since 2002 or so. These songs are almost always very upbeat and fast. In fact 2002-05 pop/punk could, lyrically at least, be considered a mix of grunge lyrics with a 'happy' alternative rock sound.

Blink 182, and the afforementioned Green Day and Offspring were more the style in 1998-2001 -- happy and fun. Today, I'd say the closer bands to that style would be the Ataris, Fountains of Wayne and Bowling for Soup (gotta love that "1985" song - fits me perfectly, LOL!!). Whereas I always thought guys like Good Charlotte, Dashboard Confessional and Simple Plan were a little on the negative side (well not really negative, but maybe more whiny and along the lines of "emo").

Jimmy Eat World, for instance, are hard to classify. A little more anthemic, yet with emo traces - I'd consider them a more 2000's version of STP, Collective Soul and other 90's anthem rock bands.

Thoughts? :)

Well, I personally liked the pre-grunge rock & alternative... Metallica, Scorpions, etc. as well as They Might Be Giants, Live, Oasis, etc.

When grunge came into the picture, I gave it a chance, but I got tired of it really quick.  The rock bands as well as the alternative bands started to sound "grungy" to me, and neither genre, in my opinion, has been the same since.  I answered a similar question in another thread, so I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself... since the grunge era began, I can only think of 2 songs I liked at the time of their release... one was "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, and the other was "Believe" by Cher.

I found the majority of music from 1993-present annoying.  That's why I have reverted back to listening to music from the 50's to the early 90's...  :)

^ Yeah, I may as well admit it here -- I actually liked "Believe" when it came out a few years back (I wouldn't have told that to many people though, LOL).

I also kinda considered grunge to be depressing musically. Nothing against 'angry' music, but one thing I noticed in 80's music is that, even if the song was angry or dark, the music itself sounded happy, so it kinda disguised that. There were songs about rebellion or being frustrated with your parents, but they were the "I wanna Rock!" category, LOL. :D

That's one thing about (some of) the pop/punk bands I do like, at least it's somewhat happy/joking as opposed to the "life s*cks" theme of grunge.

^ Yeah, I may as well admit it here -- I actually liked "Believe" when it came out a few years back (I wouldn't have told that to many people though, LOL).

I also kinda considered grunge to be depressing musically. Nothing against 'angry' music, but one thing I noticed in 80's music is that, even if the song was angry or dark, the music itself sounded happy, so it kinda disguised that. There were songs about rebellion or being frustrated with your parents, but they were the "I wanna Rock!" category, LOL. :D

That's one thing about (some of) the pop/punk bands I do like, at least it's somewhat happy/joking as opposed to the "life s*cks" theme of grunge.


Do you like No Doubt?  I don't even know any other songs besides "Don't Speak".. like I said, I don't listen to stations that play current music.. I kept hearing "Don't Speak" because it was on a juke box where I used to shoot darts, and people kept playing it.

Do you like No Doubt?  I don't even know any other songs besides "Don't Speak".. like I said, I don't listen to stations that play current music.. I kept hearing "Don't Speak" because it was on a juke box where I used to shoot darts, and people kept playing it.


Took awhile to grow on me, but I came to like that one quite a bit (it's often the ballad hit that breaks a band out as this one did in '97 or so). The whole Tragic Kingdom album is pretty cool - in fact I always thought the upbeat "Just a Girl" was a slightly updated 1984-ish song! :)

Took awhile to grow on me, but I came to like that one quite a bit (it's often the ballad hit that breaks a band out as this one did in '97 or so). The whole Tragic Kingdom album is pretty cool - in fact I always thought the upbeat "Just a Girl" was a slightly updated 1984-ish song! :)


I was considering buying a "No Doubt" album... i figure if I like that song, maybe the others are ok too.  I'll keep those suggestions in mind..

I might add, I bought the Cher Believe album.. i didnt like anything else on it, though... I was never a big Cher fan anyway

alternative is an umbrella catagory the same way "Rock" is an umbrella catorgory, and "pop" is one.  

Grunge is just one part of alternative.  

Alternative, is, as the name states, anything not mainstream.  This includes such 'different' bands going as far back as the 60s as: The Velvet Underground, THe Shaggs, Feminen Complex, The Fuggs, THe Stooges, the MC5, The Dam*ed, The Buzzcocks, Blondie, the Fall, Van Dyke Parks, THe Jam, REM, U2, The Meat Puppets, the Lemmonheads, THe Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction...well, lets stop there. In the 80s, Alternative (or better classified as College Rock) became more popular as bands like U2, REM, Janes Addiction, RHCPs, Pixies, Sonic YOuth, etc, broke open to the mainstream.  THey were still technicly "underground", but more people knew them.  The climax of this was with Nirvana in 1991.  It should be noted that Nirvana was punk, not grunge.  Ive ranted about this before on these boards (probably on PPP) so I wont do it again, but listen to how the music is done, they arent the same.  

Alternative lived on, with Temple of the Dog, Pixies, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, They might be Giants, BNL, Harvey Danger, Green Day, etc etc, all up to bands like Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture, Rooney, The Strokes, The White Stripes and The Mooney Suzuki today (among others).  

Major first wave grunge bands (1987-1992): Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, STP, Alice iN Chains, Mother Love Bone, Lemmonheads, Temple of the Dog.  

Second Wave "Grunge" bands (1992-1995): Bush, Live, Hole, STP, Pumpkins, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, AIC, Collective Soul.

Third Wave "Grunge bands" or "Neo-Grunge" (1996- ): Creed, Nickelback, Saliva, Audioslave, 3 days grace, Seether, Altered Bridge, Lifehouse, Fuel.

Punk came up.    Collective Soul, Third Eye blind, STP and Offspring are not punk.  Far from it.  

The only real punk that came about in the 90s, were these bands: Green Day, Blink (for a very very very short time in the begining, and finally, again with their last release), Harvey Danger, Nirvana, Weezer (to an extent), Foo Fighters (to an extent), Paul Westerberg.

I was considering buying a "No Doubt" album... i figure if I like that song, maybe the others are ok too.  I'll keep those suggestions in mind..

I might add, I bought the Cher Believe album.. i didnt like anything else on it, though... I was never a big Cher fan anyway


Tragic Kingdom is their only album thats worth it.   

Well I keep hearing about how Nirvana's "smells like teen spirit" is supposed to be my age group's anthem. Personally though I get a closer feeling for Beck's "Better days" 

Well I keep hearing about how Nirvana's "smells like teen spirit" is supposed to be my age group's anthem. Personally though I get a closer feeling for Beck's "Better days" 


How? You were only 4 when it came out. I was not even 2. It's Gen X's anthem, not Gen Y's.

How? You were only 4 when it came out. I was not even 2. It's Gen X's anthem, not Gen Y's.


True, but I LOVE 1985 and '86 music that came out when I was 4 (I consider that more "my" generation than 1997 or 2002, etc - even if I like that too). Then again, I've alwas been weird. ;D

How? You were only 4 when it came out. I was not even 2. It's Gen X's anthem, not Gen Y's.


That guy is 29 so he was what 14 when it came out.

That guy is 29 so he was what 14 when it came out.


Oh my bad  :D

Oh my bad  :D


It's ok, lol.  ;D

It's ok, lol.  ;D


I was mistaking him for someone born in 1987 (who's not you, LOL)  ;D

I was mistaking him for someone born in 1987 (who's not you, LOL)  ;D


Our age group's anthem is "Get Low" probably, lol. We won't even be able to play that for our kids because it's too damn dirty.  ;D

Our age group's anthem is "Get Low" probably, lol. We won't even be able to play that for our kids because it's too damn dirty.  ;D


;D

I think "In Da Club" is the most '00s song ever.

;D

I think "In Da Club" is the most '00s song ever.


Probably it's up there, "Yeah" and "Get Low" are huge candidates as well.

Probably it's up there, "Yeah" and "Get Low" are huge candidates as well.


Oh "Yeah" is definitely the most '00s song.  "The Anthem" by Good Charlotte would also be a good candidate, or "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence, if we're looking at rock.

Oh "Yeah" is definitely the most '00s song.  "The Anthem" by Good Charlotte would also be a good candidate, or "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence, if we're looking at rock.


Evanescence used to be so cool in 2003/early 04, another group nobody seems to care about anymore, lol.

Evanescence used to be so cool in 2003/early 04, another group nobody seems to care about anymore, lol.


Yeah I remember when I first heard them in '03 I knew they were going to be huge. "My Immortal" was played into 2005 though.  They are kind of a dated nu metal band now.

That guy is 29 so he was what 14 when it came out.


Haha! Thanks for the compliment but yes I was in HS when that song came out.

Evanescence used to be so cool in 2003/early 04, another group nobody seems to care about anymore, lol.


They were never cool to me... :D

What about the New Zealand band 'Evermore'. Are they big in the States? I think they had a big break when they got airplay on the 'O.C.', not sure how they're going atm.

Yeah I remember when I first heard them in '03 I knew they were going to be huge. "My Immortal" was played into 2005 though.  They are kind of a dated nu metal band now.


Yeah, it's dated nu metal, though I sort of see it as the "last call" of goth combined with nu metal pop like Linkin Park, SOAD, etc. It's all quite 2002-2003.