I'd say 1991; that's when the Grunge bands killed them.  But up to 1993 there were still a couple, and as early as 1989 people were getting tired of them I've heard.

I would say 1992 b/c there were still some hanging on.

I'd say it peaked in 1987 (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and for a harder edge, Guns & Roses) and was basically the same for 1988.

By 1989 it got kinda formulatic with tons of power ballads, and "faceless" bands cropping up (Winger, Warrant, etc). This continued into 1990.

By 1991 it was fast dying, except for a few power ballads. Some leaked over into early 1992 as well (Mr. Big's "To Be With You"), but in 1993 it was 99.9% gone.

I'd say around 1992 Hair Metal bands died.  The last of the few like Mr. Big and Steelheart barely made it in.  LOL

I'd say it peaked in 1987 (Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Whitesnake, and for a harder edge, Guns & Roses) and was basically the same for 1988.

By 1989 it got kinda formulatic with tons of power ballads, and "faceless" bands cropping up (Winger, Warrant, etc). This continued into 1990.

By 1991 it was fast dying, except for a few power ballads. Some leaked over into early 1992 as well (Mr. Big's "To Be With You"), but in 1993 it was 99.9% gone.


That seems completely accurate to me.  For hair metal, the beginning was about '83 but it didn't take off until maybe late '86, '87-'88 is like one year, '89 and '90 kinda run into each other, and '91-'93 are the wane stage. The point at which Alternative/Grunge took over Hair Metal is about September of 1991 I'd say, when the school year started (if you think about it, pop cultural years should be considered school years rather than calendar years).

[quote author=whis

I would say it didn't die yet in 1991. I remember many hair metal songs and albums which were really big. Guns n' Roses released Use your illusion 1 & 2 in september and You could be mine was playing everywhere. M

Also who remembers Ugly Kid Joe's Americas Least Wanted album in 1993 or 1994. Pretty much like Skid Row's self titled album meets the surf & knee length shorts. It definitly wasn't hair metal but their was some remnance of 80s hard rock still their.
I wouldn't really count GNR as a hair metal band though so Use Your Illusion I & II don't really count, which by the way those albums came out in 1991 anyway. Yep it's safe to say that late 1991 was the official death of hair metal & the bands that were clinging on for dear life in the grunge tsnami didn't last much past late 1991.

That seems completely accurate to me.  For hair metal, the beginning was about '83 but it didn't take off until maybe late '86, '87-'88 is like one year, '89 and '90 kinda run into each other, and '91-'93 are the wane stage. The point at which Alternative/Grunge took over Hair Metal is about September of 1991 I'd say, when the school year started (if you think about it, pop cultural years should be considered school years rather than calendar years).




You hit the nail right on the head. I don't think you could get any closer to what happened in a timeline than what you stated.

1992, as soon Nirvana and Pearl Jam took off, Hair Metal died afterwards. I guess people got tired of it, and wanted something more edgier. Kind of how punk killed disco in the 70's.

1992, as soon Nirvana and Pearl Jam took off, Hair Metal died afterwards. I guess people got tired of it, and wanted something more edgier. Kind of how punk killed disco in the 70's.


Too bad people never got "tired" of grunge. Although, technically dead, the music nowadays sure seems to be more reminiscent of that era than any previous save 1970s possibly.

Too bad people never got "tired" of grunge. Although, technically dead, the music nowadays sure seems to be more reminiscent of that era than any previous save 1970s possibly.


I am among the few that believes Grunge is not dead.

I am among the few that believes Grunge is not dead.


Last I heard, it died in the late 90s. Timeline would be around 1999, at least according to the Guitar Player magazine I had back then. And I had no reason to disagree.

And if you mean Grunge being alive because of an underground movement, then with that thinking "Hair Metal" is not dead either. If you search around you'll find that most of those groups are still together (in some form or another) and are even touring and putting out new CDs. They just don't have large following they used to.

But if you mean in the mainstream, then Grunge is truly dead. But it's essence lives on in the hard rock of modern day.

The media claimed Grunge to be dead the year that Soundgarden broke up. I forget when that was but I think it was like 1999.