Grunge Music and the Importance of Going Outside of your Comfort Zone


Ben Coleman

Perspectives Editor

(Photo Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock)

Music in my life has been a tremendous help on both the good and the bad days. Frequently, I love to change my genre of music based on my mood. Some days it will take a drastic swing from current-day hip-hop artists to more mellow artists from the 1960s. I often find that I am becoming an old soul because I am not stuck in the same genre as I was before. I feel that some of the music of today is lacking a bit of substance and is overproduced and many of the songs lack a good catchy and rhythmic feel to them. Part of me says that this is okay because music will always progress, and sound different to everyone. As I stated, for me and many others, music is a general mood-based medium for individuals.

In the 1990’s I grew up in Aurora with three of my siblings. During that time, I would find my siblings watching MTV (when it was really MTV), and I got quickly exposed to the great genre of music called Grunge. You may ask, what is Grunge music? Grunge music is a subculture of alternative rock which is a hybrid of punk and rock. This genre was formed in the mid to late 1980s in Seattle, WA and quickly formed many great groups that influenced a lot of music today. This music often addresses very real themes such as abuse, neglect, doubt, alienation, and even freedom. Some of the great Grunge groups include Alice in Chains, Nirvana, Mother Love Bone, Soundgarden, and even Temple of the Dog. Below are some of my recommendations for Grunge-era songs to listen to:

These songs are not just artwork, but an accumulation of thoughts and feelings. The great thing about music is that it can take you to places and feelings that you never thought possible. The beautiful thing about this is that it makes you, you. I will still listen to all of my hip-hop, and even oldies as they will always set a certain mood. Throughout this article, I hope that you at the very least devote a brief amount of time to broadening your musical horizons if you haven’t done so already.