The Concept And Features Of Grunge Genre

The notion of being authentic was a central focus of Grunge artists and the underground sub-culture, as their principles of non conformity were based off a reaction to the insincere “Hair Metal” music popular in the 80s. Firstly, to identify what is authentic to grunge, the genre has to be described in terms of music styles and cultural styles. Grunge is a fusion genre of punk rock, heavy metal and alternative rock and it formed a subculture from the Seattle during the mid-1980s and into the 90s. This movement originated from the underground music scene Seattle and the independent record label Sub Pop, and in the early 1990s Grunge’s popularity had spread and had become commercially marketable globally. Grunge grouped bands from the Seattle area like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains and Soundgarden under the genre, and additionally if a band was not from Seattle but had a similar sound they were described as grunge, such as Stone Temple Pilots and Hole. Robert Loss calls grunge a “fusion of violence and speed, muscularity and melody, and there’s room for everyone, even women. Grunge is political and personal; the music rarely takes stands, but its performers do and in presciently local and identity-issue ways. ” Grunge lyrics are described typically as angst-filled, introspective, apprehensive and nihilistic, often addressing themes such as social alienation, apathy, concerns about confinement, and a desire for freedom. Catherine Strong states that grunge songs were usually themes of alienation and depression, but with an "ironic sneer. ” This darker lyrical content and the distorted electric guitars give Grunge a deliberate "ugly" aesthetic, chosen to counter the "slick" elegant sound of the popular, corporate Hair/Glam Metal, and also because artists wanted to portray the ugliness of the real world.

People were driven to the underground grunge scene not just as a reaction to the corporate music pushed into the mainstream but also because of the conservative political period, which renewed the push towards counterculture and anti-conformity. Similar to the punk scene in the 70’s, grunge bands wanted to distance and differentiate themselves by beginning to play slower songs with heavier grooves, underlined by the subject matter of social awareness and other real issues. The whole identity of grunge was based around real and pure music which was both visceral spoke to the “timeless angst of youth and the prophetic frustrations of the time. ” However, as grunge grew in popularity its authentic was seen to have been tainted by corporate influences and the media. Grunge artists expressed contempt towards those considered insincere, which resonated with fans for its authenticity. A major principle of authenticity for grunge bands was to prioritise their music over their image, through both concerts, music videos and clothing. Grunge concerts involved bands rejecting the stage antics and theatrics, as well as the complex high budget light arrays, pyrotechnics, and other visual effects popular at the time, as these were seen as unrelated to the music and unauthentic.

The look of grunge artists was everyday clothes, notably flannels, with long hair, an approach used to convey the key principle of authenticity. It was also a stylistic choice to contrast against the mohawks, leather jackets and chains worn by punks, and also an “anti-fashion response and a non-conformist move” against the glamorised look of the previous popular rock music. However but, this initial authenticity was undermined by Sub-Pop marketing the ‘grunge look’. Another example of authenticity was performance based music videos, as many bands used this to highlight their musical abilities rather than their ability to entertain. Pearl Jam’s music video for Even Flow (1992) is a performance music video comprised of actual footage from the bands show at Moore Theatre in Seattle, Washington in 1991. At the beginning of the video Eddie Vedder the lead singer yells “It’s not a TV studio Josh (the director of the music video Josh Taft), turn those lights out…it’s a f****** rock concert!”, a statement which symbolises the bands desire to foreground the music and nothing else. This is also compounded with the footage being only that of each band members playing their instruments in a concert. As the term Grunge grew in popularity, some bands labelled under the genre, such as Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains preferred instead to be referred to as "rock and roll" bands as they believed the word grunge was a marketing tool, as well as they sounded different and didn’t want to be lumped together under a label. Ben Shepherd from Soundgarden stated that he "hates the word" grunge and “hates being associated with it. ” Mike McCready of Pearl Jam also said "No. We are a Rock & Roll band. We play Rock. We play Heavy Rock. We’re a Hard Rock band. ” This disdain towards grunge could be accounted to it moving away from its underground roots into commercial success and the mainstream.

This lead to bands jumping on the trend who were seen as inauthentic and imitators, as well as grunge being marketable for fashion and advertising. This was seen to be co-opting elements of grunge and turning it into a fad, exploiting the subculture and fabricating a movement. This lead to a backlash against grunge, as mass media began to use the term many band members began to refer to the term as "the G-word”This shift from authentic underground sub-culture to the most popular and most marketable music of the early 90s was highlighted by the success of Nirvana’s album “Nevermind”. The album popularised grunge music and proved the commercial viability of genres thought to be of a niche audience. However the fame that came with being elevated from a local scene to a global phenomenon was problematic as it clashed with the core ideals of success and commercial marketability tainting authenticity. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain told Michael Azerrad, "Famous is the last thing I wanted to be” and his contempt for Nirvanas hit song “Smells like Teen Spirit” and their new audience was well documented. After grunge's declined in prominence during latter half of the 1990s it was replaced by post-grunge, a mainstream more commercially viable genre which took the heavy distorted guitars of grunge but with uplifting lyrics and polished production. This was seen as largely inauthentic as it was a commercially driven response and it lacked the underground roots of grunge. The question of authenticity is problematic as it is hard to define and quantify due to its subjective nature. Authenticity can be defined simply as being honest and real to the music but the fine definitions differ in each genre. David Sanjek defines authenticity as “the degree to which a musician is able to articulate the thoughts and desires of an audience and not pander to the "mainstream" by diluting their sound or their message. ” It can be a reason why fans like a band as their messages and practises are important factors on how they are perceived, especially within rock cultures like punk and grunge which are built on a reaction unauthentic music.

For rock fans it has always been important artists don't "sell out" or get into music for the wrong reasons. As authenticity was a core appeal of lots of genres fans were against bands cleaning up their sound, trying to appeal to larger audiences or signing to major labels. emulated the aesthetic style of artists to gain popularity. An example of an artist being seen as authentic is Kurt Cobain due to multiple factors including how earnest he was off stage, how he seemed to love music and would share and hype up his influences, and how he criticised artists who he thought were getting into music for the wrong reasons which according to Cobain ranged from emulating the aesthetic style of artists to gain popularity to simply money, fame and girls. However the discussion around authenticity is problematic as the term is loosely defined and subjective. Sanjek writes that the question of authenticity “is a slippery one, as it too often bases itself upon totalizing definitions, positing absolute conceptions of truth or falsity and communities of homogeneous consumers. Instead, we must realize, as Lawrence Grossberg states, "there are no homogeneous communities. . . no 'taste cultures' and contradictory subjects constantly moving through, proliferating, and transforming temporary alliances and formations. ””

Additionally, authenticity is not intrinsic to quality the same way as success can be but is not a true measurement of quality. As general audiences do not theorise on the music and generally have limited knowledge of the art, going commercial and mainstream can be seen as unauthentic as it can be seen that the artist is prioritising pandering to the masses over true artistry. However, commercial success and musical artistry are not mutually exclusive but rather intersect as authentic bands do gain fame, albeit it not being their main goal, that being focused on remaining true to the music.