Editing Grunge (section)

====Peak of influence====
In September 1991, Nirvana released its major label debut, ''[[Nevermind]]''. The album was at best hoped to be a minor success on par with Sonic Youth's ''[[Goo (album)|Goo]]'', which Geffen had released a year earlier.<ref>Wice, Nathaniel. "How Nirvana Made It". ''[[Spin magazine|Spin]]''. April 1992.</ref> It was the release of the album's first single "[[Smells Like Teen Spirit]]" that "marked the instigation of the grunge music phenomenon". Due to the constant airplay of the song's music video on [[MTV]], ''Nevermind'' was selling 400,000 copies a week by Christmas 1991,<ref>Lyons, p. 120</ref> and was certified gold on November 27, 1991.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=NIRVANA&ti=NEVERMIND |title=Nirvana (Nevermind) – RIAA |website=Recording Industry Association of America}}</ref> In January 1992, ''Nevermind'' replaced [[pop music|pop]] superstar [[Michael Jackson]]'s ''[[Dangerous (Michael Jackson album)|Dangerous]]'' at number one on the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref>"The ''Billboard'' 200". ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]''. [[Prometheus Global Media]]. January 11, 1992.</ref> ''Nevermind'' was certified diamond by the RIAA in 1999.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Nevermind|artist=Nirvana}}

The success of ''Nevermind'' surprised the music industry. ''Nevermind'' not only popularized grunge, but also established "the cultural and commercial viability of alternative rock in general."<ref>{{cite web |author=Olsen, Eric |title=10 years later, Cobain lives on in his music |publisher=[[Today.com]].com |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/10-years-later-cobain-lives-his-music-wbna4652653 |date=April 9, 2004 |access-date=July 25, 2007}}</ref> Michael Azerrad asserted that ''Nevermind'' symbolized "a sea-change in rock music" in which the [[glam metal]] that had dominated rock music at that time fell out of favor in the face of music that was perceived as [[authenticity (philosophy)|authentic]] and culturally relevant.<ref>Azerrad (1994), pp. 229–30.</ref> Grunge made it possible for genres thought to be of a niche audience, no matter how radical, to prove their marketability and be co-opted by the mainstream, cementing the formation of an individualist, fragmented culture.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 3, 2013 |title=Are We Still Living in 1993? |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |url=https://nymag.com/arts/art/features/1993-new-museum-exhibit/|access-date=February 26, 2013 |first=Carl |last=Swanson}}</ref> Other grunge bands subsequently replicated Nirvana's success. [[Pearl Jam]], which featured former [[Mother Love Bone]] members [[Jeff Ament]] and [[Stone Gossard]], had released its debut album ''[[Ten (Pearl Jam album)|Ten]]'' in August 1991, a month before ''Nevermind'', but album sales only picked up the following year. By the second half of 1992 ''Ten'' had become a breakthrough success, being certified gold and reaching number two on the ''Billboard'' charts.<ref>Pearlman, Nina. "Black Days". ''[[Guitar World]]''. December 2002.</ref> ''Ten'' by Pearl Jam was certified 13× platinum by the RIAA.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Ten|artist=Pearl Jam}}

The band Soundgarden's album ''[[Badmotorfinger]]'' and the band Alice in Chains' album ''[[Dirt (Alice in Chains album)|Dirt]]'', along with the band [[Temple of the Dog]]'s [[Temple of the Dog (album)|self-titled album]], a collaboration featuring members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, were also among the 100 top selling albums of 1992.<ref>Lyons, p. 136.</ref> The popular breakthrough of these grunge bands prompted ''Rolling Stone'' to nickname Seattle "the new [[Liverpool]]".<ref name="success NYT" /> Major record labels signed most of the prominent grunge bands in Seattle, while a second influx of bands moved to the city in hopes of success.<ref>Azerrad (2001), pp. 452–53.</ref> The grunge scene was the backdrop in the 1992 [[Cameron Crowe]] film ''[[Singles (1992 film)|Singles]]''. There were several small roles, performances, and cameos in the film by popular Seattle grunge bands including Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains. Filmed in and around Seattle in 1991, the film was not released until 1992 during the height of grunge popularity.<ref name="success NYT" />

The popularity of grunge resulted in a large interest in the Seattle music scene's perceived cultural traits. While the Seattle music scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s in actuality consisted of various styles and genres of music, its representation in the media "served to depict Seattle as a music 'community' in which the focus was upon the ongoing exploration of one musical idiom, namely grunge".<ref>Lyons, p. 122.</ref> The fashion industry marketed "grunge fashion" to consumers, charging premium prices for items such as knit ski hats and tartan shirts. Critics asserted that advertising was co-opting elements of grunge and turning it into a fad. ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' commented in a 1993 article, "There hasn't been this kind of exploitation of a subculture since the media discovered hippies in the '60s".<ref>{{cite magazine |date=April 2, 1993 |title=Smells Like Big Bucks |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/04/02/smells-big-bucks/ |access-date=July 25, 2007 |first=Peter |last=Kobel |archive-date=October 14, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014023338/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,306055,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Marketers used the "grunge" concept to sell grunge air freshener, grunge hair gel and even CDs of "easy-listening music" called "grunge light".<ref name="Cross, Charles R 2012" /> ''[[The New York Times]]'' compared the "grunging of America" to the mass-marketing of [[punk rock]], [[disco]], and [[hip hop music|hip hop]] in previous years.<ref name="success NYT" /> Ironically, the ''New York Times'' was tricked into printing a fake list of slang terms that were supposedly used in the grunge scene; often referred to as the [[grunge speak]] hoax. This media hype surrounding grunge was documented in the 1996 documentary ''[[Hype!]]''.<ref name="Hype" /> As mass media began to use the term "grunge" in any news story about the key bands, Seattle scene members began to refer to the term as "the G-word".<ref name="Cross, Charles R 2012" />

[[File:PearlJam-DC2000.jpg|thumb|left|alt=A rock band, Pearl Jam, performing onstage. A vocalist sings into a microphone while playing tambourine. A drummer sits behind a drumkit. A guitarist plays electric guitar.|Grunge band Pearl Jam in [[Columbia, Maryland]] in 2000]]
A backlash against grunge began to develop in Seattle; in late 1992, Jonathan Poneman said that in the city, "All things grunge are treated with the utmost cynicism and amusement [. . .] Because the whole thing is a fabricated movement and always has been."<ref name="success NYT" /> Grunge and grunge bands received criticism from musicians such as [[Blur (band)|Blur]]'s [[Damon Albarn]], who was quoted saying "fuck grunge" and "[[The Smashing Pumpkins]] can kiss my fucking ass" while performing onstage.<ref>{{cite web | last = Hood-Morris | first = Greg| url =https://issuu.com/uw_imprint/docs/1993-94_v16-n21_imprint/24 | title = Fuck Grunge | work = [[Imprint (newspaper)|Imprint]] | date=January 7, 1994 | access-date=January 18, 2020}}</ref> Many grunge artists were uncomfortable with their success and the resulting attention it brought. Nirvana's Kurt Cobain told Michael Azerrad, "Famous is the last thing I wanted to be."<ref>Azerrad, Michael. ''Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana''. Doubleday, 1994. {{ISBN|0-385-47199-8}}, p. 254.</ref> Pearl Jam also felt the burden of success, with much of the attention falling on frontman [[Eddie Vedder]].<ref name="crowe">{{cite magazine | last = Crowe | first = Cameron | author-link=Cameron Crowe | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10560431/five_against_the_world | title = Five Against the World | magazine = [[Rolling Stone]] | date=October 28, 1993 | access-date=June 23, 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070619084803/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/10560431/five_against_the_world |archive-date =June 19, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Nirvana's follow-up album ''[[In Utero (album)|In Utero]]'' (1993) featured an intentionally abrasive album that Nirvana bassist [[Krist Novoselic]] described as a "wild aggressive sound, a true alternative record".<ref>DeRogatis, Jim. ''Milk It!: Collected Musings on the Alternative Music Explosion of the 90's''. Cambridge: Da Capo, 2003. {{ISBN|0-306-81271-1}}, p. 18.</ref> Nevertheless, upon its release in September 1993, ''In Utero'' topped the ''Billboard'' charts.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=October 8, 1993 |title=In Numero Uno |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,308282,00.html |access-date=September 8, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071004211114/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0%2C%2C308282%2C00.html |archive-date=October 4, 2007 }}</ref> In 1996, ''In Utero'' was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=In Utero|artist=Nirvana}} Pearl Jam also continued to perform well commercially with its second album, ''[[Vs. (Pearl Jam album)|Vs.]]'' (1993). The album sold a record 950,378 copies in its first week of release, topped the ''Billboard'' charts, and outperformed all other entries in the top ten that week combined.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://ew.com/article/1993/11/19/pearls-jam/ | title=Pearl's Jam | magazine=Entertainment Weekly | date=November 19, 1993 | access-date=August 29, 2007 | first=Nisid | last=Hajari | archive-date=October 14, 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014195855/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,308749,00.html | url-status=live }}</ref> In 1993, the grunge band [[Candlebox]] released their [[Candlebox (album)|self-titled album]], which was certified {{nowrap|4× platinum}} by the RIAA.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Candlebox|artist=Candlebox}} In February 1994, Alice in Chains' EP, ''[[Jar of Flies]]'' peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart.<ref name="AliceinChainsBillboard200">[https://www.billboard.com/artist/278597/alice-chains/chart?f=305 Alice in Chains – Billboard 200 chart history] billboard.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.</ref> Soundgarden's album ''[[Superunknown]]'', which was also released in 1994, peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart,<ref>[https://www.billboard.com/artist/279997/soundgarden/chart?f=305 Soundgarden – Billboard 200 chart history] billboard.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.</ref> and was certified 5× platinum by the RIAA.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Superunknown|artist=Soundgarden}} In 1995, Alice in Chains' [[Alice in Chains (album)|self-titled album]] became their second number 1 album on the ''Billboard'' 200,<ref name="AliceinChainsBillboard200" /> and was certified 2× platinum.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Alice in Chains|artist=Alice in Chains}}

In the early-mid 1990s, the commercial success of grunge put record labels on a nationwide search for undiscovered talent to promote. This included [[San Diego]], [[California]]–based [[Stone Temple Pilots]],<ref name="Loudwire STP">{{cite magazine |url=http://loudwire.com/best-grunge-bands/ |title=10 Best Grunge Bands of All Time |last=Childers |first=Chad |magazine=[[Loudwire]] |access-date=July 22, 2016 |quote=Could grunge grow outside of Seattle? That was the question in 1992, when San Diego-based rockers Stone Temple Pilots arrived with their 'Core' album, leading the second wave of grunge.}}</ref> Texas-based [[Tripping Daisy]]<ref name="AllMusic grunge" />{{better source needed|reason=[[WP:ALLMUSIC]] dubious for anything other than entertainment reviews with attribution|date=April 2021}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/tripping-daisy-mn0000024113/songs|title=Tripping Daisy |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> and [[Toadies]],<ref name="Toadies Sun-Sentinel">{{cite news |url=http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2001-08-10/entertainment/0108080862_1_toadies-nirvana-grunge |title=Toadies Break Sophomore Jinx – With A Little Help From Nirvana |newspaper=[[Sun-Sentinel]] |date=August 10, 2001 |access-date=May 15, 2016 |archive-date=October 7, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161007062556/http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2001-08-10/entertainment/0108080862_1_toadies-nirvana-grunge |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Toadies DailyCal">{{cite news |url=http://www.dailycal.org/2014/03/22/texan-band-toadies-ready-anniversary-tour/ |title=Texas band Toadies ready for anniversary tour |newspaper=The Daily Californian |date=March 22, 2014 |access-date=May 15, 2016 |quote=Few would argue that ''[[Rubberneck (album)|Rubberneck]]'' is the most influential album of the '90s, but it is distinctly grunge, and it is distinctly Texan. |archive-date=June 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610180839/http://www.dailycal.org/2014/03/22/texan-band-toadies-ready-anniversary-tour/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Toadies Rashbaum">{{cite web |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1488609/20040622/burden_brothers.jhtml |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129071137/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1488609/20040622/burden_brothers.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2013 |title=The Burden Brothers' Key To Success: Stop Trying |last=Rashbaum |first=Alyssa |publisher=MTV |date=June 22, 2004 |access-date=May 15, 2016 |quote=Lewis had left his mark on the early 1990s grunge scene with the Toadies, but the group broke up in 2001 after recording only two studio albums.}}</ref> [[Paw (band)|Paw]],<ref name="Paste 50 Best Grunge Songs" /> Chicago-based [[Veruca Salt]],<ref name="Paste 50 Best Grunge Songs" /> and Australian band [[Silverchair]], bands whose early work continues to be identified broadly (if not in Seattle itself) as "grunge". In 2014, ''Paste'' ranked Veruca Salt's "All Hail Me" #39 and Silverchair's "Tomorrow" #45 on their list of the 50 best grunge songs of all time.<ref name="Paste 50 Best Grunge Songs" /> ''[[Loudwire]]'' named Stone Temple Pilots one of the ten best grunge bands of all time.<ref name="Loudwire STP" /> Grunge bands outside of the United States emerged in several countries. In Canada, [[Eric's Trip]], the first Canadian band signed by the Sub Pop label, has been classified as grunge<ref name="ReferenceC">Barclay, Michael; Schneider, Jason; Jack, Ian. ''Have Not Been the Same: The CanRock Renaissance, 1985–1995''. ECW Press, 2011</ref> and [[Nickelback]]'s debut album was considered to be grunge. Silverchair achieved mainstream success in the 1990s; the band's song "[[Tomorrow (Silverchair song)|Tomorrow]]" went to number 22 on the [[Radio Songs (chart)|Radio Songs]] chart in September 1995<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/silverchair/chart-history/hsb/ |title=Silverchair Chart History (Radio Songs) |magazine=Billboard |access-date=December 26, 2017}}</ref> and the band's debut album ''[[Frogstomp]]'', released in June 1995, was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA in February 1996.{{Certification Cite Ref|title=Frogstomp|artist=Silverchair|region=United States|type=album}}

During this period, grunge bands that were not from Seattle were often panned by critics, who accused them of being bandwagon-jumpers; [[Stone Temple Pilots]] and [[Bush (British band)|Bush]] in particular fell victim to this. In a January 1994 ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' poll, [[Stone Temple Pilots]] was simultaneously voted "Best New Band" by ''Rolling Stone''{{'s}} readers and "Worst New Band" by the magazine's music critics, highlighting the disparity between critics and fans.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/04/scott-weiland-stone-temple-pilots-2008 |title=Rebuilding the Temple: Inside Stone Temple Pilots' 2008 Comeback |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |last=Greenblatt |first=Leah |date=December 4, 2015}}</ref> Stone Temple Pilots became very popular; their album ''[[Core (Stone Temple Pilots album)|Core]]'' was certified 8× platinum by RIAA{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Core|artist=Stone Temple Pilots}} and their album ''[[Purple (Stone Temple Pilots album)|Purple]]'' was certified 6× platinum by the RIAA.{{Certification Cite Ref|region=United States|type=album|title=Purple|artist=Stone Temple Pilots}} The British post-grunge band [[Bush (British band)|Bush]] released their debut album ''Sixteen Stone'' in 1994.<ref name=SixteenStoneAllMusic>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/sixteen-stone-mw0000125267 |title=Sixteen Stone – Bush |author=Erlewine, Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> In a review of their second album ''[[Razorblade Suitcase]]'', ''Rolling Stone'' criticized the album and called Bush "the most successful and shameless mimics of Nirvana's music".<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Matt |last=Diehl |title=Bush – Razorblade Suitcase |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bush/albums/album/242869/review/5944129/razorblade_suitcase |date=November 13, 1996 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070216075712/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/bush/albums/album/242869/review/5944129/razorblade_suitcase |archive-date=February 16, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In the book ''Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota'', [[Chuck Klosterman]] wrote, "Bush was a good band who just happened to signal the beginning of the end; ultimately, they would become the grunge [[Warrant (American band)|Warrant]]".{{sfn|Klosterman|2007|p=240}}