Post-grunge
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Post-grunge is an offshoot of
grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...
that has a less abrasive or intense tone than traditional grunge. Originally, the term was used almost pejoratively to label mid-1990s
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
bands such as Bush, Candlebox, Collective Soul, Live,
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
, and Silverchair, that emulated the original sound of grunge. In the late 1990s, post-grunge became a more clearly defined style that combined the sound and
aesthetic Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy,'' , acces ...
of grunge with more commercially accessible songwriting, rising to prominence that lasted into the 2000s. Bands such as Foo Fighters, Nickelback,
Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...
, Staind, Puddle of Mudd, Breaking Benjamin, Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Seether, and Matchbox Twenty achieved mainstream success in this second wave.


Characteristics

During the 1990s, a post-grunge sound emerged that emulated the attitudes and music of grunge, particularly its thick, distorted
guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
s, but with a less intense and less abrasive tone. Unlike a lot of early grunge bands, post-grunge bands often worked through major record labels and incorporated influences from a variety of musical genres such as
jangle pop Jangle pop is a Music subgenre, subgenre of pop rock and college rock that emphasizes jangle, jangly guitars and 1960s-style pop music, pop melodies. The "jangly" guitar sound is characterized by its clean, shimmering and Arpeggio, arpeggiated ...
, , ska revival,
alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...
, and
classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
. Post-grunge music tends to be in mid-tempo and is noted for having "a polished, radio-ready production". Tim Grierson of About.com wrote that musically, post-grunge bands "split the difference between plaintive ballads and aggressive rockers, resulting in songs that combine the two extremes into a sad-eyed, propulsive middle ground". Post-grunge tends to feature the "...same kind of melody as... bubblegum pop" and pop song structures. On some occasions, music features both an electric guitar and an acoustic guitar playing simultaneously. Post-grunge tends to have production quality that is much higher and cleaner than grunge. A "major rift" between grunge and is in the lyrical substance of the music; grunge often expressed emotion through loose metaphors or third-person narratives, while post-grunge was known for being direct and blunt. While describing lyrics that are common in , Sasha Geffen of ''Consequence of Sound'' wrote that "plunged directly into the Geffen also wrote that most post-grunge songs that achieved mainstream success "call after a prospective or past companion in the first person". Post-grunge lyrics also tend to be about topics such as relationships, romance and drug addiction. According to Geffen, "grunge's frontmen posed with their addictions; songwriters sought redemption for them". Geffen then states that post-grunge songs "fit the mold of songs made for...teenage boys and girls" who were "longing for a distant someone".


Pejorative labels

Originally, post-grunge was a label that was meant to be almost pejorative, suggesting that grunge bands labelled as were simply musically derivative, or a cynical response to an " authentic" rock movement. When grunge became a mainstream genre because of bands such as Nirvana and
Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...
, record labels started signing bands that sounded similar to these bands' sonic identities. Bands labeled as that emerged when grunge was mainstream such as Bush, Candlebox and Collective Soul are all noted for emulating the sound of bands that launched grunge into the mainstream. According to Tim Grierson of About.com, the almost pejorative use of the "post-grunge" label to describe these bands was "suggesting that rather than being a musical movement in their own right, they were just a calculated, cynical response to a legitimate stylistic shift in
rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...
". In the late 1990s, post-grunge morphed, becoming a derivative of grunge that combined characteristics of grunge with a more commercially accessible tone. During this time, post-grunge bands such as
Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...
and Nickelback emerged. Grierson wrote: Grierson also wrote, "Post-grunge was a profitable musical style, but bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam were beloved partly because of their perceived integrity in avoiding the mainstream. Post-grunge, by comparison, seemed to exist in order to court that very audience." In the late 2000s and 2010s, the derogatory term "butt rock" gained traction when applied in relation to many post-grunge artists who were popular during the genre's prime, such as Nickelback, Creed, Puddle of Mudd, and Hinder. While the origins of the term are debated, the term "butt rock" usually comes from someone critical of an overuse of raspy vocals (often described as imitations of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder) or, less often, overly clichéd or angsty lyrics.


History


1993–1997: First wave and rise in popularity

Even at the height of their popularity, after the release of '' Nevermind'' (1991) brought grunge to international attention, Nirvana experienced increasing problems, partly caused by
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
's
drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...
and growing dissatisfaction with commercial success. In late 1992, Cobain was photographed in a T-shirt with 'Grunge is Dead' printed on its front at which point the genre's decline started to be widely discussed. Cobain's suicide in 1994, as well as Pearl Jam's touring problems, marked a decline for grunge that year. Problems of addiction for Layne Staley of Alice in Chains led to the band cancelling scheduled dates in 1995. Addiction and legal problems for Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots led to the band having touring problems, causing the band to tour their album '' Purple'' for only four months, and their follow up album '' Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop'' for only 6 weeks. As the original grunge movement began to fade, major record labels began signing and promoting bands emulating the genre in a more mainstream style, dubbed by some writers as "post-grunge". Though bands such as Bush and Candlebox have been categorized as grunge, both bands have also been categorized as post-grunge. Collective Soul and Live are two other bands categorized as post-grunge that emerged along with Bush and Candlebox. Bush, Candlebox, Collective Soul and Live all achieved mainstream success; Candlebox's self-titled album (1993) was certified by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) and, according to
Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...
, sold at least 4,000,000 copies. Its song "Far Behind" peaked at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Collective Soul's song "Shine" peaked at number 11 on the same chart and was certified gold by the RIAA in September 1994. Collective Soul's album ''
Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid ''Hints Allegations and Things Left Unsaid'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Collective Soul, it was originally released on an indie label in Atlanta called Rising Storm Records in 1993, Collective Soul later signed on with Atl ...
'' (1993) was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA, and the band's self-titled album released in 1995 was certified 3× platinum by the RIAA. Bush's debut studio album '' Sixteen Stone'' (1994) was certified by the RIAA and the band's second studio album '' Razorblade Suitcase'' (1996), which peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200, was certified 3× platinum by the RIAA. Carl Williott of
Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...
called Bush's album ''Sixteen Stone'' "a harbinger of pop dominance". Live's album '' Throwing Copper'' (1994) was certified 8× platinum by the RIAA, and the band's album '' Secret Samadhi'' (1997) was certified 2× platinum by the RIAA. Both ''Throwing Copper'' and ''Secret Samadhi'' peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200. ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...
''s Paolo Ragusa credits ''Throwing Copper'' with starting post-grunge and shifting rock music to a new direction after the death of Kurt Cobain by combining some harder rock influences with clearer vocals, softer guitar melodies, and the production of Jerry Harrison to make a distinct sound. In 1995, former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl's newer band
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
helped to popularize post-grunge and define its parameters, becoming one of the most commercially successful rock bands in the United States, aided by considerable airplay on MTV. Like grunge bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains, the post-grunge band Candlebox was from
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
, but post-grunge was marked by a broadening of the geographical base of grunge, with bands categorized as post-grunge such as
York, Pennsylvania York is a city in York County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. Located in South Central Pennsylvania, the city's population was 44,800 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in ...
's Live, Atlanta,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
's Collective Soul, Australia's Silverchair and England's Bush, who all paved the way for later post-grunge bands. Female solo artist
Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...
's 1995 album '' Jagged Little Pill'', which is considered a post-grunge album, became a hit and was certified 16× platinum by the RIAA in 1998 having sold at least 15,000,000 copies in the United States.


1997–2010: Second wave and peak popularity

With the first wave of post-grunge bands losing popularity, post-grunge morphed in the late 1990s and 2000s, gaining further popularity with newer acts such as
Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) which summarizes its core tenets. Many Christian denominations use three creeds ...
, Nickelback, Three Days Grace, 3 Doors Down, Puddle of Mudd, Staind, Hinder,
Audioslave Audioslave was an American Rock music, rock supergroup (music), supergroup formed in Glendale, California, in 2001. The four-piece band consisted of Soundgarden's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Chris Cornell with Rage Against the Machine memb ...
, Hoobastank,
Fuel A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work (physics), work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chem ...
, Breaking Benjamin, Shinedown, Seether, and Daughtry, abandoning some of the angst and anger of the earlier artists for more conventional anthems, narratives, and romantic songs. Creed's albums '' My Own Prison'', released in 1997, and '' Weathered'', released in 2001, were both certified by the RIAA. ''Weathered'' sold at least 6,400,000 copies in the United States. Creed's album '' Human Clay'', released in 1999, was certified diamond by the RIAA and sold at least 11,690,000 copies in the United States. ''Human Clay'' song " With Arms Wide Open" peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Matchbox Twenty's 1996 debut album, '' Yourself or Someone Like You'', was a success in 1997 and 1998 on the strength of radio singles " Push" and " 3AM"; it was certified 12× platinum by the RIAA. Nickelback broke into the mainstream in the early 2000s; their song " How You Remind Me" peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The Nickelback album that featured the song, '' Silver Side Up'', was certified 6× platinum by the RIAA and sold at least 5,528,000 copies in the United States. Nickelback's next album, '' The Long Road'', was certified 3× platinum by the RIAA and sold at least 3,591,000 copies in the United States. The album's song " Someday" peaked at number 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 1 on both the
Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian music charts are a collection of record charts reflecting the music consumption of people in Canada. '' RPM'' and '' Billboard'' are the biggest publications to have published Canada's official charts for decades. However, the first ...
and the
Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...
chart. Nickelback's album '' All the Right Reasons'' was certified 6× platinum by the RIAA fourteen months after being released. Four years after being released, the album was certified 8× platinum by the RIAA. In March 2017, ''All the Right Reasons'' was certified diamond by the RIAA. Staind's album '' Break the Cycle'' peaked at number 1 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold at least 716,000 copies in its release week, and, according to Nielsen SoundScan, sold at least 4,240,000 copies in 2001. ''Break the Cycle'' song " It's Been Awhile" peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. 3 Doors Down's debut studio album '' The Better Life'' was certified 6× platinum by the RIAA and sold at least 5,653,000 copies in the United States. ''The Better Life'' song " Kryptonite" peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 1 on the
Mainstream Top 40 Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/contemporary hit radio, CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard (magazine), ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played o ...
chart. 3 Doors Down's second studio album '' Away from the Sun'' was certified by the RIAA and sold at least 3,863,000 copies in the United States. Lifehouse achieved mainstream success in the early 2000s; their song " Hanging by a Moment", which peaked at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, was the most played song on the radio in 2001. Puddle of Mudd broke into the mainstream in the early 2000s; their album '' Come Clean'' was certified by the RIAA and the album's songs " Blurry" and " She Hates Me" both reached very high positions on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "Blurry" peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard Hot 100'' and "She Hates Me" peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. "She Hates Me" also peaked at number 7 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart. The band Default became popular with their song " Wasting My Time". It peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The post-grunge band
Cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjectivity, subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute t ...
's song " Stupid Girl" peaked at number 87 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. band Crossfade's song "
Cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjectivity, subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute t ...
" peaked at number 81 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 23 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart, number 39 on the
Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles ...
chart, number 28 on the Pop 100 Airplay chart, and number 57 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA in December 2006. Crossfade's was certified platinum by the RIAA in August 2005. Three Days Grace broke into the mainstream during the 2000s; their song " Just Like You" peaked at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on both the Mainstream Rock chart and the Modern Rock Tracks chart. The Three Days Grace song " I Hate Everything About You" peaked at number 55 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 28 on the Pop Songs chart. In 2006, Three Days Grace released their album '' One-X'', which was certified 3× platinum by the RIAA. The album's song "
Pain Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...
" peaked at number 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 47 on the Pop 100 chart and number 35 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. ''One-X'' song " Never Too Late" peaked at: number 71 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 12 on the Top 40 Mainstream chart, number 19 on the Pop 100 chart, number 17 on the Pop 100 Airplay chart, number 30 on the Hot Digital Songs chart, number 18 on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart, number 13 on the Adult Top 40 chart and number 1 on the Hot Adult Top 40 Recurrents chart. Daughtry broke into the mainstream in 2006 with the release of their self-titled debut album.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
noted the sound of the album. It sold at least 5,040,000 copies in the United States. The band Flyleaf's song " All Around Me" peaked at: number 40 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 12 on the Top 40 Mainstream, number 17 on the Pop 100, number 15 on the Pop 100 Airplay, number 38 on the Hot Digital Songs and number 23 on the Adult Top 40. Flyleaf's self-titled album was certified platinum by the RIAA.


See also

* List of post-grunge bands


References

{{Pop rock 1990s in music 2000s in music 1990s fads and trends 2000s fads and trends Grunge 20th-century music genres 21st-century music genres Rock music genres