Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Grunge |
GrungeNoun1. The state of being covered with unclean things. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
| Domain | Definition |
Computing | Grunge /gruhnj/ n. 1. That which is grungy, or that which makes it so. 2. [Cambridge] Code which is inaccessible due to changes in other parts of the program. The preferred term in North America is dead code. Source: Jargon File. |
Social Sciences | A fashion style characterized by shabby clothes and untidy hair. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
The grunge movement was the introduction of an independent-rooted music genre and eventually more commercially successful offshoot of hardcore punk, thrash metal and alternative rock in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Bands from the cities in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, such as Seattle, Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, made the grunge music genre popular with mainstream audiences.As a style of music, it is generally characterised by 'dirty' guitar, strong riffs, and heavy drumming. Grunge is also popularly referred to as the Seattle Sound. Independent labels were key catalysts in bringing this style of music to the public initially. Many of the more successful bands of the era were associated with Seattle's Sub Pop record label, though several other independent Seattle labels gained recognition, including Kill Rock Stars and K Records.
Besides its punk roots, the grunge movement had strong roots in the Northwest musical culture and the local youth culture. The sonic resemblance to such 1960s Northwest bands as the Wailers and, most particularly, the Sonics is unmistakable, and grunge clothing was a blend of a punk aesthetic with the typical outdoorsy clothing (e.g. flannel shirts) of the region.
The emergence of "grunge" as a genre and its embrace by the mainstream is usually thought of as a reaction against the popular dominance of hair metal. Hair metal bands, such as W.A.S.P, Poison and Guns 'n Roses had been dominating the charts, especially in the US, for several years in spite of declining critical viability. Grunge music can be sharply constrasted to hair metal's macho lyrics, anthemic riffs, and a perceived lack of social consciousness, especially in the race to attract mainstream audiences.
Grunge was embraced by the youth for its simple defiance of the then-cultural norm, which was seen by many as a corporate-dominated and superficial popular culture. In the rock world, expensive, designer clothing was shunned in favor of flannel, jeans, and Doc Marten or Converse boots. Traditional rock and roll ostentatiousness became offensive, at least for the time being.
The mainstays of this rock genre were primarily Seattle-based bands, such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden. Nirvana is generally credited for breaking the genre into the popular consciousness in 1991 (see 1991 in music). The success of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (off Nevermind) surprised the entire music industry. The album was a #1 hit around much of the world, and paved the way for more bands, including, most popularly, Pearl Jam. For many audiences then and later, grunge came to be almost totally associated with these two bands and their punky, rebellious attitude towards mainstream mores as well as cultural and social institutions.
The popularity of grunge music was short-lived, however. When Kurt Cobain (of Nirvana) committed suicide in April of 1994, grunge music effectively began its decline. Ironically, Cobain had often been photographed wearing t-shirts stating that "Grunge is Dead".
The general consensus of fans and music historians is that the genre was entirely too opposed to mainstream stardom to actually achieve long-lasting popularity. Many grunge bands refused to cooperate with the record labels in making radio-friendly hooks, and the labels found new bands that were willing to do so, albeit with a watered-down sound that did not sit well with the genre's long-time fans.
For many fans of the genre, it wasn't until the dissolution of grunge pioneer band Soundgarden in 1997 that they finally conceded grunge (as mainstream music) was dead. Many grunge bands have continued recording and touring with more limited success, including, most significantly, Pearl Jam.
Prominent Bands
- Alice in Chains
- Blue Moon and Company
- Days of the New
- Foo Fighters
- Hole
- Jacob's Mouse
- Long Hind Legs
- Melvins
- Mudhoney
- Nirvana
- Pearl Jam
- Screaming Trees
- Sonic Youth
- Soundgarden
- The Cult
- The Smashing Pumpkins
- Stone Temple Pilots
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Grunge music."
Synonyms: GrungeSynonyms: dirt (n), filth (n), grease (n), grime (n), soil (n), stain (n). (additional references) |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | It's a grunge thing (The Rock; writing credit: David Weisberg; Douglas Cook) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title |
Books | |
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
 |
| "Oldplumbing2" by Marty Weis Commentary: "Old plumbing in my basement...i love the grunge feel to it." |
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers. |
| "Grunge" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 93.48% of the time. "Grunge" is used about 46 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 93.48% | 43 | 52,181 |
| Noun (proper) | 4.35% | 2 | 245,945 |
| Lexical Verb (base form) | 2.17% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 46 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "grunge": grunge-brechtian, grunge-fest, grunge-funk, grunge-led, grunge-like, grunge-making, grunge-pop, grunge-rock, grunge-rockers. | |
Ending with "grunge": Fem-grunge, mega-grunge, psycho-grunge, sub-grunge. | |
Containing "grunge": noise-grunge-new-wave-of-alternative-corporate-underground-anarcho-core-punk. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "grunge"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Hungarian | trutymó (crap, grunch, gunge, gunk, yuck, yuk), trutyi (crap, grunch, gunge, gunk, scuz, scuzz, yuk), gané (crap, grunch, gunk). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | ungegray.(various references) | |
Spanish | "look-cero", "grunge". (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "grunge": grunges. (additional references) | |
| |
"Grunge" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: Gaungit, gburnage, gerung, greige, gringa, gringe, Grogna, grong, groung, gruge, grundge, grune, grung, grunged, grungle, Guenage, gunga, Gungah, gunge, gungey, Gurung, Runge. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "grunge" (pronounced gru"nj) |
| 3 | -u" n j | expunge, lunge, plunge, sponge. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "e-g-g-n-r-u" | |
-1 letter: gurge. | |
-2 letters: genu, grue, rune, rung, urge. | |
-3 letters: egg, eng, erg, ern, gen, gnu, gun, reg, rue, rug, run, urn. | |
-4 letters: en, er, ne, nu, re, un. | |
| Words containing the letters "e-g-g-n-r-u" | |
+1 letter: grunges, snugger. | |
+2 letters: greenbug, grueling, grungier, refuging, regluing, rogueing, snuggery, unrigged. | |
+3 letters: buggering, gesturing, greenbugs, gruelings, gruelling, grungiest, guttering, hungering, rearguing, regauging, rejudging, repugning, resurging. | |
+4 letters: bedrugging, begrudging, burgeoning, desugaring, gangbuster, gangrenous, gauffering, gruelingly, gruellings, guerdoning, gunfighter, gunslinger, gutterings, juggernaut, leaguering, overurging, prejudging, redarguing, refiguring, regrouping, regulating, rejuggling, replunging, roughening, ruggedness, snuggeries, submerging, undergoing. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Usage: Modern 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Images: Slideshow 6. Images: Digital Art 7. Usage Frequency 8. Expressions | 9. Expressions: Internet 10. Translations: Modern 11. Derivations 12. Rhymes | 13. Anagrams 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
