GRUNGE: AN INTRODUCTION Music in America in the late 1980s saw a revolution in the form of an entirely new genre, which would later be known as "grunge". It is perhaps one of America's most notable contributions to the world of music. Grunge originated in Seattle and spread to the United States in the 1990s. He has also influenced the international music scene, inspiring artists and creating a huge fan base around the world. The music was inspired by punk rock, but had edgier riffs paired with emotional, sometimes heavy lyrics. This type of music reached and appealed to an oppressed and often abused audience. Angry musical riffs, paired with lyrics that most young Americans could relate to, or even had experienced, made grunge instantly popular. Grunge revolutionized not only music in America, but also left its mark on American culture. Grunge, as a musical genre and as a lifestyle, broke away from the glamor of the mainstream music world, allowing people to express themselves through real, recognizable music.GRUNGE: A BRIEF HISTORY AND DEFINITIONGrunge began as a rough and raw sounding version . of rock music prevalent in the 1980s. It all started in Seattle in the 80s in the form of bands like Mudhoney and The Screaming Trees. However, it was in the early '90s, when bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden emerged, that the grunge movement took America by storm. These bands allowed people to experience and enjoy a completely new, expressive and relevant type of music. Although there are several bands both inside and outside the United States playing and some still playing grunge music, the most influential band was Nirvana. Frontman Kurt Cobain still holds a place as a music icon, and he's the... middle of paper... and he dressed the part. Their clothes were rarely glamorous or expensive. This also applies to those bands that have become big internationally. Grunge fashion has been toned down, overall. These were worn jeans and t-shirts, often torn. These shirts were usually paired with a long-sleeved shirt underneath or a flannel shirt on top (Strong, 19). The overall look was a scruffy, disheveled look that was usually achieved with bland clothing and messy hair. WORKS CITED Forte, Catherine. Grunge: music and memory. Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2011. Print.Talley, Tara. "Grunge and blues, a sociological comparison: how space and place influence the development and diffusion of regional musical styles." Chrestomacy: Volume 4 (2005): 228 – 238. Print.Moore, Ryan. It is sold as Teen Spirit. New York: New York University Press, 2010. Print.