# "Nirvana made alt rock popular". Historical revisionism? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2014, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460 "2014-09-04T09:41:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2014, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/161 "2014-09-10T21:28:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There was a third wave of ska that achieved some popularity. I was in college from '93 - ‘98 and ska was a fairly listened-to genre most of those years. I remember going to ska shows, but on “alternative” radio you’d hear more poppy or punky ska-influenced stuff than straight-ahead ska. Stuff like Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Sublime, Rancid, Reel Big Fish, (you can probably throw in No Doubt for the real poppy/dancy side of ska.) This was also around the time where there was a big swing revival (remember that? Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, Squirrel Nut Zippers, etc.) I remember all that. Came out around the same time as the movie Swingers. Let’s not forget the funk infused power of Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, Rage Against The Machine, 311. There was a lot of reggae, swing and funk influenced rock in the 80s and 90s. If your characterizing them, you can pick Ska, Funk Metal, Swing Revival, Ska-Pop, and so on. STP is straight up grunge. In retrospect, Smashing Pumpkins is alternative, but they aren’t grunge and they aren’t jangle power pop like Mathew Sweet or REM. They are almost like an offshoot of indie shoegazing noise rock like The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/162 "2014-09-11T01:35:34Z")
I always considered Faith No More to be the first popular “nu metal” band. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/163 "2014-09-11T02:38:46Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > In retrospect, Smashing Pumpkins is alternative, but they aren’t grunge and they aren’t jangle power pop like Mathew Sweet or REM. They are almost like an offshoot of indie shoegazing noise rock like The Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth. Yeah, SP is a mix of genres. They definitely do have a grunge element to their sound, but they’re not typical grunge. I do hear the shoegaze of MBV in them (though I wouldn’t call any of the other bands you listed “shoegaze”). I hear 70s blues rock riffs a la Zeppelin in them. I hear krautrock a la Neu! or Can in them. The dynamic change aesthetic of the Pixies I can see, too. There’s also a definite arena rock element to their work, and some element of prog rock. And a pop songwriting sensibility a la Cheap Trick. That’s part of what I really enjoy about those first few Pumpkins records–that wide range of influence. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/164 "2014-09-11T02:43:23Z")
> [@Nema98](#): > > I think Faith No More would be along the lines of Red Hot Chili Peppers rather than the grunge bands. How about Stone Temple Pilots, why were they not considered grunge? Faith No More were closer to RHCP than grunge, I would agree. But there seemed to be a lot of crossover with Faith No More and metal fans in my neighborhood than there were with RHCP and metal fans. I think of Faith No More more as an offshoot of metal, really. STP fit pretty squarely under the grunge descriptor as far as I recall. Never really heard them not being lopped in with grunge, unless you were being particularly parochial (geographically) with your genres. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/165 "2014-09-11T06:30:43Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I never really thought of GnR as typical hair metal, though. At least around here, GnR was respected and listened to by people who loathed hair metal like Motley Crue, Cinderella, and Poison. Apparently, the idea [isn’t restricted](http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/07/23/the-top-ten-bands-most-often-miscategorized-as-hair-metal-2-guns-n-roses/) to my upbringing. I would agree, my daughter has a Pandora station that is set up to recognise songs like Little Birdy sings and I walk in the other day and its playing sweet chil of mine. They are a pop band with r&r sensibilities. ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/166 "2014-09-11T06:41:55Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Is anyone still listening to Ska? OY! Ska was reggae that had migrated to England and mated with early punk. Yep we listened to them down under, we even had shaved heads and suspenders but it was a uniquely English tradition. It lost a lot of it’s appeal when the neo nazi skins started to get media exposure via the soccer riots etc even though these new skins had moved onto their own unique form of metal (screwdriver etc). We had some great Aussie Ska bands one that comes to mind is “The Porkers” their original name was The Pork Hunts but for some reason radio wouldn’t say it on air and of course there was the song “Montego Bay” forgot the bands name but a great ditty. I still love to pop on some Madness or Specials and bop around the house! ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/167 "2014-09-11T12:44:00Z")
Actually, ska was originally a precursor to reggae. But we’re talking 50s ska here. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/168 "2014-09-11T19:22:54Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Actually, ska was originally a precursor to reggae. But we’re talking 50s ska here. 60s, more than 50s. But, yeah, ska came first, then reggae. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/169 "2014-09-11T20:18:35Z")
> [@Kamino\_Neko](#): > > 60s, more than 50s. But, yeah, ska came first, then reggae. Good point. It may have originated sometime in the late 50s, but 60s was really the first wave. ---
**Author:** ![Ibanez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a4c791/32.png) [@Ibanez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibanez)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2014, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460/170 "2014-09-11T21:59:37Z")
> [@protoboard](#): > > Was not The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Smiths, Joy Division, They Might Be Giants, and a bunch of other bands prior to 1991 both alt rock and popular? I was and still fans of most of those bands before Nirvana exploded. When I first heard Nirvana it sounded more like punk rock with awesome melodies to me than alternative rock. I think that had a lot to do with the contrast of what was being played on radio and MTV at the time, cock rock. Nirvana effectively killed that, which was a blessing because I hated all that crap. Kurt was also a fan of alt rock, especially [Killing Joke](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1U1Ue_5kq8&list=RDx1U1Ue_5kq8)😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nirvana-made-alt-rock-popular-historical-revisionism/697460.md?page=8)