[Western Music] Start with this one! Classic and popular songs of alternative rock
Even for those who love rock, it’s not easy to succinctly explain what alternative rock is.
As rock history produced a variety of genres, the term “alternative rock” emerged as music that stood against the mainstream—an underground counterpart.
It might even be more accurate to think of it not as a genre, but as a musical attitude that the musicians themselves embody.
In this article, we’ve curated a selection focusing on iconic Western tracks from the 1990s—songs through which alternative rock upended trends across the global music scene.
If you’ve recently become interested in alt rock, be sure to check them out!
- [Masterpiece Selection] A Compilation of Classic Western Rock Songs
- [2025] A roundup of classic UK rock songs: from the latest tracks to timeless staples!
- Great Western rock classics and hit songs of the ’90s
- Masterpieces of progressive rock. Recommended popular songs.
- [Western Music] Both Speed and Bittersweetness! Recommended Melodic Hardcore (Melodic Punk) Bands [2025]
- [Definitive] An introduction to Western mixture rock: a roundup of recommended classic tracks
- [UK Music] A Britpop masterpiece. One recommended album.
- [For Beginners] Popular Post-Rock Songs in Western Music: A Curated List of Recommended Classics
- Start here first! Classic jazz-rock masterpieces. Recommended popular tracks.
- Recommendation of Western Rock: Recommended Foreign Rock Bands, Popular Bands
- 90s Rock Revolution! A Collection of Masterpieces by Western Bands That Colored the 90s
- [Western Music] Tracing the Roots of Funk: Essential Albums Beginners Should Hear at Least Once
- Recommended Western alternative rock bands that connect to the modern rock scene
[Western Music] Start with this one song! Alternative Rock Masterpieces and Popular Tracks (71–80)
TodayThe Smashing Pumpkins
Often compared to Nirvana, The Smashing Pumpkins (known in Japan as “Smapan”) are a band that epitomized the ’90s alternative scene.
In Japan especially, they’re nearly as popular as Nirvana.
Their appeal lies above all in their melancholic melodies and their diverse sound, which also shows the influence of new wave.
The vocalist, Billy Corgan, has a somewhat narcissistic side, and in the ’90s the band drew a lot of criticism for that.
Even so, they weathered the backlash and remain one of the few bands still active today, long after the alternative movement has passed.
Touch Me I’m SickMudhoney
One hallmark of grunge is a heavily distorted, almost blown-out guitar sound—often called fuzz.
The band where I feel this is most obvious is Mudhoney.
Their fuzzy guitar tones and punk-influenced, sarcastic vocal delivery place them squarely at the heart of grunge.
The ConceptTeenage Fanclub
Among the many renowned bands born from Scotland—especially Glasgow, a crucial city for fans of UK rock—one of the most famous is Teenage Fanclub.
Formed in 1989, they’ve continued at their own pace and remain active into the 2020s.
In their early days, they blasted out a loud sound that led some to call them “the UK’s answer to Dinosaur Jr.” The Concept, which opens their 1991 masterpiece album Bandwagonesque, is a signature song from that early period.
It’s a perfect pop song with a wistful melody and beautiful vocal harmonies, and the band’s ensemble—woven from gritty, roaring guitars and a melodic guitar solo—is truly outstanding.
Pretty FlyThe Offspring
The flagship of melodic hardcore and pop-punk, The Offspring is also often classified as an alternative rock band.
Their songs are catchy enough to be used in commercials, yet they clearly show strong punk influences.
Alongside Green Day, who broke through around the same time, they helped spark the pop-punk movement and can be said to have had a major impact not only on the rock scene but on pop music as well.
Hell YeahZebrahead
This is a song by Zebrahead, a punk rock band that lays down feel-good party tunes.
While rooted in punk rock, the track features rap, giving it a distinctive structure.
It’s an energizing song that makes you want to go wild.
Them BonesAlice In Chains
The fact that such a dark and intense sound became a massive hit makes me feel the shadow hanging over early-’90s America.
Hailing from the same Seattle scene as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, they stand as one of the emblematic acts of ’90s alternative rock and grunge.
At the same time, their sound—where the tragic charisma of Layne Staley’s occult-like vocals and dark inner world intertwine with Jerry Cantrell’s melodious yet heavy guitar riffs and exquisite harmonies, all riding a surging, sinuous rhythm section—earned strong praise, especially among metal fans, as a new form of heavy metal.
If you like this track, which opens the historic masterpiece Dirt released in 1992, definitely check out the entire album as well.
Honey BucketsMelvins
Formed in the early 1980s, the Melvins are often hailed as the “godfathers of grunge,” a band that has continued for decades with its unshakable core members: vocalist/guitarist Buzz Osborne and drummer Dale Crover.
It’s also well known that Kurt Cobain of Nirvana was close with the Melvins and was an ardent fan.
The sound the Melvins create is by no means designed for mass appeal—featuring heavy, noisy riffs and experimental approaches—and it’s fair to say they influenced all kinds of heavy rock beyond grunge from the 1990s onward.
The track introduced here appears on their landmark major-label debut album, Houdini.
It’s relatively accessible by their standards and is a great recommendation for newcomers.