Grunge music is known for its moody, dark, sludgy sounds. And one aspect of the style, which was born in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s and continued through popular culture into the 1990s, was that it often lacked big guitar solos made famous from other rock acts prior.
Still, however, there were standout guitar players from the major groups that melted faces and reminded why the electric six-string is such a staple in rock music, even if it isn’t always used as a soloing tool.
So, to honor a handful of the genre’s best guitar players, we wanted to dive into some of the artists’ histories and their work. Here below, then, are the five most memorable grunge guitarists.
Kurt Cobain is the left-handed guitar player, songwriter, lead singer and frontman for the iconic rock band Nirvana, Kurt Cobain flouted time signatures and key signatures to write whatever music on his six-string that sounded good. Case in point: the song “Come As You Are,” the opening line for which has since become one of the first things many early guitar players learn. Cobain could shred on electric, which he did occasionally, but more than that, it was his touch on and ear for the instrument that helped make him and his group incendiary.
