The Future of the Rock Hall: 90’s Alt Rock Edition

Here we go with our next category, that being mainstream alternative rock of the 1990’s.  The key word here is “mainstream.”  I am not including indie rock as to me that is its own separate category, and overall a much more modern genre.  Though the genre definitely has its roots in 90’s music as there were a number of 90’s acts that helped pioneer the genre.  Acts like Pavement, PJ Harvey, Liz Phair, Jeff Buckley, Wilco, The Flaming Lips, Neutral Milk Hotel, Elliott Smith, etc. come to mind.  But again, the focus here will be on mainstream 90’s alternative rock.  I should also point out there are a number of popular and important “alternative rock” bands that I didn’t include as I consider them to be more metal/hard rock.  Namely bands like Tool, White Zombie, Pantera, Marilyn Manson, and KoRn.  I believe all 5 of those bands are worthy of the HOF, but they’ll be considered for the metal/hard rock category I’ll do in the future instead of this category.

With this genre, I largely chose my artists in a more chronological order as far as debut and when they became a mainstream success.  I feel like the Hall for the most part has gone down that path with this category (excluding Green Day’s much too soon induction back in 2015), so I’m gonna continue that route for the most part.  This category will also include 10 acts as I feel like these 10 acts are head and shoulders above the other acts, I considered for the most part.  Do note, that many acts that were majorly popular in the 90’s and played on alternative rock radio I put instead in the Metal category.  Even though some of these bands in this category could be classified as metal, they are more known for specific genres of alternative rock, hence why they are here!  So, let’s get to it.  Here’s how the Hall should approach mainstream 1990’s alt rock over the next 15 years.

 

2020/21/22

Soundgarden:

Soundgarden to me at this point seems like the most obvious candidate for a Rock Hall induction, maybe of any artist currently eligible for the Hall of Fame.   Soundgarden was one of the “Big 4” of Grunge and was maybe the most critically acclaimed of the 4 when it came to musical talent.  Lead singer Chris Cornell was maybe the most gifted vocalist of 90’s rock (it’s between him and Jeff Buckley in my view), Kim Thayill was likely the most acclaimed guitar player of grunge and the band is credited with helping to bring grunge to the mainstream in the early 90’s along with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains.  Soundgarden also has the connections to the Hall as Chris Cornell appeared at a number of Hall of Fame ceremonies in the years leading to his death.  So the band checks all the boxes for being a band on the Hall’s radar.  In addition, when telling the story of 90’s rock, even though there were other genres of rock that were popular, the genre that singlehandedly defines 90’s rock is grunge music.  So when it comes to putting mainstream 90’s alt rock in the HOF, it seems obvious that the Big 4 of the Grunge has to be addressed first.  Nirvana was inducted in 2014 immediately upon becoming eligible, and Pearl Jam was also promptly inducted in 2017.  Soundgarden and Alice in Chains have both yet to be inducted, and of the two Soundgarden has the more critical acclaim and respect in the music industry.  So logically speaking Soundgarden would likely be considered next in line.  And to me, no other 90’s rock band should be going in the HOF before Soundgarden.  Soundgarden has to be next in line.

Alice in Chains:

I originally had the third band placed here as the second band to go for.  Because in the grand scheme of 90’s rock I think the third band is a bigger deal than Alice in Chains.  That being said, chronological order won out for me, and in the end, I decided to move Alice in Chains up from my 4^th band to 2nd.  Of every group here, Alice in Chains enjoyed mainstream success before all of them.  So, it makes sense to push for Alice in Chains next, and for the Hall to get the “Big 4 of Grunge” out of the way before getting to other important bands and styles of 90’s rock.  I’m sure many whom are reading this knows of the greatness of Alice in Chains and the unique style they had.  No one in 90’s rock had the brilliant harmony vocals of lead singer Layne Staley and lead guitarist Jerry Cantrell.  I like to refer to them as the “Simon and Garfunkel of Grunge.”  They’re also probably the most “metal” of all the bands here, which is probably what will make them a tougher sell for the voters who seem to not support metal music as much as they should.  The “Seattle connection” for the band, however, will hopefully add support for them.  Getting Soundgarden inducted first will also increase their chances.  But I think the Hall needs to work towards getting the “Big 4 of Grunge” out of the way as that style and period is the most recognizable of any in 90’s rock, which is what older voters will know and more likely gravitate towards.  Having the members of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and Alice in Chains as voters will go a long way towards helping other 90’s alt rock bands break through.

 

2023/24/25

The Smashing Pumpkins:

This will likely be a controversial choice that will puzzle people.  Most would probably choose Nine Inch Nails, a band whom has already been nominated by the Hall, and who debuted back in 1989, before many of the major 90’s alt rock bands.  Many feel NIN should be next in line as their influence on modern rock and metal is massive.  That is indeed true.  NIN’s music has aged better than the Smashing Pumpkins’ music.  That is also true.  However, when it comes to specifically 90’s rock, to me the Smashing Pumpkins are a bigger deal than NIN.  NIN became more widely known and appreciated after the 1990’s as their influence became more pronounced and appreciated.  But during the 1990’s, Nine Inch Nails, though mainstream, were somewhat of a cult band with a hardcore fanbase, unlike the Smashing Pumpkins who quickly rose into being one of the biggest bands in rock music.  Heck by the late 90’s, they arguably were the biggest band in rock music.  When it comes to 90’s rock music outside of grunge and Britpop, the biggest thing in the mainstream was the Smashing Pumpkins.  Their music defined the era, and to me it’s criminal for the Hall to pass them over for bands like Nine Inch Nails, Weezer, and the Foo Fighters, who maybe had more longevity but were frankly not anywhere near as big of deals to the 90’s music scene as the Smashing Pumpkins were.  So, I would say that the Smashing Pumpkins have to be the next band for the Hall to go for after getting Soundgarden and Alice in Chains out of the way.

Nine Inch Nails:

And now we get to Nine Inch Nails, and band whose style of music aged better than perhaps any of the major 90’s bands, and who also debuted before most.  Nine Inch Nails released their first album, Pretty Hate Machine, in 1989, and had a hit with “Head Like a Hole” which made them have the first hit song on any form of charts and radio play of every band here.  Nine Inch Nails helped bring industrial rock and metal to the mainstream, and thus became one of the most important bands in the history of alternative rock.  They’re an obvious HOF band.  However, I think that the Hall should focus on finishing off the “Big 4 of Grunge” and also getting the Smashing Pumpkins inducted.  After those three bands, then Nine Inch Nails should be the main focus.  I’m sure many will disagree, but hey they can make their own blogs 😊

 

2026/27/28

Rage Against the Machine:

Next we’re going to go to band that were one of the first rap-metal bands and who were by far the most politically-orientated 90’s rock band, Rage Against the Machine.  Rage Against the Machine is another band that revisionist history has seemingly put them past groups that were much bigger and popular in the 90’s.  Like Nine Inch Nails, Rage was another band that was popular, but not massively so until the very late 90’s, long after other bands had already enjoyed major mainstream success.  Thus, I feel like they’ve also been pushed ahead of bands that were more important to the story of 90’s rock.  Some of that is because of their unique style which makes them stand out, as well as Tom Morello being a part of the Nominating Committee on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  That’s not to say that Rage shouldn’t be a focus and should go in right away.  They’re one of the greatest rock bands of the 90’s and a surefire HOF band.  But to me it makes no sense that they were nominated immediately upon becoming eligible for their first two years straight, while Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and the Smashing Pumpkins have yet to be nominated.  Sorry, but all three of those bands meant more to 90’s rock than Rage Against the Machine.  And unlike Nine Inch Nails, Rage doesn’t have the longevity factor going in their favor as they broke up in 2000, just as they were reaching their peak of massive popularity.  They didn’t last long like many other 90’s groups, so I just can’t quite see them deserving to be pushed ahead of better and more important 90’s groups.  But that’s real life.  Let’s get back to my imaginary timeline here.  In that world, the Hall has inducted R.E.M., Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead (all bands that have also been inducted in real life as of this blog being published), Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, the Smashing Pumpkins, and Nine Inch Nails.  HERE is where’s it’s time for Rage to come in and take the next spot for 90’s alt rock.

Beck:

Now, we’re gonna start getting to alternative rock acts that either debuted in the mid 90’s or released their first substantial work in the mid 90’s.  The first artist of that lot is going to be Beck, who has probably had the most longevity of any act on this list.  Beck is a musical chameleon and a truly original talent that represents many aspects of alternative music, not just rock.  Beck can do some really hard rock, but he can also do Dylan-esque folk music, music as weird as Bjork’s, he can fuse hip-hop with his sound, he can do it all.  Beck is another artist that seems like an obvious candidate for the HOF.  That being said, he’s an artist who in the timeline of 90’s rock was more of a big deal during the second half, so it really doesn’t make sense, chronologically speaking, for the Hall to move past bands that were bigger in the early 90’s for Beck.  So, I am perfectly fine with Beck waiting for awhile to get his moment in the sun.  But in our timeline here, Beck is a logical choice for the Hall as they can take a break from purely hard rock and metal alt bands, and go more for the singer-songwriter type that consistently blurs the boundaries between mainstream alternative rock and more modern indie rock, the type of artist that is probably more up their alley anyway.

2029/30/31

Stone Temple Pilots:

Next we come to two bands that were never critical darlings but were still important pieces of overall story of 90’s rock.  First off we’re going to get to Stone Temple Pilots, who were probably the most popular grunge band of the early 90’s not named Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, or Alice in Chains.  During this time, critics and even their peers dismissed them as knockoffs of the more acclaimed and popular originators of grunge, but STP proved to have a style of their own as their career unfolded where they experimented with more eclectic sounds that were definitely not “grunge.”  In addition, STP had arguably a better frontman than any of those other bands in Scott Weiland who was a vastly underrated rock singer with loads of charisma to boat.  I think Stone Temple Pilots is a very underrated band whose catalog of songs was every bit as important and enduring as those of the “Big 4.”  To me, they’re a HOF level band and were one of the best bands of the decade.  It makes sense for the Hall to look towards Stone Temple Pilots by this point in our timeline.

Weezer:

Scratch the most longevity argument I made for Beck, as Weezer is right there with them.  Weezer was a band that was much more, new wave-influenced, in their songwriting and overall style.  In addition, their 1996 album, Pinkerton is considered to be one of the ultimate cult-classic rock albums and would prove to be a major influence on emo music which exploded in popularity during the early-mid 00’s.  Weezer have proven to be one of the most influential and enduring bands of the 1990’s as their influence on post 2000-rock is massive.  And for that they’re an obvious candidate for the HOF.  That being said, I just can’t put them ahead of the previously mentioned bands, so I don’t think there needs to be a rush with inducting them.  But for timeline sakes, Weezer is the next logical choice to represent 90’s alternative rock.

 

2032/33/34

Foo Fighters:

Now this choice is unrealistic as it’s highly unlikely that by 2032, the Foo Fighters will still be sitting on the outside of the Rock Hall.  Dave Grohl is one of the most beloved figures in all of rock music and the music industry as a whole.  The Hall loves to induct musicians into the “Clyde McPhatter Club” (musicians inducted into the HOF more than once).  And the Foo Fighters are still going strong even nearly 25 years into their run (gosh, I feel old).  The Hall is not going to wait on this band, and they will be inducted, I’m guessing within 3 years of becoming eligible at the latest.  But we’re not talking real life here, we’re talking my timeline, and to me the Foo Fighters, one, are not as great as the previously mentioned acts (except maybe Weezer), and most importantly, they just weren’t anywhere close to being as big a deal during the 90’s like they’ve been in the 2000’s.  Thus, they should come after all those other bands I talked about which were much bigger deals in the 90’s.  That being said, the Foo Fighters are a HOF level band, and should definitely be next in line once the previously mentioned bands have been inducted.  I’d even be fine with them switching places with Weezer.  But Weezer debuted a year before, so we’ll go with Weezer first.  Then the Foo Fighters.

No Doubt:

As for our last representative we’re gonna go with a band that had arguably the most famous and popular female lead vocalist of any rock band of the 90’s (or maybe Courtney Love for Hole?) with No Doubt.  No Doubt did debut before the Foo Fighters, Weezer, and even Beck, however their early work was not very notable, and it wasn’t until their 1995 album, Tragic Kingdom, where they made a name for themselves.  The success of this album spawn multiple hits, including one of the defining feminist anthems of the 90’s in “Just a Girl,” and one of the biggest rock ballads of the decade in “Don’t Speak.”  It was also with No Doubt that many casual music listeners growing up in the 90’s first came to know of ska music, so they were important in that regard as well.  No Doubt would continue to have a great run of hits and albums over the next decade, further cementing Gwen Stefani as one of the great female frontwomen in rock history.  No Doubt isn’t quite an elite level band, but they’re an important one and worthy of the HOF.  I would also be fine with the Hall focusing on them first instead of the Foo Fighters, both are at about the same level to me.

 

Well, that concludes our covering of 90’s mainstream alternative rock.  To recap, here is the breakdown of the path the Rock Hall should go down to get more mainstream 90’s alternative rock acts inducted over the next 15 years:

2020/21/22: Soundgarden/Alice in Chains

2023/24/25: The Smashing Pumpkins/Nine Inch Nails

2026/27/28: Rage Against the Machine/Beck

2029/30/31: Stone Temple Pilots/Weezer

2032/33/34: The Foo Fighters/No Doubt

 

Here is a list of other artists I considered for this category but didn’t make the final cut.

Currently Eligible Artists: Alanis Morrisette, Blur, Dave Matthews Band, Hole, Lenny Kravitz, Oasis, Primus, Sublime, The Verve, Tori Amos

Future Eligible Artists: Garbage (2021 class); Fiona Apple (2022 class)

 

That’ll do it for this edition.  Thank you everyone for your continued interest in this series, and be sure to let me know your thoughts on 90’s alt rock bands that should be a focus of the Hall going forward!