90s Grunge Aesthetic
Edgy, dark, and centered around musicians in the emerging Seattle scene, the 90s grunge aesthetic has recently re-emerged as a fashion movement. That said, it lacks the disillusionment, drug culture, and anti-conformity of its predecessor, along with the passion for underground music. Gen X, who participated in the subculture in their teens and early 20s, have criticized the fact that 90s grunge aesthetic influencers fly in the face of everything that the movement was about by ignoring the economic factors that snowballed into the often violent and drug-laden communities of young people.
The era’s music, which served as the focal point, hasn’t enjoyed the same uptick in popularity, another point that older generations question when they see Gen Z wearing band t-shirts emblazoned with band names like Nirvana, Alice in Chains, and Soundgarden.
90s Grunge Aesthetic Design Motifs and Themes
- Disenchantment with mainstream culture
- Romanticizing drugs, paraphernalia, and addiction
- Lo-fi or distorted photography, often black and white or blurred
- With the rise of computer access, “grunge typography” emerged and featured distressed, illegible lettering, misalignment, and chaotic designs over grimy, dull backgrounds
- Self-published, handmade magazines called “zines” that people would pass out at shows or send through the mail
- Riot grrrl culture emerged out of grunge and brought a more political message of feminism and intersectionality
- Autobiographical writings detailing the nihilistic beliefs and alienation of those in the subculture
- Dirty, smoke-filled apartments or bars
- Neon lights
- Smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol
- Music instrumentality, guitars, and celebration of the vinyl record
- “Less is more” minimalism and an overall lackadaisical mundality
Grunge Fashion
Thrift stores are the lifeblood of grunge aesthetic fashion, a logical choice given that many alt-rock musician icons were the epitome of the starving artist trope. Unlike the punk movement, which used style as a political and social statement, grunge fashion was more a matter of practicality.
Men’s fashion was relatively uniform, emphasizing graphic tees, dark denim, and combat boots, while women tended to fall in one of two camps: androgynous, oversized looks similar to their male counterparts or babydoll t-shirts, crop tops, and bell bottoms. Courtney Love’s emergence on the scene also led to a more feminine grunge style that embodied many traditional silhouettes– Peter Pan collared dresses, Mary Janes, cardigans, and faux furs– but was worn ripped, dirty, or with edgier accessories.
- Dark denim jeans are often ripped at the knees and with chains attached. Women’s jeans were low-rise and wide-legged.
- Oversized band tees or crop tops
- Flannel button-down shirts are worn open over t-shirts or tied around the waist
- Combat boots, specifically Doc Martens, chunky shoes, or canvas sneakers
- Denim jackets covered in pins and patches
- Dark, rich shades, including red, hunter green, grey, and black
- Babydoll dresses with long-sleeved shirts or sweaters underneath
- Men often wore their hair shoulder-length and unwashed, while women in the grunge scene favored messy, “bed-head” styles accented with barrettes
- Chokers, hoop earrings, and simple jewelry
- Eye makeup, particularly dark liners, and mascara was smudged, smoky, and worn for days at a time. Extremely dark burgundy and purple lipsticks were also popular.
90s Grunge Aesthetic Influential Media
Books
- Loser: The Real Seattle Music Story by Clark Humphrey
“Achingly detailed and lavishly illustrated, it chronicles two decades of pre-punk, punk, post-punk, and neo-punk music in Seattle and the Northwest. It includes all the bands who made it big and plenty who didn’t but are still worth remembering. ”
- Grunge Seattle by Justin Henderson
“Chronicling the intertwined lives of members of core grunge bands, Grunge Seattle reveals the origins and inspirations of the grunge movement. Delve into the collisions between personalities and egos, artists and corporations, suburbs and cities, obscurity and fame.”
- Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge by Mark Yarm
“Everybody Loves Our Town captures the grunge era in the words of the musicians, producers, managers, record executives, video directors, photographers, journalists, publicists, club owners, roadies, scenesters and hangers-on who lived through it.”
- Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain by Charles R. Cross
“It has been twenty-five years since Kurt Cobain died by his own hand in April 1994; it was an act of will that typified his short, angry, inspired life. Veteran music journalist Charles R. Cross fuses his intimate knowledge of the Seattle music scene with his deep compassion for his subject in this extraordinary story of artistic brilliance and the pain that extinguished it.”
Shows
“A smart and cynical girl goes through teenage life as a proud outsider in a world of mainly idiotic adolescents and condescending adults.”
“A 15-year-old girl and her trials and tribulations of being a teenager and dealing with friends, guys, parents, and school.”
“A high school mathlete starts hanging out with a group of burnouts while her younger brother navigates his freshman year.”
Movies
“Three band members hoping for a big break head to a radio station to play their demo tape and wind up holding everyone hostage with plastic guns when the head D.J. refuses to play them.”
“When household tensions and a sense of worthlessness overcome Evan, he finds escape when he clings with the orphans of a throw-away society.”
“When they find a frozen caveman in their back yard, two high school outcasts thaw him and introduce him to modern life while he in turn gets them to actually enjoy life.”
“A group of twenty-something friends search for love and success in grunge-era Seattle.”
“Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.”
“Four young men hardly know each other, but here they are in the most volatile and tenuous of unions: a band. They find themselves hurtling through an exhilarating adventure on a collision course with self discovery, or self destruction.”
“Two slacker friends try to promote their public-access cable show.”
“A day in the lives of two convenience clerks named Dante and Randal as they annoy customers, discuss movies, and play hockey on the store roof.”
“The raunchy, spunky tale of the rise and fall of an all-girl rock band from Portland, Oregon.”
90s Grunge Aesthetic Resources and References
Internet Personalities and Social Media
YouTube Channel Alternative Rock Music 90s
YouTuber OGGOAT__
Grunge Rock 94 Instagram
1990 Archives Instagram
Social Media Influencer FashionGrunge
Spotify Playlists
- Grunge Forever by Spotify
- Grunge: Essentials by Cultura Inquieta
Subreddits and Tumblr Blogs
Pinterest Boards
- 90s Grunge by Jemma
- 90s grunge by We Had a Rabbit Like You Once
Podcasts
- Fashion Grunge Podcast hosted by Lauren & Jules
- The Grunge Bible Podcast hosted by Chris Celona & Ethan Shalaway