Music Challenge: Grunge without the "Big Four"

Title. Have Grunge rise as a form of music in the early 90s, but without any of the "Big Four" grunge bands (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam). Bonus points if those four bands exist in different genres/different incarnations.

-AYC
 
Title. Have Grunge rise as a form of music in the early 90s, but without any of the "Big Four" grunge bands (Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam). Bonus points if those four bands exist in different genres/different incarnations.

-AYC

For a musical movement to really take-off in the mainstream, you need a group (or groups) to spearhead it.

Besides the big 4 there were other alternative rock groups that COULD have found considerable mainstream success, but the type of music they played wasn't exactly Grunge.

If Husker Du wasn't torn apart in 1987 by the in-fighting between Hart & Mould, it's likely they would have broken into the mainstream charts - REM had already started to pave the way.

In OTL The Pixies recorded some very slick, very commercial albums towards the end of their time together.. bring that move forward a bit and they're a contender.

Dinosaur Jr are contenders too - more so if Lou Barlow doesn't leave to form Sebadoh & is allowed to contribute to the songwriting.

Outside of that you have any number of bands on SST records that might cross-over.. What was ostensibly a punk indie label was ACTUALLY home to a whole host of bands across the whole rock spectrum, and one of the best kept secrets in the 1980s music (at least to mainstream audiences). An SST band like the Meat Puppets or SWA or DC3 could make the leap with the right song at the right time.
 
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