Consequence’s Post-Grunge Week kicks off with a list of the 50 Best Post-Grunge Songs. Keep checking back throughout the week for lists, artist-driven content, and more.
Post-grunge came in two waves. First, in the immediate months and years after of the tragic death of Kurt Cobain, when bands like Live, Bush, and Collective Soul burst onto the scene. These acts offered up a sound that was influenced by the grunge movement, but featured a more polished sheen.
Then, a second wave hit in the late ’90s and early aughts, when acts like Creed, Nickelback, Shinedown, Staind, and others began to dominate rock radio. The influence of singers like Eddie Vedder and Layne Staley were apparent, but delivered with a little less pain and a little more more testosterone. The distorted guitars were also there, but smoothed out with a more radio-friendly endgame.
Critics and naysayers would dismiss this second wave of post-grunge as “butt rock,” but 20-plus years later most of these acts are still going strong and still dominating the mainstream rock scene. In fact, a whole new generation of fans are embracing this music, thanks in large part to the everlasting nature of the scene’s many hits.
In compiling the greatest post-grunge songs, we zeroed in on a certain sound that clearly shows the grunge influence. While bands like Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, Disturbed, and Evanescence are contemporaries of the bands included, we didn’t add their songs, as they dip more into nu-metal or heavy metal or gothic rock. And even though Dave Grohl was in the biggest grunge band, you won’t see Foo Fighters on our list, as their music falls more in the alt-rock realm.
While some may still call it “butt rock,” the tunes below seriously kick butt. So, set aside your pretentiousness for a moment, and rock out to our picks for the 50 greatest post-grunge songs.
— Spencer Kaufman
Heavy Consequence Managing Editor