[Western Music] Start with this one! Classic and popular songs of alternative rock
Even for those who love rock, it’s not easy to succinctly explain what alternative rock is.
As rock history produced a variety of genres, the term “alternative rock” emerged as music that stood against the mainstream—an underground counterpart.
It might even be more accurate to think of it not as a genre, but as a musical attitude that the musicians themselves embody.
In this article, we’ve curated a selection focusing on iconic Western tracks from the 1990s—songs through which alternative rock upended trends across the global music scene.
If you’ve recently become interested in alt rock, be sure to check them out!
Playlist
| [Western Music] Start with this one! Classic and popular songs of alternative rock | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| show_chart | Title | Playlist | Review |
| 1east | Smells Like Teen SpiritsNirvana | play_arrow | A power co... drenched in intense distortion |
| 2east | CreepRadiohead | play_arrow | Mr. Beck was muttering, “I’m a loser,” bu… |
| 3east | LoserBeck | play_arrow | Truly a child of the alternative rock generation… |
| 4east | Give It AwayRed Hot Chili Peppers | play_arrow | Here in Japan, affectionately known as “Recchiri”… |
| 5east | Mr. BrightsideThe Killers | play_arrow | Lyrics where wistfulness and doubt intersect, and an energeti... |
| 6east | Losing My ReligionR.E.M. | play_arrow | Since their formation in 1980, R.E.M. has... |
| 7east | Seven Nation ArmyThe White Stripes | play_arrow | A guitar that is simple yet overwhelmingly powerful… |
| 8east | AfterlifeSharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory | play_arrow | Fantastical synthesizer tones and electro... |
| 9east | SabotageBeastie Boys | play_arrow | Legendary as a white hip-hop group… |
| 10east | My HeroFoo Fighters | play_arrow | A showcase of famous songs by the Foo Fighters led by Dave Grohl |
| 11east | Black Hole SunSoundgarden | play_arrow | Like bands such as Nirvana, in Seattle... |
| 12east | MapsYeah Yeah Yeahs | play_arrow | Characterized by passionate vocals and an electrifying guitar sound… |
| 13east | MessyLola Young | play_arrow | Vividly depicting the fluctuations of emotion and the struggle for self-acceptance… |
| 14east | Same Old SongThe Lumineers | play_arrow | A song that delves into the complex issues of modern society is born… |
| 15east | SundaySonic youth | play_arrow | Sonic Youth: Shaping alternative music with an emphasis on musicality |
| 16east | Guerrilla RadioRage Against The Machine | play_arrow | A hallmark of the rock scene in the ’90s was the influence of hip-hop… |
| 17east | Where is My Mind?Pixies | play_arrow | A band that could be called the king of the alternative scene is a P… |
| 18east | A-PunkVampire Weekend | play_arrow | A nimble guitar riff and a driving, fast-paced rhythm leave an impression… |
| 19east | Best Of YouFoo Fighters | play_arrow | Foo… led by Dave Grohl, formerly of Nirvana |
| 20east | 1901Phoenix | play_arrow | With its unique lyrics and catchy melody... |
| 21east | Steady, As She GoesThe Raconteurs | play_arrow | Powerful, catchy sound and life’s… |
| 22east | Bullet with Butterfly WingsThe Smashing Pumpkins | play_arrow | Introducing the captivating songs of Smashing Pumpkins |
| 23east | Wonderwall (Remastered)Oasis | play_arrow | The good old British scene, like The Beatles and The Who… |
| 24east | Float OnModest Mouse | play_arrow | A positive attitude and a message full of hope… |
| 25east | PainThree Days Grace | play_arrow | A slightly dark and loud alternative ro... |
| 26east | Sex on FireKings Of Leon | play_arrow | This song, which depicts passionate love, is by Kings… |
| 27east | New SlangThe Shins | play_arrow | A gentle melody and poetic lyrics seep into the heart… |
| 28east | Driving SouthStone Roses | Even members of Oasis were influenced… | |
| 29east | Killing In the NameRage Against The Machine | play_arrow | Hip-hop, funk, punk, metal, … |
| 30east | One Armed ScissorAt The Drive-In | play_arrow | Lastly, the one I’ll introduce is Post Ma… from Texas. |
| 31east | EvenflowPearl Jam | play_arrow | Pearl Jam's signature song |
| 32east | HurtNine Inch Nails | play_arrow | Within the genre of alternative rock... |
| 33east | Lo/HiThe Black Keys | play_arrow | Lo/Hi by The Black Keys… |
| 34east | 11 Minutes ft. Travis BarkerYUNGBLUD, Halsey | play_arrow | British rock singer YUNGBL… |
| 35east | Chlorinetwenty one pilots | play_arrow | The lyrics that I don’t really understand are, in a way, pop! Oh... |
| 36east | Basket CaseGreen Day | play_arrow | In 1987, in the U.S. state of California... |
| 37east | still feel.half•alive | play_arrow | Alternative rock from California… |
| 38east | Ace of SpadesMotörhead | play_arrow | You could even call them the original alternative rock band… |
| 39east | Song 2Blur | play_arrow | In the UK in the ’90s, what was called Britpop... |
| 40east | LongshotCatfish&the Bottlemen | play_arrow | Catfish And The Bott… |
| 41east | To Here Knows WhenMy Bloody Valentine | play_arrow | Ji... who was popular in the alternative scene of the ’90s |
| 42east | RocksPrimal Scream | play_arrow | They’ve even been compared to the Rolling Stones at their peak... |
| 43east | GloriaThe Lumineers | play_arrow | The band from the United States, The Lumin… |
| 44east | High HopesPanic! At The Disco | play_arrow | Panic! At The Disco's... |
| 45east | DownfallTrust Company | play_arrow | Playing heavy rock in the post-grunge era... |
| 46east | My WarBLACK FLAG | play_arrow | Talking about the ’90s grunge and alternative boom… |
| 47east | Are You Gonna Go My WayLenny Kravitz | play_arrow | An American singer-songwriter who also works as an actor… |
| 48east | BlackPearl Jam | play_arrow | Pearl Jam has been active continuously since the 1990s. |
| 49east | Alone TogetherThe Strokes | play_arrow | The rock ’n’ roll revival that emerged after 2000… |
| 50east | The ConceptTeenage Fanclub | play_arrow | Scotland is Glasgow, a UK lo… |
| 51east | Pretty FlyThe Offspring | play_arrow | The champions of melodic hardcore/pop punk, The Of… |
| 52east | Gave You EverythingThe Interrupters | play_arrow | A ska band formed in Los Angeles in 2011… |
| 53east | TodayThe Smashing Pumpkins | play_arrow | Often compared to Nirvana, the 90… |
| 54east | OneU2 | play_arrow | As a group of artists, the Grammy Awards… |
| 55east | 100%Sonic youth | play_arrow | Sonic Youth is an alternative rock… |
| 56east | Tired of SexWeezer | play_arrow | Exhilarating, thunderous guitars, and not exactly what you’d call cool… |
| 57east | MonsterSkillet | play_arrow | Skillet that starts off with heavy guitars right from the intro… |
| 58east | Kool ThingSonic youth | play_arrow | Sonic Youth revolutionary grunge masterpiece |
| 59east | ChangeThe Revivalists | play_arrow | A rock band from New Orleans, USA... |
| 60east | The WagonDinosaur Jr. | play_arrow | Languid vocals and a mysterious character… |
| 61east | Father Of MineEverclear | play_arrow | It was hugely popular in the United States, and the album became a massive hit... |
| 62east | FirestarterThe Prodigy | play_arrow | The Prodigy, a rock band from the United Kingdom... |
| 63east | Would?Alice In Chains | play_arrow | Alice in Chains tribute song |
| 64east | Nearly Lost YouScreaming Trees | play_arrow | Screaming Trees’ masterpiece is moving |
| 65east | TomorrowSilverchair | play_arrow | Signature songs of Silverchair |
| 66east | Touch Me I’m SickMudhoney | play_arrow | As a characteristic of grunge, there’s a kind of crushed, worn-out... |
| 67east | Hell YeahZebrahead | play_arrow | A bread that drops a groovy party tune… |
| 68east | Them BonesAlice In Chains | play_arrow | Alice in Chains' signature songs and dark sound |
| 69east | Honey BucketsMelvins | play_arrow | Signature songs of Melvins, the father of grunge |
| 70east | Swallow My PrideGreen River | play_arrow | A song by Green River. It’s a wellspring of grunge and brimming with a rebellious spirit. |
| 71east | BackwaterMeat Puppets | play_arrow | The dry rock of Meat Puppets |
| 72east | Honey BucketMelvins | play_arrow | The Melvins’ classic, the violent power of sound |
| 73east | Chloe Dancer / Crown of ThornsMother Love Bone | play_arrow | Mother Love Bone’s epic grunge song |
| 74east | AlivePearl Jam | play_arrow | A Pearl Jam classic ascends into an anthem of hope |
| 75east | OutshinedSoundgarden | play_arrow | A rock song portraying the gap between the inner self and the outer self |
| 76east | Sex Type ThingStone Temple Pilots | play_arrow | Stone Temple Pilots' debut single |
| 77east | Hunger StrikeTemple Of The Dog | play_arrow | A tribute project work by Temple of the Dog |
| 78east | Just Like HeavenDinosaur Jr. | play_arrow | An alternative band originating from Seattle |
| 79east | CringeMatt Maeson | play_arrow | Singer from the United States, Matt Meas… |
| 80east | BelovedMumford & Sons | play_arrow | Folk band Mumford & So... |
| 81east | Missed ConnectionThe Head And The Heart | play_arrow | An indie folk band from Seattle, … |
| 82east | All the Small Thingsblink-182 | play_arrow | American pop-punk band, Blink … |
| 83east | maybe, i’m afraidlovelytheband | play_arrow | Lovelytheband is a Los Angeles–based in… |
| 84east | What Comes AroundIll Niño | play_arrow | Il Nini rocking out with insane sound pressure... |
| 85east | Wish You Were HereIncubus | play_arrow | In a way that seems to branch off from the alternative movement… |
| 86east | HurtOliver Tree | play_arrow | Vocalist Oliver from the United States … |
| 87east | Sleeping AwakeP.O.D. | play_arrow | Heavy texture alternative rock ba… |
| 88east | Already OverRed | play_arrow | This song that starts with the sound of a violin is RED’s… |
| 89east | Race For The PrizeThe Flaiming Lips | play_arrow | Alternative rock doesn’t have to be heavy or anything like th… |
| 90east | A Good Night’s Sleep And A Cab Fare HomeThe Strypes | play_arrow | Carrying on the legacy of 1960s British rock… |
| 91east | Bad GirlfriendTheory Of A Deadman | play_arrow | It starts with a hard rock-style guitar riff, and then... |
| 92east | Way AwayYellowcard | play_arrow | It shifts from a quietly wistful guitar to loud... |
| 93east | BodiesDrowning Pool | play_arrow | Starting with a whisper, this song explodes right from the beginning… |
| 94east | Until The DayI DieStory of the Year | play_arrow | Story of the Year's big hit by Ooshiro… |
| 95east | Only Happy When It RainsGarbage | play_arrow | Introduction to Garbage’s debut single |
| 96east | CannonballThe Breeders | play_arrow | The Breeders’ signature ’90s alternative song |
| 97east | Buddy HollyWeezer | play_arrow | Weezer’s signature song on the theme of romantic resistance |
| 98east | Mr. JonesCounting Crows | play_arrow | Formed in San Francisco, USA, ro… |
| 99east | Feel The PainDinosaur Jr. | play_arrow | Considered one of the pioneers of American alternative rock… |
| 100east | SoonMy Bloody Valentine | play_arrow | The genre of shoegaze in Japan… |
| 101east | SanteriaSublime | play_arrow | The three Ps that were supported in America in the 1990s… |
| 102east | I Love my ComputerBad Religion | play_arrow | A hardcore pa... who has been active since the 1980s |
| 103east | Crashed The WeddingBusted | play_arrow | A trio that plays upbeat pop-punk rock... |
| 104east | Get The TimeDESCENDENTS | play_arrow | Descendents were a hard... who were active in the ’80s. |
| 105east | Make A MoveIncubus | play_arrow | Mixture alternative rock band i… |
| 106east | Burn, BurnLostprophets | play_arrow | Since the 2000s, alternative rock ban… |
| 107east | The Broken BonesMxPx | play_arrow | MxPx, which was also used in Japanese TV commercials… |
| 108east | Sloop Jhon BMe First and the Gimme Gimmes | play_arrow | Listening to some upbeat alternative punk rock… |
| 109east | SpiderwebsNo Doubt | play_arrow | A rock ba... formed in the United States in 1986 |
| 110east | Cut Your HairPavement | play_arrow | The champions of lo-fi rock, Pavement (… |
| 111east | No One KnowsQueens of the Stone Age | play_arrow | It gradually expanded in popularity from the mid-2000s... |
| 112east | Far From OverRev Theory | play_arrow | The song starts with a quiet guitar, but then it suddenly bu— |
| 113east | PlushStone Temple Pilots | play_arrow | The Glory and Hardships of Stone Temple Pilots |
| 114east | Ready To Let GoCage The Elephant | play_arrow | The album released in April 2019, “… |
| 115east | War of ChangeThousand Foot Krutch | play_arrow | Heavy rock band ThousandFoo… |


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