Who was/is the best of the "Big Four" of Grunge?

[Billy Underdog]

Since there's been some discussions about Nirvana/Grunge lately, i felt this poll was due. (I've actually been thinking about it for a while, but now seems like the right time)

I had to go for AIC, ofcourse...

[Thelemech]

I went with Nirvana.

[KiloDeltaCharlie]

I went with Soundgarden.

[The Wretch]

Alice In Chains. All of their original albums are great.

Nirvana were a decent band but were overrated, same goes for Pearl Jam IMO, and their later albums aren't spectacular.

Soundgarden were brilliant on Badmotorfinger, but their work prior to that was patchy, and although Superunknown had some very good songs, they started to become overly ponderous on there.

[kamikazetom]

I voted for Soundgarden although Nirvana is a close second for me -Loved the soundgarden LP's Louder than Love & Badmotorfinger the best & thought they were the best of the 4 live (again Nirvana was a close second live - I was at the trees show where Kurt Cobain dove off the stage to go after Turner - fun night)

[KazolOrajia]

Alice in Chains is the best band on the list, so I voted for them.

With that said, I don't consider AIC or Soundgarden to be grunge. Of the two grunge bands on here, I vote for Nirvana.

[Sporkman GB]

Alice in Chains is the best band on the list, so I voted for them.

With that said, I don't consider AIC or Soundgarden to be grunge. Of the two grunge bands on here, I vote for Nirvana.

Soundgarden and AIC are definitely grunge, just they didn't have the hits of the other two, so they're not as closely associated with it. It'd be like saying Anthrax and Megadeth aren't Thrash because their sound was more punk influenced than Metallica or Slayer.

But in a close run between Soundgarden and AIC, Soundgarden trumps for me. I love AIC, but Soundgarden covers a wider emotional and musical spectrum.

[KHH]

Went with AiC on instinct but as I grow older Pearl Jam really grows on me.

[Franklin]

I knew I'd be in the minority, but for me it's Pearl Jam by a wide margin (but just the first two albums).

[Monster Boy]

I was one of the few Nirvana voters. I still remember the first day I heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on the radio. I remember thinking "Yes! Somebody is still making good music!" I was young and impressionable I suppose, a bit of a nostalgia vote. But, I do find that, out of the four, Nirvana was most in line with my aesthetics, the dadaist nightmare or something like that. The other bands were all great but maybe just a bit too "cool" for my tastes.

[Billy Underdog]

I was very close to voting Nirvana myself, but i had to go for AIC. But there are times i rather listen to Nirvana...

[RLP4ever]

I largely hated Grunge all along. But I easily voted for AIC here, but they were always more Metal, than Grunge, to me. Their music is mostly an amalgam of the two, to be honest, but their consistent, dominant metal sound in all of their albums seems to go strangely unnoticed and unacknowledged by many people. So, I readily second Kazol's earlier comment here about his not regarding AIC as being Grunge. In fairness to Billy, though, lots of fans and writers have always called AIC's music 'grunge', so the band would likely figure on anybody's poll on the best bands in the genre.

Soundgarden would be my choice if AIC wasn't listed. Again, Soundgarden were much less grunge than Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

[Billy Underdog]

I largely hated Grunge all along. But I easily voted for AIC here, but they were always more Metal, than Grunge, to me. Their music is mostly an amalgam of the two, to be honest, but their consistent, dominant metal sound in all of their albums seems to go strangely unnoticed and unacknowledged by many people. So, I readily second Kazol's earlier comment here about his not regarding AIC as being Grunge. In fairness to Billy, though, lots of fans and writers have always called AIC's music 'grunge', so the band would likely figure on anybody's poll on the best bands in the genre.

Soundgarden would be my choice if AIC wasn't listed. Again, Soundgarden were much less grunge than Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

I think AIC is as much metal as grunge too, but then again i think much of the grunge was pretty metal (atleast in a 70's sence of the term). One word, and i've said it before: Melvins!

[Sporkman GB]

I knew I'd be in the minority, but for me it's Pearl Jam by a wide margin (but just the first two albums).

Pearl Jam was great for Ten, VS., and much of Vitalogy, but after that, they kind of went down hill. Not many notable songs after that, I'd agree. But the first two are classics, and the third is pretty damn good as well.