Why 1991 Was Such a Pivotal Year in Rock Music

Weird History recounts why 1991 was such a pivotal year in rock music and how the bands and albums introduced that year evolved and changed how audiences listen to music.

A strong argument can be made that 1991 was one of the most important years in music – with bands such as Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, the Smashing Pumpkins, and My Bloody Valentine (just to name a few) putting out game-changing records. …Grunge had become synonymous with “1990s music,” but it wasn’t just Seattle that was changing music forever.

1991 introduced such seminal albums as Nevermind by Nirvana, Ten by Pearl Jam, Badmotorfinger by Soundgarden, Metallica‘s Black Album, Out of Time by R.E.M., Trompe le Monde by The Pixies, Gish by The Smashing Pumpkins, Blood Sugar Sex Magik by The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Sailing the Seas of Cheese by Primus, plus several more.

1991 in Rock

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.