Grunge wasn’t just about plaid shirts and fuzzy guitars—it had a darker, heavier edge that could knock you off your feet. These five bands didn’t just play grunge; they made it scream, growl, and thrash in the most brutal ways possible. They were the sonic sledgehammers of the ‘90s, cranking up the distortion and diving headfirst into sludge and metal. Here’s the heavy artillery of grunge:

1. Alice in Chains
Dark. Doomy. Unforgettable. Dirt (1992) is a masterpiece of grunge’s darkest depths. The crushing riffs, the haunting, tortured vocals of Layne Staley—they didn’t just sing, they howled with a pain that you could feel deep in your chest. Dirt was the blueprint for grunge’s heaviest sound, and Alice in Chains was its undisputed heavyweight champ.

2. Melvins
The sludge metal architects who laid the foundation for so much of what grunge became. Houdini (1993) was a slab of slow, monstrous riffs that hit like an avalanche. The Melvins were the band that made grunge heavier, slower, and more massive, and the genre owes them everything. They didn’t care about trends—they just wanted to make music that felt like it could crush you.

3. Skin Yard
Often overlooked but never to be underestimated. Raw, grimy, and full of relentless intensity, Skin Yard’s Inside the Eye (1993) is a grunge gem that deserves more attention. It’s a rough, gritty ride from start to finish, full of sludgy riffs and heavy atmospherics that hit you right in the gut. It’s dark, it’s ugly, and it’s perfect.

4. Gruntruck
Metal-infused madness that could whip up a frenzy in any mosh pit. Push (1992) was heavy, gritty, and filled with the kind of aggression that makes you want to bang your head until your neck snaps. Tracks like “Tribe” bring the raw power and urgency that made grunge the anthemic force it was—loud, fast, and ready to tear things up.

5. Tad
Loud, chaotic, unapologetic. Inhaler (1993) was a sonic explosion, a noisy, blistering blast of raw energy. Tad wasn’t about playing nice—they were about creating chaos and turning up the volume to levels that felt dangerous. Their music was a full-body experience, meant to rattle your bones and make you feel the heavy weight of it all.

These are the bands that didn’t just play grunge—they embodied it in its heaviest form. Craving the kind of grunge that leaves you feeling like you’ve been hit by a truck? These five bands brought it, and they’ll have you headbanging until the earth shakes.