1994 onwards- Post-Grunge vs Britpop: Which was best?

95/96 Britpop
97 onwards no score draw, match abandoned

lol

If 'Wonderwall' was the Anthem of Britpop what was the anthem of post-grunge?

not a fair contest...

"Britpop" has Dog Man Star + Coming Up, Different Class + This Is Hardcore and that's about all i'd keep
Post-Grunge or at least Grunge from 1994 on has Mellon Collie + Adore, Mirror Ball, Mad Season, Alice In Chains self-titled, Screaming Trees Dust, Down On The Upside... probably a bunch more if i keep thinking/looking

Celebrity Skin!

Why not both? Catherine Wheel's Happy Days/Adam And Eve, the glorious marriage

Voted Drum & Bass

"Britpop" has Dog Man Star + Coming Up, Different Class + This Is Hardcore and that's about all i'd keep
Post-Grunge or at least Grunge from 1994 on has Mellon Collie + Adore, Mirror Ball, Mad Season, Alice In Chains self-titled, Screaming Trees Dust, Down On The Upside... probably a bunch more if i keep thinking/looking

No original grunge!

Feel free to mock Candlebox, Bush (there was your chance to have both LJ) Silverchair et al though

94 was more peak grunge imo I mean Superunknown and Vitology and Jar of Flies and Live Through This were all 94!

That's just foin
That's just one a my naimz

Yea 94 was kind of where mainstream grunge crested.

It was a few years later, I think 96, when Guitar Magazine wrote an article proclaiming it dead

From RYM

Post-grunge is a derivative of Grunge that takes the crunchy guitar sound and dingy aesthetic of grunge in a more streamlined, hook-based direction, often adopting Pop Rock and occasionally even arena rock conventions over the abrasive underground influences that shaped grunge. With this approach, post-grunge features a more melodic sound and more conventional verse-chorus structures when compared to grunge, though grunge's moderate pacing is retained. Vocally, post-grunge is known for adopting the yarling vocal style often associated with Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, amongst other raspy vocal styles, though it can also feature more conventional singing. Instrumentally, post-grunge occasionally features acoustic instruments alongside electric counterparts. This combination is especially common in post-grunge ballads. Lyrically, post-grunge is similar to grunge, featuring angsty, vulnerable lyricism and thematically dealing with similar struggles.

Emerging in conjunction with the decline of grunge, post-grunge's notable early groups included Bush, Live and Foo Fighters (who were fronted by ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl). These early groups are associated with the first wave of post-grunge, among other artists such as Candlebox, Alanis Morissette and Everclear. The style quickly became a staple of Rock-radio; consequently, it later garnered association with the pejorative term "butt rock." As the genre progressed into the 2000s, it brought about a second wave of bands and increased popularity, though it received mixed to negative critical reception; the wave's most popular group, Nickelback, received notable backlash.

This 2nd wave was largely characterized by the adoption of contemporary Hard Rock and Alternative Metal stylings, a combination utilized by popular groups such as Three Days Grace, Creed, Breaking Benjamin and Staind. The genre experienced a decline in popularity during the 2010s, as rock itself became less popular. The post-grunge genre however has proven influential to such artists as Country/rock crossover singer HARDY and modern hard rock act Mammoth.

Reason for this poll is because the singer of 3 Doors Down died and I realised that I had never heard any of their songs or indeed most post-grunge as it never registered here due to britpop. I assume Americans will say the same about Britpop?

Nah because the British music press was all in on Britpop and no one in the American music press gave a fuck about 3 Doors Down or Live. So depending on their tastes US music geeks might seek out Pulp, but no one was being incentivized to check out Candlebox.

It wasn't just the music press, it was all the press from the Blur vs Oasis singles battle in 95

Sure but I don't think US listeners would be paying attention to the UK generalist press.

This would have been much more difficult if it had been grunge vs Britpop (though did we have that poll years ago?) - but I can't think of a single thing from the post-grunge stable that has any merit at all.

I assumed so but apparently not?

There is this thread that you might be thinking of?

What meant more: Britpop to Americans or Grunge to Brits?

in that i’m not aware grunge mattered a farthing to brits. also what’s a farthing

tired: farthings
wired: penny farthings

It was an old ilx thread that introduced me to the existence of Vertical Horizon, Fuel and Lifehouse, in a discussion about Travis' relative lack of success in the US and how those bands filled a similar homegrown niche. That may be true but Travis at their best are excellent melodic Britgum/Marmalade revivalists - the VH, Fuel and Lifehouse albums I listened to were some gruelling porridges indeed!

Britpop is my don't-even-need-to-think-about-it vote - obligatory 'despite, yes, the increasing claptrap' caveat. I do really like some of the divergent grunge fallout albums like No Code and Tiny Music but it's only every now and then I flirt with even remembering that Live et al exist.

This is a weird pairing, since post-grunge is generally hated and ignored and people are still riding for Blur and Pulp etc.

in that i’m not aware grunge mattered a farthing to brits.

Nirvana certainly mattered, everything else I think less so. This is mostly from watching totp reruns tho, wasn't there at the time.

"Would?" by Alice in Chains went to #19 the UK. It only made the Rock chart in the US.

Same story with Pearl Jam singles: "Daughter" #97 US, #18 UK.

I can assure you that grunge was a big deal in the UK. It's just that the heavier rock end of the spectrum was never as big in the UK as it was in the USA (Until nu-metal when there was #1 singles and 8 year olds in korn/slipknot/limp bizkit/linkin park/papa roach hoodies

only grunge number one in the UK is Inside by Stiltskin

accordingly also the only grunge record my mum ever bought

"Would?" is such a great song

^^^

That album, really.

There is a super ironed-out narrative that lazily crops up here and there that grunge was some sort of all-conquering chart presence. I read a retrospective thing somewhere about A Storm in Heaven a few months back where its no. 27 chart position was cast as a failure to fit in with the 'grunge-dominated' times - that'll be despite none of the 26 albums above it that week being grunge records (the Manics and Green Jelly are the closest it gets).

Big fan of this meaningless quote from the Happy Daze compilation article on wiki: "This has been seen as a criticism of the album, along with the glaring omission of songs by New Order or The Stone Roses and for not anticipating the imminent arrival of Grunge music.[2]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Daze_(compilation_album%29

It was more of a vibes thing than a commercial juggernaut. A lot of less-heavy or less depressive music suddenly sounded old and kind of lame.

Back then things certainly got older quicker. Even 5 years between albums killed the biggest bands momentum yet now its a normal thing.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

The correct answer is either death metal or drum 'n' bass.

nah it's ragtime

Re:post-grunge - BBC 6 Music keeps playing this, see if you can guess which year it's from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBbCgYwn5Hc

Big fan of this meaningless quote from the Happy Daze compilation article on wiki: "This has been seen as a criticism of the album, along with the glaring omission of songs by New Order or The Stone Roses and for not anticipating the imminent arrival of Grunge music.[2]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Daze_(compilation_album%29

lol that is a completely nonsensical wiki page. "by no means all the bands were from Manchester" yeah no shit, there's like 4 bands from Manchester on that compilation. nothing on the CD cover says anything about it being a compilation of Manchester bands or anything about "the Madchester scene" at all. just complete bollocks. at least the Talk page seems to have realised that

I bought volume 2 of that compilation when I was a teenager, which also wasn't a Madchester compilation (apart from Paris Angels and maybe the High) and similarly failed to anticipate the imminent arrival of grunge music

even the linked blogspot doesn’t criticise the album for the “omission,” it’s making fun of the sleevenotes (by, presumably, Gary Crowley)

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

https://i0.wp.com/thrawn.movie/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/vsTS8X4.gif?fit=851%2C315&ssl=1

bad news proof of conscience means YOU ARE IN THE GAME. YOUR MOVE.

Post-Grunge - smelling a dog turd
Britpop - actually standing in it

As others have said, this doesn't feel like a comparable fight.

If Britpop counts as roughly 1994-1996 (maybe a smidge on either side) indie-pop from the UK you're talking Blur, Pulp, Suede, Super Furry Animals, the Boo Radleys, Bis, Kenickie, Supergrass, The Auteurs, Elastica, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Saint Etienne, Lush, Salad, the Longpigs. And arguably you could say Radiohead, Portishead, the Manic Street Preachers, Therapy?, Honeycrack and the Chemical Brothers count (sorta).

Post-Grunge is roughly 1995-1999 and encompasses Bush, Foo Fighters, Silverchair, Puddle Of Mudd, Nickleback, Stiltskin, Creed and a bunch of other shit bands I couldn't give a fuck about. And this UK 90s kid LOVED grunge.

Pulp, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Saint Etienne, Lush, Radiohead, Portishead, the Manic Street Preachers, Therapy?

arguably? sod all relation to some coked-up journo's "patriotic" "bring back real men" let's invent SHitepop dribblings.... all bands which would have had exactly the same careers with or without taint by association

casting the net this wide for bands to make "Britpop" seem more interesting is like trawling for dolphins, catching octupus and declaring "close enough!"

Okay, then if Pulp aren't Britpop then who is?

Suede - smiths tribute band, probably gave birth to The Killers on a similarly shite level
Boos - shapeshifting faux shite
Chemical Brothers - easy listening pop rave shite
at least 5 others godawful shite

Kenickie - amazing

coked-up journo's "patriotic" "bring back real men" let's invent SHitepop dribblings

I also find this argument against Britpop, lazy, bad-faith and played-out.

Yes, like pretty much every music "scene" in the history of music scenes, the term was invented by journalists grasping for a front-page headline.
Yes there were substances flying around in those days (SHOCK HORROR!).
And yes, Noel Gallagher once had a guitar with a Union Flag on it.

But other than that, who in the Britpop pantheon really was outwardly patriotic in the nationalistic way you're describing? Ummm... Damon once wrote a song about how he didn't like touring in America...

Forgive me as it was a long time ago, but I don't remember any of these artists saying "Bring back real men" either? The idea that Britpop was especially laddy or male-centric, especially compared to other scenes, never made sense to me. I could name you more prominent women in Britpop than women in grunge, for example. Or are we just going to forget Sleeper, Elastica, Bis, Lush (yes, Lovelife was fully a Britpop album), Kenickie and all the others?

Suede - smiths tribute band, probably gave birth to The Killers on a similarly shite level
Boos - shapeshifting faux shite
Chemical Brothers - easy listening pop rave shite
at least 5 others godawful shite

Kenickie - amazing

― fndgo, Wednesday, 25 February 2026 16:28 (five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Are you okay?

Pulp rode the Britpop hype rather cannily, as much by timing good luck and intelligence as anything but I think the first record came out in like 1982....

I mean the Bee Gees weren't only a disco band I guess is what I'm saying.

I mean, in that case any band that existed outside of 1994-1996 but still had big hits in that time wouldn't count.
Blur wouldn't count either because they started-out as a hippie-dippie post-baggy band in 1991 and went all art-rocky by 1997.
Pulp are widely considered part of the "Big 3" next to Blur and Oasis.

Arguing about whether or not something is Britpop or not is pretty fruitless as it's not strictly defined.

Incidentally I have a pack of Britpop Top Trumps where one of the point factors is "We're not Britpop". Because, like goth and most other rock genres, even the big players shunned the label.

My loose definition is that if it was on one of those "The Best Album In the World... Ever!" compilations, it was Britpop. And yes, that includes Smashing Pumpkins ;-)

Unfortunately I remember the Britpop coverage at the time all too well and it was always horrible secret Tory jingoistic nonsense that came out of nowhere almost, from the get go, the thin end of what we would now call anti-woke.

I'm really glad the "music press" has nowhere near the SUN/MIRROR level of propaganda influence it did back then....

were dEUS Britpop?

apart from being Belgian

genuine question lol

sorry for pooping this thread :D

were dEUS Britpop?

apart from being Belgian

genuine question lol

― fndgo, Wednesday, 25 February 2026 16:56 (six minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

Very good question. People get really hung-up on the "Brit" part of "Britpop", then work back from that into saying it was a jingoistic music genre or whatever.

I don't think dEUS really sounded like Britpop, even if I can't really hear a musical connection between Blur, Oasis, Suede and Pulp - they all sound very distinct from each other.

But there were a few German bands like Fools Garden and Superpunk who sounded more "Britpop" than any of them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7YOafHdC3A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCQfkEkePx8

Speaking of which, it would be hard to argue against bands like Ash, Placebo and The Cardigans not being at least Britpop-adjacent

bland answer but i think britpop is defined by audience more than anything. you can have e.g. space megafans (i've met a few) arguing 'but my band were different, were not mere 60s/70s uk pop revival' but that could be similarly applied to a huge number of 'britpop' bands so.

Yeah. The indie night I used to go to as a bopper played all that stuff (and Nirvana, RATM of course). Britpop didn't just start and stop with Menswe@r

i have no idea what anyone thinks counts as 'post-grunge' and 'britpop' now after reading this thread

like people are saying smashing pumpkins are post-grunge? people are saying pulp aren't britpop?

britpop was always more of a scene, i guess, than a stylistic genre though really. none of the big britpop bands (blur, oasis, pulp, suede) really sound that much like each other. blur & pulp are probably the closest of the four and i guess there's some common influences (60s pop, 70s glam) across them all but there's a pretty big stylistic gap between oasis and pulp still

i'm pretty lukewarm on britpop overall but it's not even fair to compare it to post-grunge. what post-grunge is there that people actually rate? the first few foo fighters albums are ok i guess?

I don’t know that I’m big on either option, but no to Britpop (though it had moments)

But wait... aren't Pavement Britpop?

They’re Post-Baggy.

Post Baggy vs Proto Grunge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWrGBHbd7rU

australian britpop was a thing