grunge

[ gruhnj ]

noun

, Slang.

1. dirt; filth; rubbish.
2. something of inferior quality; trash:

   He didn't know good music from grunge.

3. a person who works hard, usually for meager rewards; grind.
4. a style or fashion derived from a movement in rock music: in fashion characterized by unkempt clothing and in music by aggressive, nihilistic songs.

grunge

/ ɡrʌndʒ /

noun

1. slang.
   dirt or rubbish
2. a style of rock music originating in the US in the late 1980s, featuring a distorted guitar sound
3. a deliberately untidy and uncoordinated fashion style

Word History and Origins

Origin of grunge¹

1960–65; expressive coinage, perhaps reflecting grime and sludge; sense “grind” perhaps by association with drudge

Word History and Origins

Origin of grunge¹

C20: possibly a coinage imitating grime + sludge

Example Sentences

So was grunge rocker Kurt Cobain when he died of suicide in 1994 and rock ‘n’ roll queen Janis Joplin when she succumbed to a heroin overdose in 1970.

From Los Angeles Times

Grohl played drums in the pioneering grunge band Nirvana from 1990 until 1994 when lead singer Kurt Cobain died aged 27.

From BBC

Inevitably, the group’s career cooled throughout the ’90s and early 2000s as peacocking hard rock gave way to grunge and pop-punk.

From Los Angeles Times

Great White’s commercial fortunes declined throughout the ’90s as grunge and alternative rock displaced hair metal on the radio and MTV; the band broke up in 2001.

From Los Angeles Times

Sporting noise-canceling headphones, she sings and strums along to a grunge track as Alma watches from outside her periphery.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• filth
• grease
• grime
• soil
• stain