This week’s theme
Words with Seattle connections

This week’s words
skid row
spacearium
ecotopia
space needle
grunge

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A.Word.A.Day

PRONUNCIATION:

(gruhnj)

MEANING:

noun:
1. A type of rock music blending punk and heavy metal, marked by distorted guitars, raw vocals, and a deliberately unpolished sound.
2. A fashion trend featuring loose-fitting clothes, ripped jeans, etc. with an untidy appearance.
3. Dirt; filth.

ETYMOLOGY:

Back-formation from grungy, of unknown origin, perhaps a blend of words such as grubby, grimy, and dingy. Earliest documented use: 1950s; for grunge music 1987.

NOTES:

Though the term grunge had been used earlier, it stuck to music in 1987 when Bruce Pavitt, co-founder of Sub Pop Records in Seattle, praised an album for its “gritty vocals, roaring Marshall amps, ultra-loose GRUNGE that destroyed the morals of a generation.” The sound -- distorted, loud, and anti-gloss -- soon became known as the Seattle sound. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden gave it global reach, proving that sometimes, the best things are a little messy.

USAGE:

“The song is an exaggerated take on nineties grunge.”
Carrie Battan; Extremely Online; The New Yorker; Oct 10, 2022.

See more usage examples of grunge in Vocabulary.com’s dictionary.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY: