A style of rock music characterized by a raw, distorted sound and angst-filled lyrics, originating in Seattle in the late 1980s. Also refers to a deliberately untidy or dirty appearance.
Originally American slang meaning 'dirt, grime,' possibly from grungy (1960s). The musical genre name emerged in the 1980s Seattle music scene, popularized by bands like Nirvana.
Grunge accidentally became a global fashion phenomenon when designers tried to commercialize the anti-fashion aesthetic of Seattle musicians - the irony wasn't lost on the artists who were rebelling against commercialization!
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