'Ten'

Even as a dumb teenager, I never quite understood why all these rock bands from the 1990s got lumped together with the "grunge" label.

I totally understand why Nirvana (and bands of their ilk) were given some label because the general public have never encountered a monster like them. Let's face it: Most Americans had never been so punk in their lives after purchasing Nevermind. People and critics didn't know how to define the sound, the look and the rage.

So they called it "grunge." OK.

So why were Soundgarden and Pearl Jam put in the same bucket? Both bands had two very distinct and different sounds. They sounded nothing like Nirvana or that "punk" sound.

Ten is probably the best album from the 1990s. It has an energy and voracity that doesn't exist in any other piece of art from that era. There's still an anger to it that you get with the Nirvanas of the world, but people "get it" in a way that they probably quite didn't get Nevermind or Bleach.