Rockpedia

Compare

Two genres, side by side. The ratings are editorial judgements on a ten-point scale, not measurements. Where they come out level, the difference is in the prose underneath them.

First genre

Post-grunge1994

Second genre

Alternative metal1988

Head to headPost-grunge vs Alternative metal
Post-grunge: heaviness 5, melody 9, speed 5. Alternative metal: heaviness 7, melody 7, speed 5.Heaviness5 / 7Melody9 / 7Speed5 / 5
Each corner is a ten-point rating. The further out, the higher.

The difference, by ear

Alternative metal kept the experimentation and the dynamics that post-grunge smoothed out. They occupied adjacent radio slots and sound very different up close.

Alternative metal is part sung, part screamed where post-grunge is sung cleanly, at much the same pace, around 90 to 140 bpm. To hear the difference, play Foo Fighters next to Faith No More. Post-grunge comes from the rock side of the tree and alternative metal from the metal side, and alternative metal came first, by six years. United States appears in the origins of both.

Put together from each genre's vocals, tempo, song length, key acts and place in the tree.

In figures

Heaviness
Post-grunge5
Alternative metal7
+2
Speed
Post-grunge5
Alternative metal5
level
Melody
Post-grunge9
Alternative metal7
−2

Post-grunge

1994 · USA / Canada

Where it sits

Rock › Alternative rock › Grunge › Post-grunge

In short

The grunge formula cleaned up for radio: same dynamics, less dirt, vastly more airplay.

How it sounds

  • The same dynamics, but with radio production: heavy compression, symmetrical guitars.
  • Melodic choruses with doubled and harmonised vocals.
  • Simplified riffing, mid tempos, fixed structures.

Key acts

  • Foo Fighters
  • Bush
  • Creed
  • Nickelback

Start here

The pickFoo Fighters - The Colour and the Shape. Dave Grohl played nearly all of it himself.

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Alternative metal

1988 · USA

Where it sits

Heavy metal › Alternative metal

In short

Metal weight without the dress code or the scene rules: unconventional structures and influences from post-punk, funk or shoegaze.

How it sounds

  • Metal weight with structures and textures borrowed from post-punk, funk or shoegaze.
  • Low tunings and thick guitar tone, often with no solos at all.
  • Variable vocals: sung, spoken, whispered, screamed, sometimes in one song.

Key acts

  • Faith No More
  • Tool
  • Helmet
  • Deftones

Start here

The pickTool - Ænima. Complex without showing off, heavy without insisting.

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