The Best Grunge Singers Of All Time Ranked

Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rockgenre and subculture that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of punk rock and heavy metal, but without punk’s structure and speed. The genre featured the distortedelectric guitar sound used in both genres, although some bands performed with more emphasis on one or the other. Like these genres, grunge typically uses electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and vocals. Grunge also incorporates influences from indie rock bands such as Sonic Youth. Lyrics are typically angst-filled and introspective, often addressing themes such as social alienation, self-doubt, abuse, neglect, betrayal, social and emotional isolation, addiction, psychological trauma and a desire for freedom. Here are all of The Best Grunge Singers Of All Time ranked.

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20. Shaun Morgan – Seether

“Shaun Morgan’s voice sounds like every other Kurt Cobain wannabe. But something will compel you to listen longer, and that’s just the sheer passion behind the voice. Morgan excels with his incredible full filled and strong voice, making it perfect for heavy rock songs. However it’s in the softer acoustic songs where he really shines, he has complete voice control, even in his whimpers.”

19. Tad Doyle – Tad

“Easily one of the harshest vocalists, he went hard when considering the fact that Tad as a group seemed to be a very heavy band to begin with. They weren’t quite metal and nowhere near as “nice” as other groups like Audioslave or AIC, but they were the most intense grunge band around. Sadly underrated as a band, Tad’s vocals were rough, and being slightly out of tune much of the time seemed to add to the expression that he sought in the music.”

18. Andrew Wood – Mother Love Bone

“Andy Wood opened the door for the grunge bands that followed. Incredible stage presence, with song writing ability and a voice to match. Had he not passed so early on in his career, there would have been no Pearl Jam. But Mother Love Bone would have been just as big.”

17. Benjamin Burnley – Breaking Benjamin

“Ben Burnley has an amazing voice, something that can not be replicated. I feel the majority of the band’s listeners are intrigued with the band because of his vocals. An amazing song-writer and vocalist. Love his voice! He’s got a very solid grungy voice that I think deserves some attention on this list.”

16. Ed Kowalczyk – Live

“Great range, great power, great passion, and some great songs to complete the package, I get chills when I hear the opening of The Dolphins Cry. And nails live performances, one of my favorite vocalists ever. Pure emotion and amazing voice.”

15. Mark Lanegan – Screaming Trees

“His voice is just incredible, it’s deep, rough, intense…, well you know, he doesn’t need to do much effort to sing because even his speaking voice is mesmerizing. The raspy voiced singer and his band was a fixture in the alternative rock scene of the 90’s.”

14. Kevin Martin – Candlebox

“Amazing voice, listen to he calls home, cover me, or far behind, beautiful range and by far one of the most grunge voices out there. I truly enjoy their music and the vocal expression that is put into the sound. Every time he sings, he displays such emotion.”

13. Adam Gontier – Three Days Grace

“One of the best hard rock singer I have ever heard, number one with James Hetfield from Metallica. just listen to never too late by three days grace and you will understand. Adan is awesome! He’s scream is so heavy and beautiful..”

12. Vinnie Dombroski – Sponge

“Remember that “say a prayer for me” song? That’s him. It might not be heard the best on his singles (plowed, Molly, have you seen mary, wax ecstatic, go speed racer go) but Vin hits all the notes low and high. Very good new LPs since their popularity (listen to “glue” & “ugly on the inside”)”

11. Mark Arm – Mudhoney

“Mark was the vocalist/guitarist for the grunge bands Green River and Mud Honey. Mark had the vocal style of a hardcore-punk vocalist, hyped up by his pulsating guitar and grungy lyrics. Eddie Vedder even said Mark’s voice was grungier than his and Chris Cornell’s (both excellent vocalist) his voice just screamed grunge at its finest. “

10. Aaron Lewis – Staind

“Aaron Lewis wears many hats. For years, he was known as the emotive frontman in post-grunge band Staind, singing introspective rock hits such as “It’s Been a While,” “For You,” “Outside,” “Mudshovel,” “Epiphany” and “So Far Away” to the masses. Now, the singer is devoted to a country music career. In fact, Lewis is playing only a handful of Staind shows this year and focusing on all things country.”

9. Gavin Rossdale – Bush

“Definitely a post-grunge legend. This guy has been dubbed a Kurt Cobain rip off by most, but if you really listen to this dude his voice is something else. Guy’s got one hell of a voice. One of the most powerful voices of the 90s!”

8. Dave Grohl – Foo Fighters

“He has such an amazing voice! sic icon and along with that has the voice to back it up. He is best known as the former drummer of the hugely popular 90s grunge band Nirvana and the vocalist/guitarist for the alternative rock band Foo Fighters.”

7. Billy Corgan – Smashing Pumpkins

“His whining is just legendary. Maybe he isn’t the best for the grunge movement (that’s quite a surprise for me as I’ve known him as part of the alternative movement) but for the music he used to write his voice is the icing on the cake. So much passion and rawness combines with ultradistorted and uberoverdubbed guitars is just what makes SP stand out from the all the 90s groups.”

6. Jerry Cantrell – Alice in Chains

“Jerry was a great singer on his solo albums. I think he is just as good as Layne and now he is the lead singer in Alice In Chains  Listen to his performance in Down in a Hole Unplugged and you will understand why he is one of the best.”

5. Scott Weiland – Stone Temple Pilots

“Scott Weiland has the most diverse range. From his soft acoustic versions of Sour Girl, Wonderful, Atlanta or Kitchenware and Candybars, to the fast and powerful Sex Type Thing, Meat Plow, No way Out, Dead and Bloated, etc… Then he can do great pop melodies like Big Bang Baby, Trippin on A Hole, Interstate Love Song and Days of the Week. Who else on this list can pull off all those songs, not only in the studio, but in one live setlist as well!”

4. Eddie Vedder – Pearl Jam

“The emotion in Eddie’s voice is stunning. Be it a crazy song like Do the Evolution or a romantic number like Last Kiss, Eddie’s voice is amazing. Eddie is not only an incredible singer, he is a fabulous artist, always seeming slightly shy and humble. He is beyond compare.”

3. Kurt Cobain – Nirvana

“The way his talking voice is kind of course goes to show you how much he is dedicated to singing. For instance listen to the song Territorial Pissings to show you how far he goes for music. If you are talking lyrical wise listen to Heart-Shaped Box or Polly.”

2. Chris Cornell – Soundgarden

“A truly unique voice, amazing range. Powerful lyrics, so much depth showed vulnerability in his voice so gentle listening to sun showers to so gritty and unique in when in sound garden to even more depth and edge in like a stone, highway, pretty much every track off audio slaves first album”

1. Layne Staley – Alice In Chains

“No one else sings with the same raw emotion or overpowering harmonic greatness as Layne Staley.
Nirvana may have started the 90s rock movement, and Pearl Jam may have become the most consistent group to emerge from Seattle, but no one had more of an impact on future rock & metal bands than Alice In Chains. The guy was just that rare, once-in-a-generation voice that comes along where everyone who is stopped dead in their tracks when they hear it for the first time.”