In the early to mid-90s, grunge and the Seattle music scene were at the top of the charts. With the death of Kurt Cobain in 1994, the popularity of the musical style declined, but its influences are still felt today. Because Seattle is so far from other musical meccas such as L.A., New York or Chicago, the music scene did its own thing. The Seattle you visit today has gotten much of its flavor thanks to its grunge scene.
Grunge in Seattle
Before we get into where to go while you’re visiting, a short discussion on the origins of grunge is in order. The Seattle area is famously rainy, which makes it the perfect setting for grunge music — an alternative form of rock music that is influenced by hardcore punk and metal. Grunge music typically has an angry or melancholic tone. As another point of interest, vintage clothing and thrift stores contributed to the aesthetic of the grunge movement because the starting-out musicians didn’t have a lot of money at the time.
Now that you’ve got a feel for the era, here are five sites that any grunge fan or music historian should visit.
The Kurt Cobain Memorial
Viretta Park, in one of Seattle’s most elite neighborhoods, is the site of the unofficial Kurt Cobain Memorial. This small park has a few pine trees, some stairs and four graffiti-laden park benches. You won’t find any plaques or portraits here; it’s really just a simple park. But perhaps an unkempt, minimalistic park is fitting for the father of grunge music. And when you look a little closer, you’ll see that the benches are covered with music lyrics, pictures, love letters and other offerings to Cobain.
Why exactly is this unassuming spot so popular? The frontman’s former residence, house number 171, is located immediately to the right of the park. A visit to this site is free, and you can enjoy a walk through the neighborhood while you’re there.
EMP Music Museum
This museum, formerly known as Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Famer or EMP/SFM, is a museum dedicated to the history and exploration of popular music, science fiction and pop culture. The “Northwest Passage” exhibit is dedicated to the history of Seattle music including Jimi Hendrix, Heart and grunge music. One of the exhibits within the “Northwest Passage” focuses on Nirvana and features rare and unseen artifacts and photography from the band, their crews and families.
There is an area where you can play electric guitars, drums and keyboards, and you can learn to play short riffs from famous songs with computer screen guidance. You can also view the first guitar Kurt Cobain smashed on stage. The curvy, metallic design of the complex is inspired by electric guitars. The museum is open daily and is located next to the Space Needle.
Pike Place Market
This market is home to the original Starbucks, and it’s also where a man named Artis the Spoonman used to perform by playing the spoons. The grunge band, Soundgarden, wrote a song about him called, “Spoonman” which is included on their “Superunknown” album. Pike Place has fresh fish and artisanal cheeses, breads and vegetables, as well.
The Showbox at the Market
You can see live music at this venue, which has been around since the late 1930s. About 200 concerts are held here each year. Many grunge artists have played on its stage. The building is an art-deco gem located near the Pike Place Market.
London Bridge Studio
At this major recording studio bands such as Soundgarden, Blind Melon, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains have recorded albums. You can take a tour to view the control room, live room, the lounge and overdub suites. You must buy tickets in advance to the studio as your visit will be a guided tour. During the course of your tour, your guide will fill you in on the goings-on for the past 25 years. The studio tour will be a highlight for any music lover.
Save up to 48% off some of these locations:
Image by Flickr’s Creative Commons
About the Author: Carl Williams is a Seattle resident and a lover of grunge music. He attends live music concerts whenever he gets the chance.
I love the Seattle music scene! The last time my wife and I visited we enjoyed Seattle grunge and an incredibly romantic Seattle hotel.
This is also a great Rock and Roll Tour you can take. You will see all of the spots listed above and so much more. The guide knows everything there is to know about the Seattle music scene and Jimi Hendrix. stalkingseattle.com
Music museum seems really cool. I live in Seattle so will go visit it.
Another good place to visit in Seattle is the GREAT WHEEL. Very fun and very nice views. Thanks for this post.
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I really love Seattle music and Grunge in Seattle because according to me its best for couples. group of our friends visited there before three years ago. one of my friend propose me and we became husband and wife.. really memorable place and such a wonderful information you shared………
A day in the life of a SEATTLE Grunge Fan!
It was that fantastic and amazing time in one’s life that you are very lucky to have lived. Picture Seattle Washington in the early 1990’s, the music scene was getting into full grunge mode in my city of Seattle. These were the days when you could see grunge bands in small night clubs. We are talking Green River, Mudhoney, the Melvins, TAD, Screaming Trees, Hole, L7, Mother Love Bone and later we had Soundgarden, Nirvana, and Pearl Jam! The Clubs back then were Rock Candy, DV8, Sit & Spin and others. What a glorious time to be able to be right upfront rocking out to this incredible new sound, the new sound of Seattle. Yea BABY! One night we saw The Presidents at the DV8 club, during intermission the lead singer came into the crown and visited with us fans! He was a small unassuming guy that was very kind. What I loved about that time is how the grunge bands all helped each other, they were a large family and very supportive joining one another on stage whenever possible. You never knew who you would see that night in a club. It was so much fun! Another love was when Soundgarden and Pearl Jam recorded Temple of the Dog, I would play that CD over and over. If you have not heard it do so right away! Then we had many festivals like End Fest and Bumpershoot where a variety of bands would play for hours and hours. Another memory is when Green Apple Quickstep played at Rock Candy, damn the lead singer Tyler was charismatic, you could tell that singing was his passion, he swept you away in his song. When his set was over, he too would go out into the crown to be with the fans and watch the next band up on stage. These guys were so kind, not competitive, just wanting the best for each band member. Then there was the time when we saw Danzig sitting next to us at a festival all in black leather and chains. He commanded attention! There are so many memories and I am afraid I have forgotten some.
Then the Nirvana thing happened, sad and dreadful day for fans when Kurt went away. However, we still had Dave Grohl the drummer from Nirvana. What did he do? He started his own band called the Foo Fighters. Hell YES, that guy can drum but who knew he was such a great guitar player? So Foo Fighters became one of my new favorites! Their live concerts were crazy, the fans were in a frenzy. Dave can go on and on and on………….what a treat to experience this energy.
Picture 1996, cool small record stores were booming with the Seattle Sound! Swung into Everyday Music store on Capitol hill to look around. And there on the wall was this awesome Foo Fighter Poster! I told my husband that I had to have it! Do not remember the purchase price but it was mine. So, I figured it would be collectible in the future and socked it away in a drawer.
Kellie Conn the crystal deva at avaloncrystals