Soundgarden guitarist Kim Thayil recently appeared on the podcast Talk Is Jericho, hosted by wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.
During his discussion, Thayil reflected on how the rise of grunge in the early 1990s defined the music scene at the time.
The genre resonated with a generation looking for authenticity and raw emotion in an era dominated by glossy pop and hair metal.
Thayil noted that the four key bands of the grunge movement - Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Alice in Chains - all topped the Billboard 200 charts around the same time.
However, Thayil revealed that he was initially unaware of this coincidence until a journalist pointed it out to him.
"I think none of us used the term 'grunge' at that point," Thayil said.
"It was just something that became a way to communicate with the outside world or the world that is only casually interested in what you're doing." In another interview, Thayil spoke about the six-week period in 1991 when three of the pillars of grunge were released: Pearl Jam's album "Ten", Nirvana's "Nevermind", and Soundgarden's "Badmotorfinger".
Thayil explained that his band did not experience initial commercial success but benefited from the popularity of their peers.
He also spoke about the band's slow career ascension over time.
The discussion also touched on the term 'grunge' becoming a way to describe the Seattle rock scene, which was initially used by outsiders rather than the bands themselves.
Thayil concurred with Jericho that even terms like hair metal and Britpop were used after the fact as references to distinguish different pockets of music.
In related news, Soundgarden is working on an album of previously unreleased recordings made with late singer Chris Cornell before his death in 2017.
The project involves Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron, bassist Ben Shepherd, and producer Terry Date, who has worked with the band on their albums "Louder Than Love" (1989) and "Badmotorfinger" (1991).
In November 2025, Soundgarden joined the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class of 2025 in the Performer category.
The Seattle grunge legends were first nominated for the Rock Hall in 2020, and were on the ballot again in 2023 before finally being chosen for induction last year.
Thayil, Cameron, Cornell's replacement vocalist Taylor Momsen, Brandi Carlile, PEARL JAM's Mike McCready, and ALICE IN CHAINS' Jerry Cantrell performed during the event with Thayil and his bandmates filling in for late singer Chris Cornell.