Morrissey’s lyrics are the absolute apex of alternative self-pity turned to art: "I am the son and the heir, of a shyness that is criminally vulgar... I am human and I need to be loved, just like everybody else does."
Before this, RHCP were funk-punks singing about socks. This acoustic ballad about John Frusciante’s addiction and loneliness was a left turn into vulnerability. It humanized the genre.
A lo-fi masterpiece of catchy nihilism. Nirvana covered it, which is the highest honor in this world. TOP 100 ALTERNATIVE ROCK SONGS
Cornell’s tortured vocal about stepping out of the shadows. The stop-start riff is Chris Cornell at his most avant-garde.
The happiest sad song ever written. The swelling strings and the quiet verse/loud chorus dynamic are executed to absolute perfection. Morrissey’s lyrics are the absolute apex of alternative
The blueprint for "space rock" and a direct influence on Deafheaven and Deftones. "She wants to know what the stars are... she wants to blow them out." Heavy, melodic, perfect.
Alternative rock is not just guitars. This bass-heavy, paranoid hip-hop track was played on rock radio because it was too weird for hip-hop radio. It humanized the genre
The 2000s answer to Let It Bleed . A frantic, funk-punk-reggae hybrid about lycanthropy. It sounds like nothing before or since.