Contemporary Hard Rock

After Nirvana's tragic demise in 1994, scads of bands scrambled to seize the grunge throne. Though lighter-themed punk-pop became a commercial force around that time, post-grunge bands like Bush and Silverchair continued to explore the angst-ridden sounds and themes of early '90s Grunge. Post-grunge guitars were just as loud as grunge, but not as cutting. Its production was smoother and more sterile, its songs more pop-influenced. Post-grunge, like most second-generation genres, was essentially a hybridized version of the original. The most critically-acclaimed post-frungers, like Everclear and Nirvana-drummer Dave Grohl's Foo Fighters, added subtle nuances to their work rather than simply rehashing the dying days of flannel.