Why There Was No Grunge Breakthrough in Estonia

Abstract

Grunge is the term used for a type of music that appeared after the sensational breakthrough of American alternative rock band Nirvana with their album Nevermind in 1991. As is usual in the music business, record companies started to promote similar bands. This article is about the grunge subculture in Estonia in the early 1990s and is based on personal memories and discussions with people who embraced the style. The aim is to show that grunge in Estonia was a vivid example of glocalisation, where a globally known phenomenon becomes a local variation with significant differences to the way in which it is understood and interpreted in the country of origin. Simultaneously, I discuss why grunge was never so popular in Estonia. The reason for this was that the early 1990s were a time when a lot of Western pop culture – both clothes and music – was suddenly available and young people faced multiple choices. Grunge, as a downshift culture, did not fit with the post-Soviet ethos and rush towards consumerism.