Alternative Rock Events

1982 Nov 30 Violent Femmes release their self-titled debut
Violent Femmes is the debut album by Violent Femmes, released on November 30, 1982, and again one year later (with two extra tracks "Ugly" and "Gimme the Car"). The album went platinum ni...
1983 Red Hot Chili Peppers are formed
Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally Tony Flow and the Majestic Masters of Mayhem) were formed by Fairfax High School alumni Anthony Kiedis, Hillel Slovak, Jack Irons and Michael "Flea" Balz...
1984 Jun Violent Femmes release Hallowed Ground
Hallowed Ground is the second album by the Violent Femmes, released in June 1984. Like the band's first album, the songs on Hallowed Ground were mostly written by singer/guitarist/lyricis...
1984 Aug 10 Red Hot Chili Peppers release self-titled first album
The Red Hot Chili Peppers is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 10, 1984 on EMI. The album was produced by Gang of Four gui...
1985 Aug 16 Red Hot Chili Peppers release Freaky Styley
Freaky Styley is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 16, 1985 on EMI. The album is the first to feature original guitarist ...
1985 Dec 22 D. Boon Dies
D. Boon (born Dennes Dale Boon, April 1, 1958 – December 22, 1985) was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. Active between 1978, when he joined The Reactionaries, and 1985, when ...
1986 Violent Femmes release The Blind Leading the Naked
The Blind Leading The Naked is the third album by the Violent Femmes. It was produced by Jerry Harrison of the Talking Heads and released in 1986. The title is a play on the title of the ...
1987 Nirvana is Founded
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987. Nirvana went through a succession of drummer...
1987 Sep 29 Red Hot Chili Peppers release The Uplift Mofo Party Plan
The Uplift Mofo Party Plan is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 29, 1987 on EMI. It is the only studio album to feature...
1988 Social Distortion releases Prison Bound
Prison Bound is the second studio album by Social Distortion, was released in 1988. This is the first album with bass guitarist John Maurer and drummer Christopher Reece. It expands upon ...
1988 The Smashing Pumpkins are formed
After the breakup of his gothic rock band The Marked, singer and guitarist Billy Corgan left St. Petersburg, Florida, to return to his native city of Chicago, where he took a job in a rec...
1988 May 3 Living Colour release Vivid
Vivid is Living Colour's debut album, which was released on May 3, 1988. The band was discovered by Mick Jagger while playing a show at punk club CBGB's in 1987. The fact that Living Colo...
1988 Oct Sonic Youth release Daydream Nation
Daydream Nation is the fifth studio album by the American alternative rock band Sonic Youth. It was released in October 1988 by Enigma Records in the United States, and by Blast First in ...
1988 Oct 31 Soundgarden release Ultramega OK
Ultramega OK is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 31, 1988 through SST Records. Following the release of the EPs Screaming Life (1987), a...
1989 Violent Femmes release 3
3 is the fourth album by Violent Femmes, released in early 1989. The songs on 3 are performed by the three members of the band playing only drums, bass and guitar, with only the addition ...
1989 Mar 20 Mother Love Bone releases an EP, Shine
Shine is the debut EP by the American rock band Mother Love Bone. It was released on March 20, 1989 through Stardog/Mercury Records. The EP was recorded in January 1989 at London Bridg...
1989 Jun 15 Nirvana Releases "Bleach"
Bleach is the debut album by the American grunge band Nirvana. It was released on June 15, 1989 through the independent record label Sub Pop. Bleach originally sold a mere 30,000 copies, ...
1989 Jun 20 Faith No More release The Real Thing
The Real Thing is the third studio album by the American rock band Faith No More. It was first released through Slash Records on June 20, 1989. It was the first release by the band not to...
1989 Aug 29 Red Hot Chili Peppers release Mother's Milk
Mother's Milk is the fourth studio album by American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on August 29, 1989 on EMI. After the death of guitarist Hillel Slovak and subseq...
1989 Sep 5 Soundgarden release Louder Than Love
Louder Than Love is the second studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on September 5, 1989 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its first full-length s...
1989 Nov Primus releases Suck on This
Suck on This is a live album by the band Primus, released in 1989. At the time of recording, the featured lineup of bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist Larry LaLonde and drummer Tim ...
1990 Jan 12 Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love Meet
Love met Kurt Cobain on January 12, 1990, in Portland's Satyricon nightclub before fame hit, when the two led underground rock bands. Love made advances but Cobain was evasive. Early in t...
1990 Feb Primus releases Frizzle Fry
Frizzle Fry is the first studio album recorded by the band Primus. Suck on This, a live album, preceded its release. Released in 1990 on Caroline Records, it features the band's first ...
1990 Mar 19 Andrew Wood dies of a drug overdose at 24
On March 16, 1990, Wood was found in a comatose state by his girlfriend, having overdosed on heroin. Wood was taken to a hospital and placed on life support. Despite being responsive, Woo...
1990 Mar 27 Social Distortion releases self-titled third album
Social Distortion is the third and self-titled album by the American punk rock band Social Distortion, released on March 27, 1990, through Epic Records. After touring in support of its pr...
1990 Jul 19 Mother Love Bone releases their only full-length studio album, Apple
Apple is the only full-length studio album by the American rock band Mother Love Bone. It was released on July 19, 1990 through Stardog/Mercury Records. In September 1989, the group re...
1990 Aug 20 Living Colour release Time's Up
Time's Up is the second album by Living Colour, released on August 20, 1990. It was the follow-up to the successful Vivid. The album features a wide range of genres and also includes came...
1990 Aug 21 Alice in Chains release Facelift
Facelift is the debut studio album by the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains. The album was released on August 21, 1990. The album has been certified double-platinum by the RIAA for shipme...
1991 Apr 16 Temple of the Dog releases their self-titled only album
Temple of the Dog is the only studio album by the American rock band Temple of the Dog, released on April 16, 1991 through A&M Records. The album is a tribute to Andrew Wood, the former l...
1991 Apr 30 Violent Femmes release Why Do Birds Sing?
Why Do Birds Sing? is the Violent Femmes' fifth studio albums, released on April 30, 1991. It featured the single "American Music," which received modest airplay on modern rock radio, and...
1991 May 14 Primus releases Sailing the Seas of Cheese
Sailing the Seas of Cheese is the second studio album and major-label debut by Primus, released on May 14, 1991. It spawned three singles: "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver", "Tommy the Cat", ...
1991 May 28 The Smashing Pumpkins release Gish
Gish is the debut album by American alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins. Released in 1991, frontman Billy Corgan described Gish as a "very spiritual album." Despite peaking at onl...
1991 Jul 16 Living Colour release Biscuits
Biscuits was an EP of live and unreleased cuts by Living Colour, released on July 16, 1991. The Sony Music Japan edition of this disc had nine extra tracks not available on the internatio...
1991 Aug 13 Mr. Bungle release their self-titled debut album
Mr. Bungle is the 1991 self-titled album by Mr. Bungle. The album contains many genre shifts which are typical of the band, and helped increase the band's popularity, gaining them a reaso...
1991 Aug 27 Pearl Jam releases their first album, Ten
Ten is the debut studio album by the American grunge band Pearl Jam, released on August 27, 1991 through Epic Records. Following the disbanding of bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone G...
1991 Sep 24 Nirvana Releases "Nevermind"
Nevermind is the second studio album by the American rock band Nirvana, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Butch Vig, Nevermind was the group's first release on DGC Records. Fron...
1991 Sep 24 Red Hot Chili Peppers release Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the fifth studio album by American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, released on September 24, 1991. Produced by Rick Rubin, it was the band's first re...
1991 Oct 8 Soundgarden release Badmotorfinger
Badmotorfinger is the third studio album by the American grunge band Soundgarden, released on October 8, 1991 through A&M Records. After touring in support of its previous album, Louder T...
1991 Nov 5 The Smashing Pumpkins release Lull
Lull is an EP released in 1991 by The Smashing Pumpkins. "Rhinoceros" was taken from Gish (but the feedback ending is cut here), "Blue" later appeared on Pisces Iscariot and a live ver...
1992 Feb 4 Alice in Chains release Sap
Sap is the second studio EP by the American grunge band Alice in Chains. It was released on February 4, 1992 through Columbia Records. Following the tour for Facelift, Alice in Chains ...
1992 Feb 11 Social Distortion releases Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell
Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell is the fourth studio album by the American punk rock band Social Distortion, released on February 11, 1992. It continues the melding of country and rocka...
1992 Feb 24 Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love get Married
Love and Cobain married on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on February 24, 1992. Love wore a satin and lace dress once owned by the actress Frances Farmer, and Cobain wore green pajama...
1992 Mar 12 Primus releases Miscellaneous Debris
Miscellaneous Debris is an EP of five cover songs by Primus, released on March 12, 1992. The entire EP features bassist Les Claypool with his then-new fretless six-string Carl Thompson ba...
1992 Jun 8 Faith No More release Angel Dust
Angel Dust is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Faith No More. It was first released through Slash Records on June 8, 1992 in Europe and the United States. It is the follo...
1992 Sep 22 Mother Love Bone releases a self-titled compilation album
Mother Love Bone (also known as Stardog Champion) is a compilation album by the American rock band Mother Love Bone. It was released on September 22, 1992 through Stardog/Mercury Records....
1992 Sep 29 Alice in Chains release Dirt
Dirt is the second studio album by the American grunge band Alice in Chains and was released on September 29, 1992, through Columbia Records. Peaking at number six on the Billboard 200, t...
1992 Sep 29 Stone Temple Pilots release their debut album, Core
Core is the debut album by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released on September 29, 1992 through Atlantic Records. The album, which peaked at #1 on the Billboard Heatseekers ...
1992 Dec 12 Nirvana Releases "Incesticide"
Incesticide is a compilation album by the American grunge band Nirvana. Incesticide consists of demos, outtakes, and radio broadcast recordings. At the time, all of the material on Incest...
1993 Mar 2 Living Colour release Stain
Stain is the third album by Living Colour. It was released on March 2, 1993, by Epic Records. It is the first album to feature bassist Doug Wimbish. Stain features a much heavier and aggr...
1993 Apr 20 Primus releases Pork Soda
Pork Soda is the third studio album by alternative rock band Primus, released April 20, 1993. Pork Soda was certified Gold in September 1993 and certified Platinum in May 1997.