5 of the Darkest, Most Depressing Grunge Songs of All Time

Sometimes you don’t want to celebrate the sunshine, the balloons, or happier things in life. Sometimes you want to draw the shades, dim the lights, and let yourself feel the difficulty, the hardship, the depth of emotions. A good cry? Sure! A big ol’ moan into the ether? That’s your prerogative! Because sometimes you need to feel all the moods. Sometimes, you need the darkest, most depressing grunge songs of all time.

For a genre born in the dank and dreary Pacific Northwest, grunge music knew hardship. Perhaps no other style has lost so many heroes (from Kurt Cobain to Andrew Wood to Layne Staley to Chris Cornell). And perhaps no other style is as rooted in the depressive nature of things. It’s enough to make Albert Camus nod in solidarity.

“Fell on Black Days” by Soundgarden from Superunknown (1994)

If you’re looking for dark songs in grunge music, there are a lot to choose from. A plethora of options. But let’s just start here. The song is about depression, about finding yourself in a time of your life when all seems devastating and sad. The song was born of fear, said Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell. The fear of finding yourself in a dark place at a time when things are going well. And he expressed it expertly.

“Polly” by Nirvana from Nevermind (1991)

TW: Sexual Assault.

Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain was never one to shy away from difficult subject matter. And this song is example No. 1. Not a song you want to hear on repeat, this track deals with some very dark and depressive details about the abduction of a young girl. We won’t belabor the details here. But if any genre was able to tackle such news stories, grunge was equipped.

“Jeremy” by Pearl Jam from Ten (1992)

Another tough work of art ripped from the headlines, this song from Pearl Jam highlights the damaging effects of gun violence. Lead vocalist Eddie Vedder sings about a young boy who brought a gun to school and shot himself in front of his class. It’s so hard to hear that YouTube has put several roadblocks up when trying to share the song’s official music video. It’s not for the young or faint of heart.

“Down in a Hole” by Alice in Chains from Dirt (1993)

Like several other grunge bands, Alice in Chains featured an iconic lead singer whose life was cut short due to drugs and depression. Layne Staley might have been the best singer of the 1990s, let alone from the rock movement in Seattle, but he also knew the depths of sadness. And this song clearly shows that. Staley sings about being down in a hole and unsure if he can be saved. Why? Sometimes we just get in our own way.

“River Of Deceit” by Mad Season from Above (1995)

Speaking of Staley, the banshee singer shows up again in this supergroup. Featuring him, Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, and Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, Mad Season released one album. And the lead single from that LP is “River of Deceit,” which is all about Stayley not being honest about himself to himself. Rather, he’s chosen a life of drugs and drug addiction. Which is essentially just a slow form of suicide. Sad stuff, especially for someone so talented and impactful.