3 ‘Unplugged’ Grunge Songs That Are So Good You’ll Want to Stop Showering

In the ’90s, two things were happening in the world of music that were so good they were bound to overlap: grunge music and MTV’s Unplugged series. Each was enjoyable, beloved, and appreciated. But when they were combined—when acoustic guitars met the gloomy sounds? Well, if the internet had been invented, it would have surely broken.

Here, we wanted to examine one of the best combos in history. Sure, peanut butter and chocolate get their due. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen were great. Cake and ice cream are wonderful. But grunge music and MTV’s Unplugged? Well, they were perhaps the best combination of the ’90s. Just check out these three performances.

“Down in a Hole” by Alice in Chains (1996)

While bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam are often thought of first when it comes to the grunge music movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band that perhaps personified the sound and mood the best was Alice in Chains.

Tortured and talented, the group was fronted by singers Layne Staley and Jerry Cantrell. And during their Unplugged performance, which was released in 1996, the two were at the top of their game (despite Staley, who struggled with drug addiction, looking like a ghost). The band’s performance of the song “Down in a Hole” is iconic. Staley is a banshee.

“Where Did You Sleep Last Night” by Nirvana (1994)

Nirvana’s Unplugged album is probably the most famous from the MTV series. Not only did it feature an iconic performance from the band (with lead vocalist Kurt Cobain dressed in a cozy sweater), but the album was released several months after Cobain died.

Recorded six months before his suicide and released six months afterwards, it’s an immaculate time capsule of the band, with performances of their songs and cover tracks that meant a great deal to them. At the top of the list is the concluding number, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night,” a brutal blues song by Lead Belly, a favorite songwriter of Nirvana’s frontman.

“Alive” by Pearl Jam (2019)

Recorded in 1992, this album was not released for nearly 30 years. It only hit shelves in 2019. But release dates aside, the performance captures the grunge band Pearl Jam just as it was at the top of the world.

The members look so young, their hair so long, and their acoustic guitars so big in their laps. Lead vocalist Eddie Vedder is passionate and poignant, and the band’s offering of their hit “Alive” shows just how moving they could be. To be an audience member during this show must have been transcendent.