The alt-rock and grunge music scene of the 1990s drew heavily from the rock music of the 1970s and 1980s, but it also owed a significant debt to the early shoegaze sound.

An offshoot of late ’70s/early ’80s new wave blended with emerging goth rock and emo-forbearers like Joy Division, shoegaze is a fusion that, when paired with straightforward rock ‘n’ roll, made for an exciting era of music in the ’90s.

Let’s take a stroll through some of the bands who made it all possible…

The Jesus and Mary Chain

Gun to my head… I have to pick a favorite shoegaze band… It’s The Jesus and Mary Chain, easy.

Their experiments with fuzz and distortion set a standard that is widely present in ’90s alt music, but also the way they balanced that with melodic sensibilities is of importance as well. For exa

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