Soft grunge (music)

Soft grunge (or emo grunge) is a rock music subgenre that combines emo with 1990s alternative rock styles, particularly grunge, noise rock and alternative metal. Deriving its name from its popularity on Tumblr's soft grunge communities, the genre emerged as a part of the fourth-wave of emo, pioneered by Philadelphia bands Balance and Composure, Title Fight and Superheaven. Around 2012, soft grunge spread internationally, with Basement, Citizen and Turnover becoming forefront bands. Many of these early groups were signed to Run for Cover Records, leading to the genre's early name, the Run for Cover sound. Around 2016, many prominent soft grunge bands disbanded or pursued different sounds. In response, a second-wave of groups emerged, in America with Microwave, Movements and Fiddlehead, France with Paerish and Britain with Milk Teeth, Muskets and Bloody Knees. Soft grunge was closely related to the hardcore scene's 2010s shoegaze revival, with both styles performing alongside one another, being signed to the same labels, sharing some musical characteristics and sometimes being conflated by fans and critics. During 2013, soft grunge developed the shoegaze-influenced subgenre grungegaze, which was pioneered by Cloakroom, Narrow Head and Nevermind Me. This became the dominant sound of the third-wave of soft grunge, beginning during the 2020s, including Narrow Head, Modern Color and Glare. Soft grunge and grungegaze were widely influential upon shoegaze in the 2020s, helping to develop the genres nu-gaze and zoomergaze.