Borne in the early 1990s of the sludge and grime that coats heavy metal and punk music, grunge embraces all the gritty goodness of 1970s guitar rock while also moving forward with the heady, political lyrical content that was popular in 1980s hardcore. The band Nirvana often comes to mind when defining this independent-minded, angst-ridden genre, but the bands on the BuzzCuts compilation that embody this sound are Hole, Stone Temple Pilots and Everclear -- though the featured Everclear track has more of a pop sound than most of its other work.
Rock music made after the mid-'90s with a heavier edge can almost entirely be referred to as post-grunge. BuzzCuts bands such as Creed, Our Lady Peace, Lit, 3 Doors Down and Hoobastank fit this bill, along with Three Days Grace and Switchfoot. Often inspired by the grunge sound and philosophy, the post-grunge genre features more of a commercial pop-rock feel and contains less angst than the genre that spawned it. This is an interesting subgenre of alternative music, because post-grunge bands can sound very different from each other.
Also considered rap-metal and sometimes even called nu metal, rap-rock is a meld of hip-hop and rap vocal styles with riff-driven hard rock or metal musical accompaniment. Occasionally embracing funk and folk as well, rap-rock is an accessible alternative subgenre that became a radio playlist staple with staying power. The bands that fall into the rap-rock category on the BuzzCuts compilation are 311, Crazy Town and Papa Roach.
Bands such as Blink-182, Simple Plan and Sum 41 are well-known examples of the pop-punk genre, which makes them obvious choices for the BuzzCuts compilation. Pop-punk goes for a more playful feel, with lyrics that are fun and quirky as opposed to the political, outspoken style of its 1970s predecessors. With speedy punk tempos and smooth, pop-influenced riffs, pop-punk became a fast favorite for skateboarder/slacker types in the mid-'90s.