Certainly the most famous, popular and enduring grunge act is Nirvana, which was founded in 1987. Their three albums, particularly 1991's "Nevermind," are considered among the finest the genre has to offer. Their first and biggest hit was "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which made it as high as #6 on Billboard's Top 100 in 1992. Nirvana is especially remembered for the suicide of their enigmatic lead singer, Kurt Cobain. After their breakup in 1994, drummer Dave Grohl founded the Foo Fighters and bassist Krist Novoselic went on to a career in politics.
Pearl Jam is perhaps the most successful grunge band ever, but this is somewhat due to the fact that they did not break up after the genre withered away. Known for Eddie Vedder's widely imitated baritone vocal style, this band has released nine studio albums that have sold over 60 million copies worldwide. Pearl Jam is best known for the songs "Alive" and "Jeremy." The latter song's notoriety is especially due to a controversial music video involving the suicide of the titular character. Notably, Pearl Jam has protested the business practices of Ticketmaster, avoiding Ticketmaster venues and encouraging fans to find alternate means to see them live.
Soundgarden was one of the very first grunge bands, and they are considered to be very influential to the style that's typically associated with the sub-genre. Headed by Chris Cornell, who would later form the supergroup "Audioslave" and perform the title track to 2006's "Casino Royale," Soundgarden was considered one of the more technically experimental grunge bands. Their best-known song is the haunting "Black Hole Sun" from 1994. Soundgarden broke up in 1997 and reunited in 2010 for revival tours.
Founded in 1987, Alice In Chains is a band that has always protested the grunge label, preferring to call themselves a heavy-metal band. However, their early releases in the late 1980s and early 1990s undoubtedly helped define the grunge style, even if the band itself represents an outlier. Alice In Chains is best known for the songs "Man in the Box" and "Would?" from the soundtrack to the movie "Singles." While it never officially disbanded, Alice in Chains was plagued by inactivity due to lead singer Layne Staley's bouts with substance abuse. Staley died in 2002.