Grunge (sometimes referred to as the
Seattle sound) is a subgenre of
alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of
Washington, particularly in
Seattle. The early grunge movement revolved around Seattle's
independent record label Sub Pop, but by the early 1990s its popularity had spread, with grunge acts in California and other parts of the U.S. building strong followings and signing major record deals.