When you’ve associated a certain artist with their respective bands for so long, it’s hard to imagine them in any other group. Most of the time, musicians play with multiple bands before landing in a successful group. In the 90s, alternative music rose to the top, completely contrasting what it took to make it big in the 80s. Therefore, many 90s alternative bands had stints in bands that were entirely different from the ones we know them for. Here are three examples of this.

Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo Was in a Metal Band

Long before we knew Rivers Cuomo as the nerdy, glasses-wearing frontman of Weezer, he was in a metal band. That may be hard to picture, but fans familiar with his guitar shredding skills will find this to be no surprise. Normally, Rivers’ guitar work for Weezer is straightforward and not very flashy. He went all out on their 2002 album Maladroit, showcasing his true guitar skills.

Before forming Weezer, Cuomo played in a hair metal band called Avant Garde. They later changed their name to Zoom. He also performed in a Kiss cover band called Fury and a short-lived funk metal project called Sixty Wrong Sausages in 1991. Those interested in what the Weezer frontman looked like in this era can refer to the album cover of Alone II: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo, released in 2008.

Layne Staley Was in a Glam Metal Band

Before Layne Staley became the iconic frontman of one of the “Big Four” grunge bands of the 90s, he was a glam metal singer. He was in a band called Sleze from 1984 until 1986. The band played local high school shows and covered popular heavy metal tracks. In 1986, he formed a new group called Diamond Lie with future members of Alice In Chains. This lineup included guitarist Jerry Cantrell, bassist Mike Starr, and drummer Sean Kinney. One of Staley’s previous groups was called Alice ‘N Chains, and the band soon adopted the name instead of Diamond Lie. Alice ‘N Chains was primarily a speed metal group before the band focused on the emerging grunge sound.

Mike McCready Was In a Hard Rock Band

This one isn’t too different from what he ended up doing anyway. But still, picturing the iconic Pearl Jam guitarist in any other band just seems weird. That’s not including Temple Of The Dog, which was practically Pearl Jam before the band launched. In 1982, the band Shadow formed with McCready on rhythm and sometimes lead guitar. The group was primarily influenced by hard rock bands such as KISS, Van Halen, and the new wave of British heavy metal bands such as Def Leppard and Judas Priest.

The band moved from Seattle to Los Angeles in an attempt to secure a record deal. They never signed a major deal as they had hoped. The band felt burned out and went their separate ways in 1988, with McCready going back to Seattle in 1988. In 2013, Shadow reunited for a special live performance and vinyl release.

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Before alternative music invaded the mainstream in the 1990s, it dominated college radio. Indie bands emerged in the 1980s, appearing on college rock radio shows. As alternative remained in the underground, these bands inspired some of the biggest names in 90s alternative rock, such as Nirvana, Weezer, Green Day, and more. Here are three college rock bands from the 1980s that basically invented the holy grail of 90s bands.

Hüsker Dü

Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Husker Du formed in 1979. Aside from their mark on the Twin Cities underground scene, the band influenced 90s artists such as Nirvana, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Uncle Tupelo, and many others. Specifically, their sophomore album, Zen’s Arcade, blended elements of hardcore punk and indie rock. This became highly influential and crucial to the 90s alternative rock sound. Sadly, Hüsker Dü broke up in 1988, just before alternative rock broke into the mainstream. Still, their massive influence on the decade was duly noted throughout the 90s.

Violent Femmes

Violent Femmes are among the pioneers of folk punk, fusing together traditional folk with punk rock of the late 70s. The group formed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1981. Their self-titled debut album became a college rock radio hit in 1983, generating the band’s signature hit “Blister In The Sun.” Notably, the song was quite different compared to other emerging indie rock bands of the decade. It became the template for Nirvana’s acoustic side of Kurt Cobain’s songwriting. As Nirvana’s Nevermind was rising to the top of the Billboard 200 in January 1992, the band was opening for Violent Femmes on tour.

R.E.M.

Almost no other band dominated college rock radio quite like R.E.M. They were the epitome of college rock radio throughout the decade. The band famously targeted college rock radio stations, offering exclusive interviews and hand-delivering their albums. This led to their early breakout single “Radio Free Europe” becoming a staple on college radio. In the late 80s, the band started to break into the mainstream after their hit “The Only I Love” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

When alternative music broke into the mainstream in late 1991, R.E.M. became closely associated with this movement. Due to this, their 1991 album Out Of Time became their best-selling release. Additionally, lead singer Michael Stipe’s close friendship with Kurt Cobain was publicly noted during this time as well. The two became so close that Stipe was named the godfather of Cobain’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain.

Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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