grunge

[gruhnj] / grʌndʒ /

ADJECTIVE

dirt; rock music style of the early 1990s

Synonyms

STRONGEST

filth grease grime soil stain

STRONG

muck vileness

WEAK

punk schmutz

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It’s as if a bubbly Jonas Brothers single got infected by a toxic cloud of grunge.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Without even seeing a single garment, his style is clear: avant-garde, grunge and very rock ’n’ roll.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

And while it didn’t exactly fly off the shelves, its concurrence with the height of the Seattle grunge music scene made the disheveled aesthetic a street-style must-have.

From Salon • Mar. 27, 2026

To showcase the “music, dance styles and feeling of the 1990s,” the ISU pointed them to pop, techno, hip-hop and grunge rock.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026

I dress like I’m in a grunge band and wear distressed jeans and Nirvana or Pearl Jam band shirts, and I always rock a flannel.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith