Grunge

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ɡɹʌnd͡ʒ/

Definitions

1. A music genre and cultural movement that blends punk rock elements with an emphasis on raw, unrefined artistic expression and a distinctive fashion style
2. A subcultural phenomenon that highlights alternative rock music along with a unique, often disheveled aesthetic prevalent in fashion and art forms
3. A genre of rock music known for heavy distortion and themes of emotional struggle ; a fashion or aesthetic preference featuring disheveled, dirty, or rugged looks

Etymology: Grunge began life as an adjective. "Grungy," meaning dirty, shabby or squalid, came first, and "grunge" was later backformed from it, that is, created by stripping the "-y" ending off the existing word and treating the remainder as a new noun. The noun then took on the sense of the music now known by that name, rock with punk roots that flourished in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The adjective is the older and more transparent of the two, so the noun's story is really one of a dirty-looking adjective being turned into a label for a sound and a scene. Once it had a noun form, it could name a genre the way "punk" or "metal" does, even though the music was named after a quality of grime rather than after any instrument or place.

Synonyms: grittiness, dirtiness, messiness

Antonyms: cleanliness, neatness