Grunge One-Hit Wonders From the 1990s That Should Have Been Bigger

By the time grunge was in full swing in the 1990s, there were plenty of bands that only had one substantial hit before alternative rock started moving in a different direction. The greats like Nirvana and Alice In Chains had (somewhat) long and successful careers, but we can’t help but wonder why the following four bands didn’t get bigger than they did. Let’s take a look at four grunge one-hit wonders that deserved more fame!

1. “Stars” by Hum

This killer post-hardcore grunge track comes from Hum’s 1995 record You’d Prefer An Astronaut. It did pretty well on the charts, peaking at no. 11 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks that very year.  “Stars”, though, was the band’s only high-charting single. “Comin’ Home” did moderately well in 1998, but nothing the band put out was quite as big as “Stars”.

2. “Sister” by The Nixons

This alt-rock post-grunge outfit broke up in 2000 and got back together in 2017, and they’re still rockin’ today. The band’s biggest claim to fame was the hit single “Sister” from their 1995 album Foma. “Wire” also charted decently, but “Sister” was the only one of their tracks to hit the Hot 100 chart, where it peaked at no. 48.

3. “Not An Addict” by K’s Choice

Some would call them grunge one-hit wonders, others would say they were simply a classic Belgian rock band. Either way, “Not An Addict” from 1996 had a very grunge sound, and it also happened to be the biggest hit K’s Choice put out during their heyday. “Everything For Free” hit no. 28 on the US Modern Rock chart in 1998, but “Not An Addict” did particularly well at no. 5. The band is still together today.

4. “Plowed” by Sponge

This 1994 single from Rotting Piñata definitely deserved the attention it got. However, few grunge bands are as sorely underrated as Sponge. “Plowed” peaked at no. 5 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and no. 41 on the Hot 100 chart. The band had a couple of other successful songs, namely “Molly (16 Candles Down the Drain)” and “Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)”. However, “Plowed” was Sponge’s only Top 50 hit on the US Hot 100 chart. Thankfully, these underrated icons are still going strong in the 2020s.

Photo by Bob Berg/Getty Images

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