Well, to answer the very question in this post, let's start with the blatantly obvious: what is grunge?
Grunge, in super-nerdy Wikipedia-speak, is a form of alternative rock popular in the early 90's. Its music is described as a fusion between teenage angst so common of Generation X, the intensity of hardcore punk rock, and the slow, meandering tempo of heavy metal, to the point that is sounds kinda "grungy", which, in itself, is American slang for "dirty".
Of course, when we talk grunge, it's hard, and often impossible, to not mention Nirvana, which, IMO, is one of the greatest rock bands of all time. If people say that Nirvana is overrated, that's because they base their judgment on their most popular song, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", which is often touted as the anthem of Generation X.
Of course, there are other grunge bands as well, like Pearl Jam, with their best song (IMO) "Jeremy", Alice in Chains ("Them Bones"), Stone Temple Pilots ("Sex Type Thing"), and Soundgarden ("Black Hole Sun"). But to me, nothing compares to Nirvana, particularly because of its well-known frontman, Kurt Cobain. His was a life that burnt fiercely, but briefly. He was known for his lyrics, which, to my point of view, were obviously written from the heart and are very insightful, not some commercialized bullshit like the ones from the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, and any other Disneycore bands out there. Thing is, nobody knows why Kurt decided to squeeze the trigger into his head. Hatred of commercialism? Heroin addiction? Or murder?
Now, why do I like grunge? Well, after being annoyed by the idiot masa because they totally fucked up emo, what with their poorly executed bangs, overdevotion to My Chemical Romance (there are other bands, people), and overused emo layouts on Friendster, I decided to turn back time and do 90's grunge, to set myself apart from the crowd (although I still listen to emo, these days I just redefine them as "post-hardcore").
Another reason is that, to describe myself as a person, I have the ghost of a Generation X-er trapped in the shell of a Generation Y-er. In simple, "I'm not on weed" talk, I feel that I'm more connected to Generation X than Generation Y because I experience an unimaginable level of angst connected with a troublesome past I experienced back at high school, I vehemently decry the level of commercialism I see in pretty much every branch of the arts, and I often have a problem with authority, be it my parents, or my professors, or even my superiors at work, which accounts for my rebellious attitude. Now that's why I like grunge.
Sure, grunge may be dead today, or maligned by it's radio-friendlier version, post-grunge (aka the likes of Daughtry, Nickelback, etc.), but to me, and hopefully a few people worldwide, it's still alive in my fragmented, tortured, and angst-ridden heart.
And I won't change until something else makes me get out of my angsty stupor.
On an unrelated note, the letter X, to me, also defines that I live a straight-edge lifestyle, i.e. you'll never see me smoke a cigarette in the lung center at work, you'll never smell alcohol from my breath, and if I ever die, it won't be from a heroin overdose or cannabis poisoning (I often joke that I already have a factory of weed in my head).
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