“Don’t be bitter and mean because you don’t fit in, it’s a gift. Look at you. You’ve got your individuality, you don’t have the herd instinct, you can read Nietzsche and understand it. Only dumb people are happy.”
― Courtney Love
In true rebel fashion, the grunge aesthetic is deeply rooted in counterculture and anti-consumerism. However, its depiction has changed quite drastically since the 90s. Nowadays, it can be perceived as having to do with glitches, cigarettes, and neon light imagery. But whether you’re a purist or a new-school enthusiast, we’ll be breaking down grunge room decor in all its forms.
Born in Seattle, Washington, the grunge aesthetic and music genre marked the 90s. Initially, it was a youth movement like so many countercultural ones before it. Bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana contributed to its propagation. And their gloomy disposition, lyricism, and fashion helped define what we now know as ‘grunge’.
Grunge has now become a grimy aesthetic. Its main themes include a feeling of hopelessness and a disdain for society as we know it. This cynicism bleeds through in grunge’s modern imagery just as much as it did in its beginnings.
When it comes to grunge room decor, we can make a distinction between the original and the modern interpretation of the aesthetic. The main difference being that the first was heavily influenced by punk rock, hence featuring more vibrant colors like red, green, or blue. The latter, however, is more muted in its color palette, featuring mostly neutral and earthy tones.
But any grunge aesthetic bedroom will surely feature its fair share of plaid, distressed clothing, and odes to death. The most spiritual may take an interest in astrology or tarot, so these types of objects aren’t unusual. One thing you can definitely count on is rock and punk band posters or keepsakes.
Aside from these posters, grunge fanatics may also hang up tapestries, vinyl records, overexposed polaroid pictures, and bright fairy lights. Other motifs commonly associated with a grunge room aesthetic include skulls, crosses, graffiti, tattoos, and mixtape cassettes.
