When I first heard Nirvana's "Smells like teen spirit" back in 1991 I was like "Goddamn, this is bad-ass shit!!" and I got "Nevermind", "Bleach" and "Incesticide" on original casette, "In utero" taped over and "Unplugged" on cd. I also got Pearl Jam's "Verses" on orig. tape, but they all just take up room in my closet, as they never get played anymore. It's not that I think it's crap now, it just doesn't interest me anymore. If I should put any of it on, it would be the Pearl Jam tape or Nirvana's "Lounge act" off of "Nevermind". Although I don't listen to the record anymore, I still think it's a decent song!
Soundgarden is different. I have "Ultramega OK", "Badmotorfinger" & "Superunknown" and I still like them. I don't listen to "Ultra..." anymore, but the two others still get played, especially the best songs off of "Super...". As a whole grunge is something I listened to in the early 90's, but when the scene kind of died, so did my interest for it. Maybe my interest in the scene was kind of superficial, as I might not would have listened to it, had it not been for MTV and stuff, although I recall seeing "Outshined" by Soundgarden on MTV back in '91 or something (I think before I heard Nirvana) and liking it! A song like Soundgarden's "4th of July" is one of most dirty, but at the same time most beautiful things I've heard in rock/metal! Chris Cornell's voice is also really good on that song!
I borrowed Alice In Chains' "Dirt", but never really got that much into it, although I liked it. I still think "Would" is a good song, but it's questionable if I would listen to the record if I went out and bought it now.
It's of course a matter of taste, but Soundgarden had something that made me wanna listen to them for a long period of time. Nirvana & Pearl Jam I liked for a while, but then lost interest in them!