Grunge was nothing more than a corporate music and fashion industry term used to create another subculture ripe for marketing purposes. It wasn't until Nirvana hit big time that the term got picked up by commercial entities and was thrown at bands outside of Seattle like Stone Temple Pilots and Smashing Pumpkins to cash in on their alt-rock sound, and it just expanded from there into fashion, cultural attitude, and language. There was nothing Metal about what they called grunge. It was directed exactly the opposite way of Metal. If anything, "Hair Metal' breathed new life into metal. Disco and new wave were massive at the time(early 80s) and then a lot of glam metal bands started breaking out into the mainstream and reintroducing metal to a whole new generation. "Hair" metal also gave us bands like Alice in Chains and Pantera. If it wasn't for "hair" metal band W.A.S.P. influence, you wouldn't have black metal as we know it today. A lot of people got into metal via the power ballads of the glam/hair metal bands. "Hair" metal is one of, if not the, most glorious periods of metal both musically and visually. The makeup and feminine clothes were cool at the time because they were shocking; they are still cool today if you look at them from that point of view. The songs were great - party anthems and heartbreaking love ballads. It was great, and the only time Metal was truly mainstream. Judas Priest also has an over the top look and I don't see metalheads whining about that. Thrash Metal bands have their denim jackets full of patches. Black Metal bands have their war paint. I find it stupid to pick on glam metal bands just because they went for the make up and colorful clothes. "Hair" metal actually got lots of people interested in Metal back in the day. "Hair" metal was a party and everyone was invited. Songs were shallow, never getting deeper than basic juvenile emotions other than wanting fun, living in the present, falling in love or the pain of being alone. The guitars were beautiful and designed to allow you to play the majestic notes in your head, and the big players of the day were all heroes. If those bands never put on makeup or spandex where would metal be? I think that is the bigger question. Not if it ruined it but if it would have survived at all. And if so where would it be without the decadent era. Glam is just an offshoot of punk I think. Same attitude different uniform.
