Named for Eddie Vedder's great grandmother Pearl's famous homemade jam (which was said to be hallucinogenic), Pearl Jam set a foundation in music that would become known simply as Grunge.

That band took shape after Mother Love Bone lead singer Andrew Wood overdosed on heroin and guitarist Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament recruited Mike McCready (lead guitar), Dave Krusen (drums) and Eddie Vedder (vocals) to form Pearl Jam. Based in Seattle, Pearl Jam led the pack along with Nirvana and Soundgarden in the race to bring alternative music to the forefront of America's youth culture.

Releasing Ten in 1991, Pearl Jam combined '70s-stadium style rock with angry lyrics and heavy riffs. In no time, Ten shot up the charts and sold hundred of thousands of albums worldwide. Pearl Jam, however, was not one to sell out and consider themselves mainstream. With their hits "Alive," "Evenflow" and "Black," Vedder and the gang painted dark pictures of depression, suicide and a bleak world in general. They became the voice of a new, angry generation of teenagers known as Generation X.