Study the roots of grunge.
- Grunge was heavily influenced by Sonic Youth and the Pixies. Also, the Beatles and many other pop bands as well.[1][2]
- Grunge was also influenced by heavy metal of the early 70s, particularly Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin.
- Punk also played a role in the development of grunge.
Protest the mainstream by opting out.
This is a key tenet of grunge. While punk and heavy metal objected to pop culture by catering to the opposite in flashy ways (e.g. mohawks, lyrics about Satan), grungers objected by simply not participating. They didn't care to shock people, and they didn't go out of their way to "nonconform". They just poked fun at mainstream America, and didn't bend to its ideals. A true grunger doesn't care to draw attention to him or herself, and doesn't do things with the motivation of raising eyebrows.
Don't give a %*&^ about your appearance.
At all. Spend minimal time shopping and grooming. The customizing and tailoring that you see in DIY punk culture and the carefully chosen clothes you see in metalhead culture are nonexistent in grunge. Don't even go out of your way to wear flannel. Grungers wore it because it was readily available in the Pacific Northwest climate, and comfortable. So wear whatever is comfortable, and requires the least time and money to put on your body.
Stop caring about being admired.
In fact, loathe it. The people who made grunge famous actually detested fame, and didn't want the huge following that many musicians dreamt of. Recognize that fame and popularity are shallow forms of validation that have no value to you, and can be an obstacle to your pursuit of music (or whatever else you're passionate about).
Try to be good but don't flatter yourself in front of other people.
You (or anyone, Grunge or not) don't need to do it, and it only shows low self esteem and that you want to be admired.
Try to know as many grunge bands and grunge history as you can and want to.
If you just know Black Hole Sun and/or Kurt Cobain you're a poser.
Don't just listen to grunge music.
Admit what other kind of music you like. Labeling yourself will only make you a poser. Whatever you do listen to though, make sure the person has talent.
Don't be a "drama queen" or a "drama king".
It is okay to express how you feel, as long as it is real and you are being real with others. The frontmen/frontwomen from many of the grunge bands were able to express their feelings with raw reality and not with a synthetic, overly dramatized singing voice. They connected better with their audience by trusting them enough to be real with them, and not come off as an "unreachable" figure".
Listen to Grunge bands.
Listen to bands like Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, The Sons Of Elvis, Pearl Jam, Sonic Youth, Pixies, Green River, etc.
