It seems like when Kurt died.. Rock died.. I mean, can you think about any other huge "rockstar" after him? People kind of left grunge and I think this is a cause of why all the shitty music is popular today.. It makes me wonder if rock will ever be popular again.. (Don't think so) If he wouldn't of died, do you think pop music would be different? Feel free to discuss anything about Nirvana, Grunge, Kurt, or his band members..
That kind of rock lives on in post hardcore to me. Most people dislike this but bands like pierce the Vail, bring me the horizon, even falling in reverse carry the same feel to me, just more upbeat. Rock didn't die with Cobain, the grunge subgenre died. Tool is dope. Indie is awesome. Bands like the black keys, artic Monkeys, and the strokes do work. We have a7x, disturbed, bullet for my Valentine, rise against. Now that I think about it rock just stopped being pop once Cobain died and hip-hop and alternative took over and still are kinda in charge but electro is infecting everything lol. Rock is just more underground but I think soon a huge band that actually rocks is gonna spring up. Sorry I kinda went off on a tangent lol.
I agree with OP. It wasn't just the subgenre that died with Cobain it was the energy. The belief that change was possible through music. By the mid-nineties, Hip Hop and Rock were both practically sterilized for blind consumption.
What kind of change are we talking about here? I personally see new music cause a change in people in everything from workout motivation to raising political awareness. I agree that the mainstream/pop music is dumbed down but we have a much much much larger pool of music to swim through than in the 90s.