The late teens and early twenties are a pivotal time in the life of any music lover. Perspectives shift, tastes mature, and we're especially receptive to new sounds and ideas. I imagine most people look back on this era as the pinnacle of great music. I feel the same — but having followed music closely my entire life, it's hard not to see the early '90s as uniquely transformative, especially for rock.
The big-hair, glam-rock excess of the '80s was fading, making way for the mainstreaming of alternative music. Even within the alt scene, things were evolving — synth-heavy new wave was giving way to grunge and post-punk. Classic rock had taken its last breath, and we embraced the shift, believing (naively, in hindsight) that it mirrored a permanent re-liberalization of the country.
Maybe I'm biased in my glorification of this era, but I'm forever grateful to have entered college during such a profoundly meaningful time for music.