10 Best Grunge Guitar Solos

Neil Young has gotten the unofficial reputation as the Godfather of Grunge. Regardless of his start as the folksy troubadour in the '70s, his hard rock side as well as his close relationship with bands like Pearl Jam made him fit like a glove in between acts like Soundgarden and Mudhoney. Though you can't find too much grunge in Neil's folk records, Rockin in the Free World feels like the unofficial mission statement for the entire grunge movement.

Whereas most people cite Smells Like Teen Spirit as the song that made grunge what it is (and rightfully so), this is the song from the perspective of a man who's been through the hustle of the rock genre more than a few times. Going against the grain of what's expected from an aging rock star, Rockin in the Free World's guitar solo is filled with the same impassioned fury of all good grunge songs, with sporadic riffing that is equal parts punk as it is melodic.

Much like Young himself, this guitar almost sounds like it has nowhere to run, as it uses the few notes it's able to muster like switchblades to counter any inauthentic schlock that comes its way. While Young might not have been there at the inception of grunge, this song sure as hell made him the movement's patron saint.