10 Best Grunge Guitar Solos

There's been a bit of a debate as to whether or not Smashing Pumpkins really belong in the conversation of grunge or not. Even though they were never really from Seattle, their sound always had that thick emphasis on rhythm and honesty that grunge has always thrived on. However, in the midst of everything getting stripped back to basics, Billy Corgan had the gall to swing for the fences with Cherub Rock...and actually make it sound pretty damn good.

Whereas the meat of this song is still firmly in that distorted grunge-y sound, the solo bits almost feel like they're ripped out of a whole different track. Letting his chops shine a little more, Corgan bounces around the chord changes with ease, sprinkling in just the right amount of spice needed to keep your attention in between the barrage of noise you're getting from James Iha and D'arcy Wretsky.

Given that Corgan also was keeping a mammoth knowledge of technical skills behind him, it's nice to at least see him trying to subtly put some of his trademark flash into your typical alternative rock song. In fact, Cherub Rock might be the best way to describe this solo as well. It may be young and naive at this point, but there's a musical monster hidden underneath the surface ready to devour anything in its path.