10 Best Grunge Guitar Solos

From the minute Stone Temple Pilots burst onto the scene, they were never really all that accepted in the grunge community. Even though most of their material was alternative adjacent to the sounds of Seattle, albums like Core and Purple were still filled to the brim with rock tunes that would have fit comfortably among the Soundgarden records in any fans' collection. On the other hand, Purple is where we got to see STP take a quantum leap in terms of sound.

Whereas their debut reeked of grunge hooks, Vasoline was the one moment where the entire grunge movement got a little more swagger, with a riff that was equal parts glam rock and alternative rock at the same time. Although the riff itself isn't all that difficult, the solo is where we get to see the real personality of Dean DeLeo come through. After a borderline jazzy bridge, DeLeo's guitar goes off for the lead break, where he sprinkles in rapid fire licks in between the off-kilter beat behind him.

It's almost as if you're being transported into a rocker's version of a jazz tune, with DeLeo having the same type of precision in his playing, but with an almost punk level of intensity. Despite the more purist leanings of some of the alternative scene, Vasoline was when you knew that you would be hearing about these guys for a very long time.