10 Most Hated Grunge Albums Of All Time
5. Core - Stone Temple Pilots
There are always a handful of records that only click with the public in retrospect. Since it's impossible to call anything in popular music, there are always opinions that sound good in the moment and sound completely dumb a few years later, whether it's :Weezer's Pinkerton was horrible" or "Lou Reed and Metallica collaborating sounds like a good idea." On the other hand, Core by Stone Temple Pilots is probably one record that's the least deserving of the hate it got.
On the surface, there's a lot to admire about STP's debut, with Dean DeLeo's guitar tone meshing perfectly with the baritone growl of Scott Weiland. There were even some modest hits off of this record with cuts like Plush and Creep, and yet most of the grunge faithful were not having any of it. Why you might ask? Well, there was also a little band called Pearl Jam to worry about.
Coming out a mere months after PJ's debut release Ten, STP were quickly thrown under the bus by music critics and fans alike because of the similarities, with Eddie Vedder himself even taking a few cheap shots at them as the MTV-friendly version of grunge. While Core is not necessarily Stone Temple Pilots' best moment, this is one of the few hated grunge records that is worth revisiting all these years later.