From: San Diego, California

Active: 1992–present

I first heard them: when Live 105 and MTV started playing “Plush” on repeat mode

Sound: Few ’90s bands were trashed more than Stone Temple Pilots, who were dismissed as a second-rate Pearl Jam clone⁠—which always made me scratch my head, because STP didn’t sound like Pearl Jam.  They sounded like Alice in Chains.  In any case, while their first record did sound like a frat-friendly variety of grunge, with their second one, STP vaulted ahead of the bands they tended to be compared to, and on later albums they expanded their sound to explore a variety of rock genres.

Further listening: This band has had to reinvent itself a number of times what with multiple lead singers dying, but here are some highlights from their initial incarnation.

		“Dumb Love” (2001)
		“Glide” (1999)
		“Vasoline” (1994)
		“Plush” (1993)