Chris Cornell in a white t-shirts playing guitarJen Maler/INFevents.com
By
Sarah Polonsky
Published 2 minutes ago
Senior Music Editor at Screen Rant, Sarah's love of sound and story drive the beat. A globetrotting brand whisperer and award-winning journalist, she’s built cross-cultural narratives around the world—but music has always been her true north. She launched DJ Mag North America, successfully introducing the iconic UK brand to the U.S. market. Previously, she carved a space for EDM inside the pages of VIBE, blending electronic and hip-hop culture long before it was trendy.
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If TikTok has taught us anything, it’s that no song is ever truly “done.”
A track can disappear for 25 years and still blow up overnight because someone paired it with a mood-board montage or a rainy skyline edit. And if any genre is primed for that kind of resurrection, it’s 90s grunge. The giants never left the rotation. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains still sit at the top of the algorithm.
But underneath them is a goldmine of songs that had their moment and then vanished. These tracks have the riffs, the angst and the emotional stickiness TikTok loves to drag back from the dead. They just need the right creator to put them in motion. We did it for you. Here are the 10 forgotten gems with the most comeback potential. You're welcome.
10 "Sappy" — Nirvana
Most of Gen Z has never heard “Sappy,” which is exactly why it’s perfect for rediscovery. First buried on the 1993 No Alternative compilation, it missed the radio era entirely. But the melody is classic Nirvana, classic Kurt: raw and resigned yet intimate enough to soundtrack breakup edits, contemplative late-night drives or nostalgic photodumps.
.It’s the kind of song that instantly feels iconic, even if you’re hearing it for the first time. And TikTok loves a “how have I never heard this before?” moment. “Sappy” could be massive with virtually no push.
9 "Hunger Strike" — Temple of the Dog
Chris Cornell and Eddie Vedder sharing vocals is emotional electricity. This track has the slow-burn weight TikTok’s dramatic, reflective edits thrive on. It’s cinematic without being sugary and soulful without being sentimental.
All it takes is one big creator dropping this over a moody montage, and suddenly half the app will be Googling “who sings this duet?”
8 "Nearly Lost You" — Screaming Trees
Mark Lanegan’s voice could sand down a mountain, and this is one of his most underrated performances. And not just because his wild, luscious locks could be a Pantene commercial, if the shampoo brand partnered with Stüssy to tap 90s grunge loyalists in a throwback maketing campaign.
“Nearly Lost You” lived a short life during the Singles soundtrack moment, but it’s been under the radar since. It has the perfect emotional push-pull for edits about almost-love, almost-lost. TikTok eats that up, watch this space,
7 "Outshined" — Soundgarden
Chris Cornell’s swaggering roar in this track is timeless. “Outshined” has the kind of riff that makes even a static image seem rife with cinematic nuance. The energy is confident meets cathartic—ideal for gym clips, bar hops or anything that needs a hit of adrenaline.
TikTok is always looking for songs that feel big in the chest. Soundgarden qualifies instantly.
6 "Doll Parts" — Hole
If there’s a grunge track built for a modern emotional renaissance, it’s this one. “Doll Parts” is Courtney Love at her most stripped and exposed, delivering a vocal that starts like baby cooing and ends like a soul screaming. It’s as messy as it is poetic in all the ways TikTok’s confessional corners latch onto instantly.
The lyrical rawness alone could spark a revival, but the song’s pacing seals it. The slow, skeletal verses give creators room to breathe, and when the chorus cracks open, it hits with the kind of force people love to anchor their most dramatic edits to. Hole already has a cult Gen Z following—this is the track that could ignite it fully.
5 "Change" — Blind Melon
Most people know Blind Melon chiefly for “No Rain,” but “Change” is the band at its most introspective. Shannon Hoon’s vocals crack in a way that gives the track a rawness modern listeners connect to immediately.
Acoustic and ever-so-slightly broken, it’s built for cozy fall aesthetics and emotional growth edits. Not to mention those long-captioned TikToks that feel like therapy sessions set to music. Calling all gurus, life coaches and other internet spirit guides, we got your "make-change" reel, literally.
4 "Seether" — Veruca Salt
A punchy, alt-grunge anthem that’s somehow been sitting dormant since seemingly forever. “Seether” is perfect for the Alt Girl, 90s Fit Check and “clean girl but with rage issues” aesthetic niches TikTok can’t quit.
It’s catchier than a flytrap and incredibly easy to loop: all traits behind some of the platform’s biggest viral resurrections.
3 "Hail Hail" — Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam’s catalog s so dominant that “Hail Hail” gets lost in the shadows of the band's own making. But it’s a frantic, emotionally wired track that feels tailor-made for skate edits, fast-cut montages and friendship clips of any theme.
For Gen Z, discovering a Pearl Jam song that isn’t on every nostalgia playlist is the gaming equivalent to finding a secret level. This one is primed for that level-up you crave.
2 "Grind" — Alice in Chains
Speaking of gaming, heavy and hypnotic, “Grind” represents Alice in Chains at their darkest. Layne Staley’s vocals hit with a haunting intensity that fits the platform’s darker aesthetic: gaming clips, stormy-night visuals, low-fi confessionals.
TikTok has been leaning moodier in 2025. This track fits that shift perfectly as it continues to evolve in 2026.
1 "Teen Age Riot" — Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth sits on the grunge-adjacent border, but “Teen Age Riot” deserves a place in this conversation. The slow-build intro gives creators space for cinematic pacing, while the explosion of guitars turns any clip into a main-character affair.
Skate edits, film-student montages, alt-fashion reels—this track could slide into any of them. Sonic Youth is long overdue for a TikTok revival, and this is the perfect gateway song.
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