In 1991, I was 14 and—if we accept popular lore—so was punk. Like any self-respecting 14-year-old, I reacted to intrusions with a slammed door and exasperated cries of, “You just don’t get it!” Laugh at me if you’d like, but in my defense, a good chunk of American punk did the same thing.
While at least one famous documentary film in 1991 ( The Year Punk Broke) tracked a left-of-center crossover into the mainstream through Sonic Youth and Nirvana, this watershed year also saw a trend moving in the opposite direction — a move with consequences that by the end of the decade would shake up the face of music, marketing, activism, and fashion.