Grunge was important because it acted as a counter to the decadence and excess of the 80s, much like how punk did with mainstream music in the 70s. Punk was little more than adolescent reaction however, young people thumbing their noses at their parents. Alternative music was more relevant, though, given that it was the closest popular culture came to having a sense of self-awareness, to developing a mature sense of consciousness. It grew out of the activism of the previous decade and did a lot to inform about the injustices in the world. We'd be a lot better off today as a society if it had kept up that momentum.