Formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington, Pearl Jam is arguably one of the biggest and most influential grunge bands in the world, alongside artists like Nirvana and Alice in Chains. Although they’ve been a band for over 30 years, they remain relevant even today by releasing new music and touring around the world. Known for frontman Eddie Vedder’s signature baritone vocals, Pearl Jam is easily recognizable by even casual rock fans. Below are the songs we found most notable, and if you want to see Pearl Jam on tour in 2022, grab your tickets here.
Alive was the band’s debut single, released in 1991. They came out of the gate with arguably their most iconic song. With one of the most catchy, sing-a-long choruses in their discography, it’s not a surprise that “Alive” is Pearl Jam’s highest-streamed song. After the band plays through three full choruses, a blistering guitar solo caps off the track.
Following up on “Alive,” the second single they released was “Even Flow” — the band’s second most-streamed song. “Even Flow” opens up with a heavy guitar riff which leads into a verse where Vedder shows off his vocal talent, changing up his vocal pace throughout, before leading into another catchy chorus.
Off the same album as the previous two, “Black” is one of the softer songs on Ten. While it’s an emotional song filled with soft guitars, Vedder shows off his vocal capability, mixing in falsettos throughout the song. “Black” perfectly encapsulates the versatility Pearl Jam has in their songwriting.
“Jeremy” blew up in part due to the music video, which was fairly controversial at the time (you can find it on YouTube). Despite that, it received a lot of airtime on MTV. This song contains the usual expected Pearl Jam formula for songwriting and includes deeply personal and emotional lyrics.
Originally released by Wayne Cochran in 1961, Pearl Jam covered this song and really made it their own. The song was played heavily on radio stations around the U.S. and ended up being one of the most popular songs the band released.