When Grunge Became Classic Rock — and the Ticketmaster Verdict | The Sonic Road Podcast

Beau and returning guest Becky Franzel — Milwaukee author and lifelong rock fan — on two things that hit differently in 2026: the moment you realize that nineties grunge is now the classic rock of today's teenagers, and what the recent Ticketmaster monopoly verdict actually means for rock fans who have been priced out of live music. The grunge conversation is one every rock fan over 35 will recognize immediately. The teenager at the venue wearing a vintage Soundgarden shirt who wasn't born when Superunknown came out. The kid who discovered Nirvana the same way their parents discovered Led Zeppelin — through the cultural mythology of a band that no longer exists. Grunge isn't underground anymore. It's not even alternative. For a generation of younger rock fans, it's the foundational music — the thing that everything else gets measured against. That's the definition of classic rock whether we're ready for it or not. On the Ticketmaster side: on April 15, 2026, a federal jury