Readers' Poll: The Best Grunge Albums of All Time

Soundgarden had been around for seven years when Badmotorfinger hit stores in October of 1991, but few outside of Seattle knew much about them. Yet many in the industry knew this was their moment to break through. Widely respected for Chris Cornell's incredible singing voice and their explosive live show, the band was ready to hit the big time along with their fellow Seattle acts. Batmotorfinger was just the album to do it. Songs like "Rusty Cage" were more commercial than their previous work, and an upcoming tour with Guns N' Roses  was going to expose them to a huge national audience. The album barely cracked the Top 40, but it set them up nicely for their follow-up effort.