Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur Jr. emerged from Amherst, Massachusetts in 1984, anchored by J Mascis' combination of massive guitar volume and surprisingly tuneful songwriting. Mascis developed a style that merged Neil Young's raw soloing with punk energy and a slacker vocal delivery that belied the technical proficiency underneath. His tone is built on Fender Jazzmasters run through multiple Big Muff fuzz pedals and cranked Marshall amplifiers, with a Crybaby wah adding vocal quality to his extended solos. The band's classic lineup of Mascis, Lou Barlow, and Murph produced influential records including You're Living All Over Me and Bug before internal tensions led to Barlow's departure. Their use of extreme volume and feedback in service of pop melody helped establish a template that much of 1990s alternative rock would follow. The original lineup reunited in 2005 and has continued releasing albums that maintain their established formula.