The fear of being labeled a sellout defined nineties alternative culture

Evidence

Most bands would have celebrated the moment. But Pearl Jam were rooted in a punk ethos that valued artistry and community over revenue and renown. Like many other musicians at the time, they feared being labeled sellouts—artists who watered down their creative vision for mainstream appeal. As critic Chuck Klosterman explained in The Nineties, “The concept of ‘selling out’—and the degree to which that notion altered the meaning and perception of almost everything—is the single most nineties aspect of the nineties.” — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 6

Most bands would have celebrated the moment. But Pearl Jam were rooted in a punk ethos that valued artistry and community over revenue and renown. Like many other musicians at the time, they feared being labeled sellouts—artists who watered down their creative vision for mainstream appeal. As critic Chuck Klosterman explained in The Nineties, “The concept of ‘selling out’—and the degree to which that notion altered the meaning and perception of almost everything—is the single most nineties aspect of the nineties.” Earlier in 1992, Kurt Cobain of Nirvana derided Pearl Jam as “corporate puppets…trying to jump on the alternative bandwagon,” and with every additional copy of Ten sold, the criticism stung harder. — W. David Marx, Blank Space, 6

Categorization

• DEFINE: Defines ‘sellout’ — artists who dilute creative vision for mainstream appeal — a core term in Marx’s account of nineties status dynamics.
• XREF: Quotes Klosterman, a key secondary source on what Marx calls the death of the sellout.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — W. David Marx, Blank Space: A Cultural History of the…, 6