Hahaha... guess our age gap is not that big after all.
Some of the bands you were starting to listen to, became the "main stream" of the 90s in rock-n-roll context. Grunge was really in during that era. Bands like Pearl Jam, Mudhoney, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden and especially Nirvana are famous and popular. They all started really early and had been around for as long as 10 years before fame found them. For Nirvana, it's a different story. I'm sure you have read abt it somewhere.
I came to listen to different music genres since I was 12. I first started listening to pop/rap music like Top 40 Billboard with bands/groups like U2, A-ha, Bros, Erasure, Depeche Mode, Wet Wet Wet, Roxette, Level 42, Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, INXS, Nick Kershaw, Banarama, New Order, Tears for Fear, Pet Shop Boys, etc. Hahaha... when this genre made a come-back in the late 90s, the industry called it Retrospective and Zouk has their Mambo Jumbo every Wednesday as homage. Still going strong I think.
During my teenage years in the late 80s, Metal Mania was high. I started to listen to Guns N Roses, Poison, Skid Row, Motley Crue, Metallica, Kreator, Warrant, Ugly Kid Joe, Whitesnake, Judas Priest, Testament, Mr Big, Firehouse and many more. Even listiening to Death/Thrash Metal like Gorguts, Morbid Angel, Cannibal Corpse, Sadus. Pretty evil eh? :devil:
After my NS, I started to listen to Alternative/Indie Rock, Punk Rock and some local rock bands as well. I even got involved in the local music scene too. It was fun and exciting. Formed a Alt. Grunge band in 1999 and disbanded a year later. Formed another soon and that was where I listened more to experimental stuff.