Three 1990s rock songs are highlighted for their unsettling emotional impact, drawing on themes of loss, tragedy and isolation.

– Nirvana, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night”: Kurt Cobain’s performance during the band’s 1993 MTV Unplugged session is presented as especially haunting; the song is a traditional American folk song often associated with Lead Belly.
– Radiohead, “Exit Music (For A Film)”: Originally created for Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet but omitted from its soundtrack, the song was later included on Radiohead’s 1997 album OK Computer.
– Pearl Jam, “Jeremy”: Eddie Vedder wrote the song in response to the 1991 suicide of a Texas teenager in front of his classmates, also drawing on memories of another troubled student he knew.