50 free Soundgarden trivia questions with answers — music quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Soundgarden were the first grunge band on Sub Pop and the first on a major label, years before Nevermind made Seattle a brand. They named themselves after a wind-powered sculpture by a NOAA building, wrote hits in 15/8 and 7/8 by accident, and sold 30 million records on Chris Cornell's voice and Kim Thayil's detuned riffs before breaking up in 1997, reuniting in 2010, and losing Cornell in 2017. These 50 questions trace the whole arc: the Deep Six compilation, Jonathan Poneman's $20,000 that turned Sub Pop into a real label, the SST debut Cornell called a mistake, Jason Everman's short stay, the MTV ban on Jesus Christ Pose, opening for Guns N' Roses, Superunknown debuting at number one, the two 1995 Grammys, the Honolulu bass-throwing finale, Audioslave, Matt Cameron's years in Pearl Jam, the Guitar Hero comeback, King Animal, the Avengers song, the Nudedragons benefit and the 2025 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction with Hiro Yamamoto back on bass. Easy questions stick to the line-up and the big singles; the hard tier asks about time signatures, producers and Road Rash. Every answer is cited to a page we checked and comes with a one-line explanation. Play it solo or print it for a grunge night alongside our Nirvana and Pearl Jam quizzes.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which city was Soundgarden formed in 1984?
Seattle
They were contemporaries of Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam and Nirvana in the Pacific Northwest scene.
Q 02Who was Soundgarden's lead singer?
Chris Cornell
He also played drums in the earliest line-up before Scott Sundquist was brought in.
Q 03Who played lead guitar in Soundgarden?
Kim Thayil
Guitar World called him the Tony Iommi of the Seattle scene.
Q 04Which instrument did the singer play while singing in the band's first year?
Drums
Scott Sundquist took over in 1985 so he could focus on vocals.
Q 05Who was Soundgarden's drummer from 1986 onward?
Matt Cameron
He came from Skin Yard and later spent decades in Pearl Jam.
Q 06Who was the band's original bassist?
Hiro Yamamoto
He left in 1989 to return to college and rejoined the survivors for the 2025 Hall of Fame set.
Q 07Which former Nirvana member briefly played bass for Soundgarden in 1989–90?
Jason Everman
He was fired in mid-1990; Thayil said he 'just didn't work out'.
Q 08Who became Soundgarden's bassist in 1990 for the classic line-up?
Ben Shepherd
Cornell said he brought a fresh and creative approach to Badmotorfinger.
Q 09The band took its name from what?
A pipe sculpture
A Sound Garden stands on NOAA property next to Magnuson Park and channels the wind.
Q 10Which 1986 compilation carried Soundgarden's first recordings?
Deep Six
The C/Z Records album also featured Green River, the Melvins and Malfunkshun.
Q 11Which hometown label were Soundgarden the first grunge band to sign with?
Sub Pop
DJ Jonathan Poneman put in $20,000 to fund them, turning the label into a real company.
Q 12What was Soundgarden's first single, released in 1987?
Hunted Down
Its B-side, Nothing to Say, went on a KCMU tape called Bands That Will Make Money.
Q 13Who managed Soundgarden from 1986 and later married Cornell?
Susan Silver
She was Cornell's girlfriend at the time.
Q 14Which independent label released the debut album Ultramega OK in 1988?
Q 21In which 1992 film did Soundgarden perform Birth Ritual?
Singles
A Cornell solo song, Seasons, is also on the soundtrack.
Q 22Which album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in March 1994?
Superunknown
It has gone six times platinum in the US and remains their biggest seller.
Q 23Which single won the 1995 Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance?
Black Hole Sun
Spoonman took Best Metal Performance the same night.
Q 24Which single won the 1995 Grammy for Best Metal Performance?
SST
Cornell later called it a huge mistake because the SST-suggested producer did not know the Seattle scene.
Q 15Which major label made Soundgarden the first grunge band with a major deal?
A&M
Punk fans accused them of selling out, especially after they toured with Guns N' Roses.
Q 16What was the band's first music video, aired on MTV's 120 Minutes?
Flower
Mark Miremont directed it for the Ultramega OK campaign.
Q 17Which 1989 album was the first grunge record to enter the Billboard 200?
Louder Than Love
It peaked at 108 and gave them Hands All Over and Loud Love.
Q 18Which Badmotorfinger video did MTV ban in 1991?
Jesus Christ Pose
The band received death threats on the UK tour from people who read it as anti-Christian.
Q 19Which band picked Soundgarden to open the Use Your Illusion tour?
Guns N' Roses
Cornell called playing 35 minutes to 40,000 indifferent people 'a bizarre thing'.
Q 20What is notable about the title of the 1992 EP Satanoscillatemymetallicsonatas?
It is a palindrome
It came with a limited Badmotorfinger and featured their cover of Black Sabbath's Into the Void.
Spoonman
It was one of five singles from Superunknown.
Q 25Which poet inspired Cornell's writing on the 1994 album?
Sylvia Plath
The album's lyrics were read as dealing with substance abuse, suicide and depression.
Q 26Why did Soundgarden cancel shows in late 1994?
Cornell strained his vocal cords
Playing five or six nights a week had taken its toll; the dates were made up in 1995.
Q 27What was Soundgarden's fifth album, released in May 1996?
Down on the Upside
The band produced it themselves and leaned toward acoustic textures.
Q 28Which band insisted Soundgarden join the 1996 Lollapalooza tour?
Metallica
Kirk Hammett has said the Enter Sandman riffs were inspired by Soundgarden.
Q 29In which city did the bassist storm off stage at the last show before the 1997 split?
Honolulu
Cornell finished the night with a solo encore; the break-up was announced that April.
Q 30What previously unreleased song appeared on the 1997 best-of A-Sides?
Bleed Together
It was recorded during the Down on the Upside sessions.