Growing up, I didn’t really question why this band would be played along side Nirvana, Bush, Soundgarden, Linkin Park, etc. because my radio station of choice was not just grunge, but also “adult alternative.” So it would play pop shit, too, sometimes.
But I still, to this day, often find U2 listed among grunge artists, or their songs get played on grunge playlists. The fuck? How is this shit grunge? It doesn’t fit in any way! It doesn’t have the sound, it doesn’t have the style, shit it doesn’t even have the same emotional resonance. It’s happy and hopeful.
They have never been considered grunge by anybody. They released the album Achtung Baby in 1991, which recieved much critical acclaim, but so did a lot of other non-grunge bands. Just because a band released popular music in the early 1990s, doesn’t mean they are grunge.