How rock ruled in 1991 — and why it’s dead 30 years later

In 1991, rock was on such a roll that Nirvana’s “Nevermind,” the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” and Soundgarden’s “Badmotorfinger” — now considered classic albums of the era — all came out on the very same day: Sept. 24.

The week before that, Guns N’ Roses dropped not one but two blockbuster LPs: “Use Your Illusion I” and “II.” And in the previous month, two monster rock albums arrived in Pearl Jam’s “Ten” and Metallica’s self-titler, known as “The Black Album,” which turns 30 on Thursday. Add to that other seminal 1991 albums by the likes of R.E.M. (“Out of Time”) and U2 (“Achtung Baby”) — not to mention the first Lollapalooza 30 summers ago — and there’s no doubt that it was a golden age for the genre.