One of the more abrasive “in your face” bands of the 90’s, Hole delivered some of the better Alternative based sounds of their day.  It wasn’t without controversy as they were fronted by the polarizing Courtney Love, who had as many admirers as detractors.  Despite some of the solid material that they produced it is well within the realm of possibility that the Hall would keep them out to keep Courtney out.  Regardless of the Courtney Love factor they could easily be behind some of the 90’s Alt powerhouses, which would be totally understandable.

The definitive girl group of the 90’s, the sultry and sassy En Vogue was a combination of the girl groups of the past and the New Jack Swing sound of their day.  In many ways they picked up where the Pointer Sisters left off and set the table for Destiny’s Child in the decade that followed.  That “sandwich” they are in may be the problem.  En Vogue really shouldn’t be considered until the Pointers get in, and should that happen they could be easily bypassed by Destiny’s Child.  Having said all that, chances are that none of the above will ever get in, which makes this conversation irrelevant.

At some point the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will have to address the Brit Pop phenomenon of the 1990’s.  Although Oasis is most likely to get that nod from the Hall (should it ever come and based on the way the Hall has treated the British heavyweight from the 1980’s), Blur could be the band that gets it in their place.  Blur may not have rivaled Oasis in American success, but they matched them in England note for note, and in some circles are considered the superior of the two bands.  They survived the demise of Brit Pop with Lo Fi endeavors and with Damon Albarn’s side project of Gorillaz remaining strong, his profile (and by default, Blur) might be strong enough to net an induction when eligible. 

Although Alice in Chains has been pegged primarily as a Grunge band, of the slew of Seattle bands AIC may have been the one that drew more from the Heavy Metal set than the rest.  They were very successful, charting often despite gloomy material and a dirty Post Punk sound. Equally adept at acoustic performances, AIC was a favorite among many who followed the Alternative set.  It can’t be argued that Nirvana will lead the Grunge charge for the Hall, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Alice in Chains will follow them in if a couple of the other Grunge acts get in.