Grunge really started the downfall of headbangers ball

I think you're right. Once Nirvana showed up, the pussification of music began. Those were the good ol' days!

I think you're right. Once Nirvana showed up, the pussification of music began. Those were the good ol' days!

https://www.datalounge.com/thread/27615619-pick-a-television-show-and-tell-us-the-point-where-it-went-off-the-rails

HEADBANGER'S BALL, mid-late 1991-early 1992 i.e., the death of '80s rock.

As early as Fall/Hallowe'en of '91, it was obvious there had just been a major sea-change in the prevailing trends of youth fashion, music & TV culture, and suddenly all the music videos and all the newest breakthrough bands skewed very, very dark and industrial. The fun, party-metal and uplifting romantic bombastic balladeering styles of the mid-late '80s was swept aside in a matter of months to make way for driving thrash-rock, spooky alternative, chilly industrial, and thundering black/death/gothic metal. There was also a sudden noticeable desperation to promote and sell 'classic' rock and hair metal; in previous years it was a given that songs and acts in the genre would be popular, no matter whether they were properly and obviously pushed or not.

The old glammy big-stadium '80s rockers who generally starred in episodes started showing up on the Ball looking dour dressed in plaid, shorts and jumpsuits, muted-color thrifted shirts, white socks with black lace-ups, and barefaced with their hair unteased. All the guest hosts started being self-deprecating and sarcastic and mumbly and downbeat, where before they had been high-energy and yelling everything with enthusiasm or braggadocio a la Riki Rachtman. Some hosts even took to telling long boring stories about their touring days that just fell flat, sounded tone-deaf, and made them seem like dinosaurs.

The change was amazingly fast, and seemed to come out of nowhere.