I would say most of the Seattle/grunge bands got their inspiration from the punk/hardcore movement of the early 80s. The only difference is that they wanted to make cash off their records. For every Nirvana or Pearl Jam, there was a Channel 3, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, JFA, or Black Flag (pre-Rollins) making the same counter-cultural statement, only better and more raw.

Since then, there have been a few outliers like TSOL or Misfits who were doing original things, but they are few and far between.