Choosing a genre is not going to happen. There is good music and the there is shit. The 90% rule applies. And that is optimistic. Like LZA I had my grunge period. Only one that sticks is Beck and he was never really real grunge. I mean no disrespect for soundgarden and what have you. But if we are talking that era, Beck's stuff holds up for me as way above evrybodys heads at the time. His laterr stuff is shit tho
I used to listen to heavy metal same period. Guns and ac/dc are great fun when youre tipsy and feel like swinging your dick around. Then again I'd really rather listen to the old school ac/dc for that. Death meatal and thrash metal and what not. They are good for letting out some steam i guess. There are albums I still enjoy playing in my head, but when i put them on to listen im like nah bro. Except megadeth of course- up and until countdown lol
To be honest i dont put music to listen much. I have spent most of my life listening playing and teaching music and it gets to a point where its sort of trivial and ridiculous. Especially the prerecorded type. And I feel like the music i can put on and enjoy is mostly stuff i remember loving when i was a teenager- which has more to do with my memories than the actual music itself.
Listening and/or playing live music is a different thing. Music has this ability to unite people. And being on stage as the catalyst is really sweet, but again I find I have to go with crowdpleasers, which shines aforementioned ridiculous light on everything.
I made a discovery just the other day tho, an album i never knew of nor heard before, and I couldnt hit the stop button cause it made me feel so sweet. Now try to categorize this:
Penguin Cafe Orchestra - Penguin Cafe Orchestra (1981). What gets my heart singing are these factors: Mostly live mostly acoustic, lots of improvisation but super simple no fancypants, some nutjob experiements with electronics along with cellos and mandolins, very folky yet straight up fuck you all tradition with a jovial smile- right up my alley
But mostly I just put on songs in my head (involuntarily since as long as i can remember). And getting older having other music interrupt is like... interruption. How many times do you get interrupted and find the interruption pleasing and worth your attention?
See Ive been a busker half my life too, and busking is the art of interrupting people without annoying them, to the point of them opening their wallets. And when you get good you realize what sort of banalities work well. And you get tired of those but you have to do them, like a prostitute not enjoying sex anymore. Freebird anyone?
Sorry about the rant.
TL;DR: Music is a potentially lovely thing and in some cases sweeter than life itself, but as with all things in life *at least* 90% of it is shit, regardless of genre