re: How misguided were kids when they chose grunge over hair metal?

I don't really think grunge was a mix of hair metal and punk. I think grunge was sorta its own thing. The guitar riffs were different from the punk bands. Punk was all about really simple chords played fast with the lead singer shouting. I didn't get that vibe from the Seattle bands at all. Punk was also more energetic and "happy" while grunge was more "emo." Punk was all about combat boots, ripped jeans, suspenders, and spiked blue hair. That wasn't really the Seattle style.

And you have to separate grunge from alt rock. Grunge is a sub-category of alternative, but it's not all of alternative. Grunge itself only lasted about 5 years, then other forms of alt-rock took over. Alt rock was a thing going back to the early 80s, if not sooner. Then grunge came along and vanished. After that alt-rock continued on with a bit of grunge influence.

Then in the early 2000's nu metal took over and everything went to shite.