I was in my 20's at the time. I saw all of those guys as being inferior GnR, Motley Crue or Metallica wannabes.

Metallica's St. Anger it's a grunge wannabe disc.

The 80's died but not with Cobain, but with The Pixies and R.E.M.

And in late 90's the industrial rock/metal basically made 80's glam rock cringey and obsolete.