Also the 80s hairbands and "partying and girls" was during the Reagan era when this country was having fun and on an upswing, in the 90s things took a sour turn under Clinton and music got dour and serious. No more partying....
I'm a big Pearl Jam fan. I'll say, when I first started listening to them they just seemed like another good band until I got into their live stuff which I in my opinion is what separates them from a lot of other bands.