With the assistance of its contemporaries Creed and Godsmack, 3 Doors Down helped keep the grunge flag flying in the mid-1990s in the wake of the demise of genre founders like Nirvana and Soundgarden. Combining the mammoth, sludgy riffs of the aforementioned bands with a dose of pop melody and an eye on the top 40 charts, the band first gained public attention with its debut release THE BETTER LIFE.