I like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mother Love Bone, and all the other amazing, underrated Grunge bands, but Soundgarden and Alice In Chains bring a different feel to their music, and I find them to be much better.
I don't take into account if they have stayed true to their roots or if they even make music anymore. I just love the dark undertone of all AIC's albums the most.
I shouldn't have said BEST, but FAVORITE. I still think Alice In Chains is the best musically, but that is still subjective.
BengalBoy only reason I didn't put STP is because I wouldn't call them Grunge. They're usually just lumped in there because of the time period and the Core album, but everything else was just straight up rock. A lot of people HATE them because they sound like a rip off of PJ, but I don't see it.