alright, here's my analogy. this is not to compare the artistic achievement of kurt cobain and monet, but it's the best comparison i can think of
look at these two paintings, the first by monet and the second by leonid afremov, a 20th century painter who's still working today. both are pretty amazing, but i have no doubt that some people would prefer the afremov, his use of rain and light is pretty amazing, and makes for some pretty gorgeous paintings. at the same time, monet's style is one that we've certainly seen more of. but this doesn't justify calling monet a "generic" impressionist artist. afremov's paintings wouldn't exist without monet, and to belittle his work in light of a contemporary shows a clear ignorance of art history, regardless of your personal aesthetic opinion. same goes musically.