The group never gained any mainstream audience , but were an influence on their contemporaries â `` most notably Soundgarden , The Melvins , and Green River â `` alongside whom they are considered the early pioneers of the sound that would later be called grunge . The group never gained a mainstream audience , but were an influence on their contemporaries â `` most notably Soundgarden , Screaming Trees , The Melvins , and Green River â `` alongside whom they are considered the early pioneers of the sound that would later be called grunge .