Soundgarden is one of the bands credited with the development of the genre of alternative metal, with Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stating that "Soundgarden made a place for heavy metal in alternative rock." Ben Ratliff of "Rolling Stone" defined Soundgarden as the "standard-bearers" of the rock riff during the 1990s. The band inspired and influenced a number of metalcore bands such as Between the Buried and Me and the Dillinger Escape Plan. In 2017, "Metal Injection" ranked Soundgarden at number three on their list of 10 Heaviest Grunge Bands.