What was Soundgarden’s debut studio album, released in 1988?

Soundgarden’s debut studio album, released in 1988, was Ultramega OK.

The album was issued on the independent Seattle label SST Records on October 31, 1988. It was recorded during the band’s early period, when Chris Cornell, Kim Thayil, Hiro Yamamoto, and drummer Matt Cameron formed Soundgarden’s lineup. Jack Endino, a key figure in Seattle’s underground recording scene, produced the sessions.

Ultramega OK helped establish Soundgarden’s heavy, unconventional sound, combining distorted guitar riffs with elements of punk and metal. The album’s title is commonly written with a space between “Ultramega” and “OK,” and it should not be confused with Louder Than Love, the band’s first album for a major label, released in 1989.

Soundgarden later gained a much wider audience through albums such as Badmotorfinger and Superunknown. In 1990, Ultramega OK received a Grammy nomination for Best Metal Performance, an early sign of the band’s growing recognition beyond Seattle’s independent scene.