Dude, the bands never in a million years thought that grunge was going to be as big as it was, hints why most bands signed to sub-pop records or K-records never played in a big venue from 1986-1991 they always played in bars and in back of warehouses across the Pacific Northwest once Pearl Jams Ten and Nirvana's Nevermind came out all of a sudden bigger labels were trying to sign as many grunge bands as possible in hopes of finding the next nirvana as for calling most of the bands Nirvana clones is not true listen to all of the other grunge bands and you'll see almost all of them doesn't have the same sound or even the same song writing as Nirvana. Nirvana was original with everything just letting all of his emotions out as for some other bands wrote about anything and everything but it was all great stuff.
For the best independent albums in 1994 easy one Love Battery Nehru Jacket, an epic Mono Men Sin and Tonic album, and lastly Mad Season's Above were all great albums from indie labels.
You think I won't know something buddy give me your best shot.