"mötley crüe" debuted at no. 7 on the "billboard" 200 and was certified gold by the riaa on may 3, 1994. however, five years had passed since mötley had released a full studio album, and much had changed in popular music. grunge and alternative rock had crossed into the mainstream, and many hard rock and glam metal acts from the 1980s struggled to generate sales. after charting in the top 10, the album slid down quickly and ultimately failed to sell as well as previous mötley albums.