Nirvana’s live performances always drew an electrifying crowd with blaring music and gritty vocals. Nirvana around 1992 by P.B. Rage from USA is licensed under P.B. Rage from USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

In Aberdeen Washington, 1987, a scrawny Kurt Cobain hooked up with bassist Krist Novoselic and formed a band. They called themselves Nirvana. Two years later, their debut album ‘Bleach’ was released. Another year later, they came across a 21-year-old Dave Grohl and he became their permanent drummer for the remainder of Nirvana’s career. After the term ‘grunge’ was coined in 1987 by Bruce Pavitt, co-founder of Sub Pop record label in Seattle, Nirvana became the ones known for turning ‘grunge’ into a mainstream subculture during the late 80’s to 90’s.

Nirvana’s gritty and raw rock and metal sound brought rock’n’roll back to life in the 90’s. The band’s birthplace in Seattle made Washington city known for its grunge scene and still is today. Their emotional, angry, and pure raw uncensored music became popular for teenagers in the 90’s, connecting to the band’s most popular song ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. In the band’s appearances on live shows, they created fashion movements across the world simply by rummaging through their closets and throwing on whatever they deemed cool enough to wear to perform.

Of course a big part about forming a band is who inspires a person to do it. Fellow members of the Pacific Northwest bands like Bikini Kill, Mudhoney, Melvins and Earth, and Beat Happening are lifelines and essentials to Cobain at the time. The young artist had started off doing covers of different types of rock songs for other bands before the birth of Nirvana. Dave Grohl, as the previously mentioned drummer, credits his music inspiration to the world famous and ingenious Beatles. As a kid, he listened to Ringo Starr’s lead drum solos on repeat. As for bassist Krist Novoselic, he listened to rock gospel Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Who, Van Halen, Devo, and Aerosmith.

Without even trying, these guys single handedly led a movement that has lasted and still is alive in the present day. Of course, not all of the credit can go to Nirvana, because Green River, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, and Pearl Jam are legendary grunge bands that cannot go without recognition. All of these bands go hand in hand with the grunge scene, even though Ben Shepherd from Soundgarden has stated that he “hates the word” grunge and hates “being associated with it.” Whether these bands like it or not, they will always be tied to this movement in time because it was and still is a truly legendary and life-changing point in time.

To go from the synth, colorful, and pop-culture ruled era of the 80’s to a much more emotional and rebellious vibe that ruled the 90’s is a turning point in time. Rock had suddenly taken over the world and become mainstream. It was so impactful that it is still alive and thriving thirty years later. It has inspired the rebirth of these seemingly otherworldly and wicked styles and genres through social media and pop culture.