Nirvana's brief run ended following theВ death of Kurt CobainВ in 1994, but various posthumous releases have been issued since, overseen by Novoselic, Grohl, and Cobain's widowВ Courtney Love. The album did not match the sales figures of NevermindВ but was still a commercial success and critically acclaimed. In response, Nirvana's third studio album, In UteroВ (1993), featured an abrasive, less-mainstream sound and challenged the group's audience. Nirvana's sudden success widely popularizedВ alternative rockВ as a whole, and the band's frontman Cobain found himself referred to in the media as the 'spokesman of a generation', with Nirvana being considered the 'flagship band' ofВ Generation X. After signing to major labelВ DGC Records, Nirvana found unexpected success with 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', the first single from the band's second album NevermindВ (1991).

The band eventually came to develop a sound that relied on dynamic contrasts, often between quiet verses and loud, heavy choruses. In the late 1980s Nirvana established itself as part of theВ SeattleВ grungeВ scene, releasing its first album BleachВ for theВ independent record labelВ Sub PopВ in 1989. Despite releasing only three full-length studio albums in their seven-year career, Nirvana has come to be regarded as one of the most influential and important rock bands of the modern era. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, the longest-lasting beingВ Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990. NirvanaВ was an AmericanВ rockВ band that was formed by singer/guitaristВ Kurt CobainВ and bassistВ Krist NovoselicВ inВ Aberdeen, WashingtonВ in 1987.