After Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic replaced drummer Chad Channing with Bonham-esque basher Dave Grohl, the group moved from Seattle’s Sub Pop imprint to major label DGC, which released Nevermind, a record that fused ‘60s pop hooks, ‘70s hard-rock heft, ‘80s post-hardcore noise, and eternal teen angst into what would become the definitive sound of the ‘90s. But amid the corroded jangle of “About a Girl,” singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain betrayed a Lennon-esque melodic sensibility at odds with prevailing DIY-punk orthodoxies. It’s a fate few would’ve bet on when the Aberdeen, Washington-formed group dropped their 1989 debut, Bleach, which positioned them as a baby-brother band to grunge kingpins Mudhoney.

The lead-off track to the Seattle-based trio’s second album, Nevermind, didn’t just send the grungy sound of the Pacific Northwest underground crashing into the mainstream, it prompted rock radio stations to flip their formats to alternative almost overnight, turned thrift-store flannel into a must-have fashion accessory, and sent the music industry scouring indie scenes from coast to coast in search of the next leftfield crossover act. The insolent opening chords to Nirvana’s 1991 single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” were no mere guitar riff-this was a ticking time bomb, triggering an explosion that instantly changed the face of pop culture and sent shockwaves that are still being felt to this day.

Nirvana unplugged shirt