Get the latest gossip

The angst, the sensitivity… and the songs: how gen Z got hooked on Nirvana

For a new generation of musicians, the grunge band and their frontman Kurt Cobain have provided a blueprint for a more inclusive style of stardom

Today, says Summan, young people find Nirvana through the web of links between artists, streaming services’ rock playlists and fan accounts sharing fashion, lifestyle and culture from the 90s, along with fancams and video edits of Kurt Cobain. Photograph: Gutchie Kojima/Shinko Music/Getty ImagesThey wore ballgowns on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, performed their crude, raw track Territorial Pissings on Jonathan Ross’s chatshow instead of their hit Smells Like Teen Spirit and worked with Steve Albini to make In Utero, a rough, weird follow-up to their mainstream album. “To be situated in what was predominantly a hyper-masculine corner of music and be so outspoken about sexism, racism and homophobia, bringing those messages into the mainstream challenged what it meant to be a rock star in that era – his ideologies have transcended generations.” The current young generation find his freedom of expression authentic.

Get the Android app