If you were a teenager in the 90s who got interested in playing the guitar, there's a good chance that you still have an old Nirvana T-shirt or two. The popular rock band had a huge impact on alternative music lovers of that era, bringing the genre into the mainstream. Formed in 1987, the rock band lasted for just 7 years till 1994 when the band's lead singer, Kurt Cobain reportedly committed suicide. This sad incident was the end of Nirvana which had brought rock back into the mainstream during a period of 'Boy Bands' domination.

With Kurt Cobain as their lead singer and guitarist, Krist Novoselic playing bass and Dave Grohl as their drummer, Nirvana has left an indelible impression on the music world. Nirvana was single handedly responsible for popularizing 'Grunge' music which was a sub-genre with the alternative rock category. They made a storming entrance on the music scene with fresh music which made use of dynamic contrasts and heavy chorus, often switching between loud and quiet verses. Nevermind The impressive songs written by the lead singer Kurt Cobain helped Nirvana release its first album in 1989 titled 'Bleach'. However, it was their second album released in September 1991 titled 'Nevermind' that took the music scene by storm. Kurt Cobain became a household name as a result; his vocal style imitated by many aspiring musicians. His faced graced many a Nirvana T-shirt, which could be seen by the dozens on any college campus across the nation; particularly in the Seattle Grunge Scene where Nirvana was born. This immense popularity allowed Nevermind to achieve strong sales of almost 400,000 copies per week in the U.S. alone. Riding on the success of this album, Nirvana established itself as a force to be reckoned with in alternative rock and won the MTV Video Music Awards for the Best New Artist and the Best Alternative Video in 1992. In Utero 1993 saw Nirvana release their third album titled 'In Utero' which was also an instant hit. The initial release saw the album top the billboard 200 resulting in the sales of 3.5 million copies of the album in the U.S. alone. However, it wasn't all rosy for Nirvana, as they did suffer a few setbacks. Kurt Cobain was forced into rehabilitation after suffering from deteriorating health. However, before he could finish his rehabilitation, Kurt Cobain was found dead in his home in Seattle by his wife, Coutney Love. Music fans around the world were saddened and shocked at this tragic news. A couple of months prior to the tragic death of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana recorded a rare live acoustic performance titled 'MTV Unplugged in New York'. This recording was a part of the 'MTV Unplugged' series and was recorded in New York at Sony Music Studios on November 18, 1993. Nirvana performed a total of 14 songs in the series including a few cover songs. Nirvana's performance for this album was seen by many music fans as proof of the genius that the band was because of their ability to turn in such a performance without using any heavily distorted grunge music. The live album, upon its release in November 1994, won the Grammy for the Best Alternative Music Album in 1996. Five million copies of this album had been sold by 1997 and the huge popularity resulted in the release of the DVD version of the performance later in 2007. While this was Nirvana's first Grammy and an undoubted moment of success, it also reminded everyone of the sad fact that Kurt Cobain was no longer around. Nevertheless, Cobain's songs and music have etched his name in the history of alternative rock and music in general. Nirvana continues to inspire aspiring bands and musicians around the world several years after tragically coming to an end. This isn't surprising since Kurt Cobain was once described as the 'spokesman of a generation' by the media of his time. The other two members of Nirvana went their separate ways with Dave Grohl (drummer and backup vocalist) enjoying further success with The Foo Fighters. The Nirvana T-Shirt: Still Popular Today Though Kurt Cobain has been gone nearly 20 years now, the music lives on and still inspires music lovers and musicians around the world. You can still see kids who were not yet born in 1993 sporting the timeless Nirvana T-shirt with Kobain’s face on it, or the popular “Nevermind’ cover featuring a baby submerged in a pool.