Nirvana

Though they released only three full-length studio albums during their relatively brief existence, Nirvana were without question one of the most important rock band of the 1990s. As reluctant leaders of the so-called grunge movement, Nirvana brought a loud angry sound born from the underground firmly into the mainstream, and the result was as cataclysmic as the punk movement if not the birth of rock & roll itself. The band's mix of metallic heaviness, punk angst, and pure pop hooks was itself something at which to marvel; however, it was the songwriting genius of frontman Kurt Cobain that made Nirvana a rightfully legendary band. Sadly, the band came to an abrupt and after Cobain's tragic suicide in 1994.

• rock
• alternative/indie