1991 Grunge Hit Named Among Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time

The greatest grunge hits of all time are grounded by discordant notes driven by some of the greatest guitarists the music world has ever known.

Count Nirvana frontman and guitarist Kurt Cobain among them. He landed at No. 17 on Guitar World's list of the greatest riffs off all time for his work on the smash hit Smells Like Teen Spirit.

"Gearing up to record Nevermind, Kurt picked a rig of a MESA/Boogie Studio Preamp, a solid-state Crown Power Base 2 power amp, and a wall of Marshall cabinets. It was the humble Boss DS-1 Distortion, though, that Kurt considered the core of his sound," Guitar World wrote.

"The moment he stomps on it, eight seconds into Teen Spirit, encapsulates Nirvana's whiplash dynamics and their ability to summon a tonal tornado."

'Smells Like Teen Spirit' Rocketed Nirvana to Stardom

The first track on Nirvana's second album, Smells Like Teen Spirit launched the band and Cobain into superstardom that later tormented the lead singer.

Producer Butch Vig first heard "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in early 1991, on a boombox cassette recorded by bassist Krist Novoselic, drummer Dave Grohl, and singer-guitarist-songwriter Kurt Cobain in a barn in Tacoma, Washington.

He later admitted that he had no idea it would become a mega hit.

"I could sort of hear the ‘Hello, hello' part and the chords," he said. "But it was so indecipherable that I had no idea what to expect."

Cobain wrote the song as an attempt to "write the ultimate pop song" akin to the dynamics of his favorite band the Pixies.

Cobain "had that dichotomy of punk rage and alienation," Vig said, "but also this vulnerable pop sensibility. In ‘Teen Spirit,' a lot of that vulnerability is in the tone of his voice."

Rolling Stone ranked the song No. 5 on the list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.

The song peaked at No. 6 in the Billboard charts around the same time Nevermind sat atop the album charts.

Related: 1980 Rock Classic Named Among Greatest Guitar Riffs of All Time

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 31, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 3:25 AM.