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The core members of the grunge group Nirvana were:  Singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, bassist Christ Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl.

Nirvana is a grunge rock band that was founded by Kurt Cobain and Christ Novoselic, who changed his name to Krist in 1993.  Both artists were fans of The Melvins.  At that time, Cobain was the lead singer of the group Fecal Matter, along with band members Dale Crover and Greg Hokanson. Christ Cobain decided to integrate drummer Aaron Burkhard into their band in 1987. Between 1987 and 1988, the group tried to find a name for their group. They tried the names Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew and Windowpane, before deciding on Nirvana. In 1988, Aaron Burkhard was replaced by Dale Crover on the drums. The trio recorded their first demo and tried to sign with a record label. Crover left the group and Dave Foster took his place. The band then signed with the label Sub Pop.

In the fall 1988, Nirvana’s first single, Love Buzz, received a lot of airplay on the radio. The band had another change with their drummer and hired Chad Channing to fill the vacant spot. The group started performing in Seattle and were filling up the venues. The same year the band went into the studio to produce their first album alongside producer Jack Endino and guitarist Jason Everman. In 1989, the album Bleach was released and Nirvana started a tour across the United States. The album sold one million copies and the grunge group’s career was soaring. Jason Everman did not like his place as back up guitarist and decided to quit the group. Nirvana was forced to cancel some of their shows, but was still able to get back on their feet and do some concerts in Britain. The band was getting praise from the fans and the critics. When the band returned to the United States, Cobain decided to fire their drummer. Cobain and Novoselic started working on a second album. In 1990, along with the new drummer Dan Peters, the group produced the single Sliver. The group then did another tour.

Although Nirvana was trying not to give in to commercial pressure, they did incorporate more pop into their sound of grunge. The group was unhappy with the sales of its previous album and decided to change record labels. They signed with DGC Records. In 1990, after a lot of instability with their drummers, Nirvana integrated Dave Grohl into their band.

In 1991, the group launched their second album entitled Nevermind with DGC Records. The singles Smells Like Teen Spirit, In Bloom and Breed were big hits. The album was far more successful than the band expected. In five years it sold 10 million copies worldwide. It had many musical sounds and Nirvana had become a rock and grunge icon. The group went on tour once again to promote the album. The year after its release they received three Grammy nominations for Nevermind.  

In 1992, Kurt Cobain married Courtney Love. Not long after they were married, Love had a baby girl. However, their parenting skills were seriously questioned since both Love and Cobain were suspected of consuming heavy drugs. Nirvana came close to dissolving around this time, but they managed to stay together and released two albums, entitled Hormoaning and Incesticide. Both albums were not very popular, but Nirvana continued doing concerts all over.

In September 1993, the album In Utero was released. This album was pure, heavy grunge. The album did not have the same sound as Nevermind and many fans were disappointed. The album was viewed as a commercial disaster since its lyrics were disturbing and the whole album had a theme of psychological distress. The same year, the group gave a big acoustic concert for MTV. There was a disc released in 1994 that was done during this performance called MTV Unplugged In New York. This album won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. In 1994, Nirvana continued their tour in Europe. Cobain lost his voice and the band was forced to cancel a few shows. In March 1994, Cobain made his first suicide attempt at a hotel in Rome. The singer was treated and then returned to the United States. Less than one month later, Cobain refused to receive treatment for his addictions and his family was finding him unbearable. In 1994, Kurt Cobain committed suicide at his home in Seattle at the age of 27.

In 1996, the two remaining Nirvana members launched a compilation of their best concerts from a disc entitled From The Muddy Banks Of The Wishkah. In the meantime, Dave Grohl founded the group the Foo Fighters and Krist Novoselic continued playing with Sweet 75. In 2002, there was an eponymous album released with Nirvana’s greatest hits from their three big albums. In 2004, the boxed set With The Lights Out was launched and had some of Cobain’s demos. In 2005, a more complete boxed set paying tribute to Nirvana was launched, entitled Sliver: The Best Of The Box.