Nirvana won the 1992 MTV Best Alternative Video Award for “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
The award recognized the music video for Nirvana’s breakthrough single, directed by Samuel Bayer. Its chaotic gymnasium setting, cheerleaders, rebellious students, and destructive finale helped turn the band’s grunge aesthetic into a defining image of early-1990s popular culture.
At the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards, Nirvana also won Best New Artist for the same video. The band performed “Lithium” during the ceremony rather than playing “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” a choice that reflected its discomfort with being reduced to one enormous hit. The performance became memorable for its tension and eventual instrument-smashing finale.
The award is sometimes confused with Best Alternative Group, another category associated with Nirvana that year. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” came from Nevermind, the 1991 album that pushed alternative rock and grunge into the mainstream. Nirvana’s win marked how quickly the band had moved from Seattle’s underground scene to MTV’s central stage.