What was the name of Nirvana’s first single released by major label DGC Records?

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was Nirvana’s first single released by the major label DGC Records. Released on September 10, 1991, it served as the lead single from Nevermind and quickly became the song most associated with Nirvana’s breakthrough. The track was written by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl.

The song’s title came from a remark made by Kathleen Hanna of the punk band Bikini Kill, who wrote “Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit” on Cobain’s wall. Cobain initially understood the phrase as a slogan about youthful rebellion, although “Teen Spirit” was also the name of a deodorant brand.

Samuel Bayer directed the famous school-gym music video, which helped the song reach a mass television audience. “Come as You Are” and “Lithium” followed as singles from Nevermind. The song is often called grunge’s defining anthem, though its success also reflected the broader alternative-rock shift of the early 1990s.