Foo Fighters was the alternative rock band founded by Dave Grohl after Kurt Cobain’s death ended Nirvana. Grohl had been Nirvana’s drummer since 1990, but the new project began as a private way to return to songwriting after Cobain died in April 1994.
Grohl recorded the first Foo Fighters album largely by himself in 1994, performing the vocals and nearly every instrument. Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs contributed a guitar part to “X-Static,” but the recording otherwise functioned as a one-man studio project. To avoid the pressure of releasing music under his own name, Grohl used the name Foo Fighters, borrowed from a World War II term for unexplained aerial phenomena.
The self-titled album was released in 1995, after which Foo Fighters became a full touring band with Pat Smear, Nate Mendel, and William Goldsmith. The group’s later success came from turning Grohl’s private demos into melodic, muscular rock songs, including “Everlong,” “My Hero,” and “Learn to Fly.”
A common misconception is that Foo Fighters immediately replaced Nirvana. They were a separate band, created after Nirvana had dissolved, with Grohl moving from drummer to singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter.