Which Nirvana song was the band’s first US Billboard Hot 100 entry?

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” was Nirvana’s first song to enter the US Billboard Hot 100. Released as the lead single from Nevermind in September 1991, it reached number six on the chart.

The song was written by Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, and Dave Grohl, with producer Butch Vig helping shape the recorded arrangement. Its music video, directed by Samuel Bayer, became a defining MTV broadcast and introduced Nirvana’s sound to millions of viewers.

Although “Teen Spirit” was not Nirvana’s highest-charting US Hot 100 single—that distinction belongs to “The Man Who Sold the World,” released after Cobain’s death—it remains the band’s best-known mainstream breakthrough. The title came from a phrase connected to the deodorant brand Teen Spirit, a fact that has often been discussed alongside the song’s success.