Kurt Cobain Once Admitted He Was 'Embarrassed' By Nirvana's Biggest Hit

Kurt Cobain once admitted that he never expected Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to become the iconic band's defining song.

In a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, Cobain reflected on the 1991 hit.

"Everyone has focused on that song so much," the late frontman told the outlet at the time. "There are so many other songs that I've written that are as good, if not better, than that song."

As for Cobain's personal favorite from their LP Nevermind? "Drain You," a song he admitted he never got tired of playing. The legendary rocker even described "Smells Like Teen Spirit's" riff as clichéd, acknowledging that Nirvana drew inspiration from the Pixies.

"I was basically trying to rip off the Pixies," he revealed.

Last month, Nirvana reunited to honor Cobain while accepting the Video Vanguard Award at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards.

During the acceptance speech, Krist Novoselic reflected on the group's iconic music videos and credited Cobain, who died in 1994 at age 27, with providing their creative vision.

"The ideas for those videos all grew out of the vision of one of the greatest artists of all time, Kurt Cobain," Novoselic said.