# Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

> A radio single became an MTV hit and reached No. 6 on the US Hot 100.

- Owner: Nirvana / DGC Records
- Kind: Music
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 1991-08-27
- Milestone date: Week of Jan 11, 1992
- Date basis: Documented milestone; not a measured attention peak. Dates use the stated precision; chart positions are date anchors.
- Spread Score: 60 (Viral, provisional), v1.3
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Identity badge, Underdog, Pairing, Revival

## Summary

The single crossed from radio to MTV, then entered pop charts overseas. Its Hot 100 high coincided with Nevermind replacing Michael Jackson at the US album-chart summit. Covers, a Facebook buying campaign and YouTube extended its life.

## Timeline

- 1991-08-27 — DGC / Nirvana (Audio) — DGC released the studio recording to radio before the retail single became available.
- 1991-09-10 — DGC (Retail) — DGC released Smells Like Teen Spirit as the lead single from Nevermind.
- 1991-09-24 — DGC / Nirvana (Retail) — Nevermind arrived with Smells Like Teen Spirit as its opening track.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/smells-like-teen-spirit

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.” Case HIS-01448. Spread Score v1.3: 60/100. Updated 2026-10-23. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-01448