Credit: Far Out / DGC Records
Mon 3 August 2026 3:00, UK
Maybe the 1990s really were as good as everybody made out to be, a time when a fresh brand of rock and roll ruled the airwaves, fashion boomed into cultural status, and fans could engage with it all on the back of a rather prosperous socio-political climate.
In the UK, the ignorant bliss of Cool Britannia put the world into rose-tinted view, with the vitality of life being soundtracked through its greatest bands, while the US felt something similar but through a more diverse landscape. Hip hop emerged as a true commercial force, platforming the cultural status of a new generation while TV and film had never been healthier, propping Hollywood back up onto a pedestal that looked over the rest of the entertainment world.
It’s easy to focus the praise on the central parts of the decade, when the intensity of this new era was at its peak. But really, we ought to look at the very start of the ‘90s as the most pivotal moment, when one record stormed into the charts and gave alternative worlds permission to be mainstream, daring to dream of a world where the punk kids established the status quo.
Nirvana’s ‘91 masterpiece Nevermind was that record. Before that band and more specifically that record, the punk roots of grunge were always dwelling in the cultural shadows, living perennially on the edge to give the disillusioned something to believe in. Suddenly, with one album, it was shoved back into the limelight, flipping the meaning of punk altogether and platforming a decade of anti-establishment bliss.
As Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong explained, “Before Nirvana, there was no way that you could be in a punk band and be famous and make money. When they came out, it just changed the landscape of everything.”
There’s nothing to say that the wild success of Oasis, Radiohead and Blur wouldn’t have existed without Nevermind, because their genius is contextual to themselves. But it’s hard to imagine a world so vibrant with its differences had Nirvana’s sophomore record not broken that mould in ‘91 and made the punk spirit in grunge a tangible feeling for those otherwise uninitiated.
But what makes Nirvana’s crusade on the mainstream even sweeter is a gander at what was occupying the number one spot up until that point. As the ‘80s bled into the new decade, commercialism was eyeing up yet another plastic decade, and the music was designed to facilitate that. Industry heads would have been happy to see who took the top spot, as they enjoyed one last moment in the sun before Nirvana shoved them out of it.
Further reading: From The Vault
What song was number one in 1991?
It was ultimately a song that epitomised commercial music strategy. Bryan Adams’ hit ‘Everything I Do (I Do It for You)’ was occupying the peak in September ‘91, when Nevermind was released. Used for both Adams’ personal career and the soundtrack for Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, it was meant to dominate both the box office and airwaves in a surefire way to make cash.
But the ‘90s realised it didn’t want to play the commercial game quite like it did in the previous decade. While ‘Everything I Do (I Do It for You)’ continued to achieve success, despite Nirvana’s interruption, its battle with Nevermind went on to set a precedent that would put the ball back in the alternative court for the upcoming decade.
