nirvana

In Buddhism, and other Indian religions, the ultimate religious goal characterized by the attainment of perfect serenity, compassion, and wisdom by the eradication of all desires. When nirvana is attained, the cycle of life and death, known as samsāra, is broken and a state of liberty, free from pain and desire, is reached.

Nirvana

Grunge band Nirvana at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1993, receiving the Best Alternative Video Award for ‘In Bloom’. The Seattle-based band – from left, Kris Novoselic, Dave Grohl, and Kurt Cobain – defined and popularized a style of music that came to be known as grunge rock, with the band's first album Bleach (1989) gaining it a counterculture following among college students.

US rock group 1986–94. They made popular a hard-driving, dirty sound, a tuneful grunge, as heard on their second album, Nevermind (1991), and its hit single ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.

Nirvana formed in Washington State in 1986–88 around singer, songwriter, and guitarist Kurt Cobain. Between their debut album Bleach (1989) and their 1991 breakthrough, the line-up was reduced to three players: Cobain, Krist Novoselic (1965– ), and Dave Grohl (1969– ). Their songs combined the hooks and dynamics of classic pop with the abrasive style of grunge. Their other albums included In Utero (1993) and Unplugged in New York (1994). The group disbanded with Cobain's suicide in 1994.