NIRVANA’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” Music Video Surpasses 2 Billion Views on YouTube

The official music video for Nirvana’s groundbreaking single “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has officially crossed the 2 billion views mark on YouTube.

Directed by Samuel Bayer, the video was uploaded to the platform on June 16th, 2009, and quickly became one of the most iconic visual accompaniments in rock history. It previously hit 1 billion views in December 2019, further solidifying the legacy of the song that helped define a generation.

Released in 1991, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” helped usher in the grunge explosion and became Nirvana’s signature anthem. It was certified diamond by the RIAA on December 6th, 2024, having originally gone gold in January 1992 and platinum by April of the same year.

The song also remains a streaming juggernaut, racking up over 2.44 billion streams on Spotify as of press time, surpassing the 1 billion mark on the platform back in June 2021.

A fun bit of trivia for longtime fans: the now-legendary video includes background footage of a pre-Fear Factory Burton C. Bell, who was an extra at the shoot long before launching into industrial metal fame.

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