Nirvana reunites at 2026 VMAs to receive Video Vanguard Award 32 years after Kurt Cobain’s death

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Three decades after Nirvana's debut at the MTV Video Music Awards, surviving members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, alongside touring guitarist Pat Smear, reunited on Sunday, September 27, to accept the Video Vanguard Award and pay tribute to late frontman Kurt Cobain

Nirvana honors Kurt Cobain at 2026 MTV VMAs

Grohl, who played drums in Nirvana, and bassist Novoselic were joined onstage by touring guitarist Smear to accept the Video Vanguard Award from Chuck D, with Novoselic speaking on the band's behalf and honoring Cobain as “one of the greatest artists of all time.”

“Kurt was one of one,” Novoselic said while adding, “None us could imagine that our band, our sound, and our aesthetic would mean so much to so many people. But ultimately the music had a life of its own. It charted its own course.” 

He further said that Nirvana continues to resonate because people remain “hungry for authenticity, for something real, something uncompromising, something that tells people it’s just okay to ‘come as you are.’”

He also noted that Cobain “would love that legacy.”

The Video Vanguard Award, along with its gold Moon Person trophy, recognizes musicians and directors whose outstanding contributions have made an impact on music videos and pop culture.

Three of Nirvana's iconic visuals were honored at the MTV VMAs between 1992 and 1994.

'Smells Like Teen Spirit' earned Best New Artist in a Video and Best Alternative Video in 1992, while 'In Bloom,' a black-and-white parody of 1960s variety shows, won Best Alternative Video in 1993.

In 1994, 'Heart Shaped Box,' Nirvana's final music video, won the same award and was accepted by Grohl, Novoselic and Smear.

“I’m not the most vocal person in the world. But it’d be silly to say that it doesn’t feel like there’s something missing, and I think about Kurt every day. I’d like to thank everybody for paying attention to our band,” a somber Grohl said at the time.

Dave Grohl recalls Kurt Cobain encounter that inspired Foo Fighters

Nirvana's surviving members have reunited only a few times over the decades, including for the band's 2014 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and an SNL50 performance of 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' with Post Malone, billed as Post Nirvana.

After Cobain's death, Grohl considered moving on from the music business.

"When Nirvana ended, I wasn't sure what to do,” Grohl said on 'The Late Show With Stephen Colbert', “I didn't know if I wanted to continue playing music."

He continued, "It made me sad to think of playing in another band. Losing Nirvana, losing Kurt was a really dark, emotional experience.” 

Grohl said he rented a car and drove around Ireland's Ring of Kerry because he wanted to “disappear.” During the trip, he saw a hitchhiker wearing a Cobain T-shirt.

“As I was driving down this country road I see a hitchhiker, and he had a Kurt Cobain T-shirt on,” Grohl recalled and added, “To me, I thought, this is the universe telling me, ‘You have to continue. You have to move on. You have to go forward.’”

Shortly afterward, Grohl founded Foo Fighters, who released their first album in 1995. More than three decades later, the band released its 12th album, 'Your Favorite Toy.'