Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” reaches a new No. 76 peak on the Billboard Global 200. The classic also celebrates 200 weeks on the Alternative Streaming Songs chart. (MANDATORY CREDIT Gutchie Kojima/Shinko Music/Getty Images) Nirvana, group portrait, backstage at Nakano Sunplaza, Tokyo, Japan, 19th December 1992. (From left) Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl. (Photo by Gutchie Kojima/Shinko Music/Getty Images)
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Nirvana is set to accept a major award later this month when the band is honored at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. The grunge legends will collect the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, which is bestowed upon artists and directors for outstanding contributions to the art form of music videos. Mariah Carey, Katy Perry, Shakira and Nicki Minaj are the most recent honorees, and Nirvana is the first group to score the honor in more than 20 years, since Duran Duran did so back in 2003.
All the attention Nirvana is set to receive at the show and throughout this month may impact the group’s presence on the charts, but things are going well already. This week, the band’s signature smash rises to a new peak position on one tally and celebrates a notable milestone on another.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” Reaches a New Billboard Peak
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” rockets 14 spaces on the Billboard Global 200 this week, climbing from No. 90 to No. 76. That position marks a new all-time high for the decades-old classic on the worldwide ranking.
Nirvana Has Scored Three Billboard Global 200 Hits
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is one of three Nirvana hits to reach the Billboard Global 200, and it remains sandwiched between the other two in terms of peak position, even as it lifts higher than ever. “Something in the Way” stands as the band’s highest-charting win, having topped out at No. 23 in March 2022. “Come as You Are” debuted last summer and eventually rose all the way to No. 155, a placement it reached in March of this year.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” Holds at Its Global Peak
The same tune is also going strong on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. The ranking is compiled in a very similar manner to the Billboard Global 200, though it removes all sales and streaming activity originating in the United States.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” is steady at No. 96 this frame, keeping at its already-established peak. Only two cuts by Nirvana have landed the Billboard Global Excl. U.S., and “Something in the Way” remains the outfit’s most impressive of the pair. That track peaked at No. 42 a week after debuting in the spring of 2022.
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” Is Nirvana’s Longest-Charting Global Win
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” may not be Nirvana’s highest-charting song on either worldwide ranking, but it is far and away the band’s longest-lasting. The track has spent 163 weeks on the Billboard Global Excl. U.S. and an even more impressive 232 frames on the Billboard Global 200.
Nirvana Reaches 200 Weeks on a Streaming Chart
“Smells Like Teen Spirit” can be found on only one other Billboard ranking this week, and unlike the two global lists, the tally is based entirely on American consumption. The single improves one spot to No. 24 on the Alternative Streaming Songs chart, which ranks the most-played alternative tracks on platforms like Spotify, Apple Music and others throughout the United States.
As of this period, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has managed 200 weeks on the Alternative Streaming Songs chart. It is the first Nirvana cut to reach that figure and perhaps the only one that ever will.
“Something in the Way” earned Nirvana its first top 10 on the roster several years ago when it peaked at No. 3, but thus far, that track has only spent 10 weeks somewhere on the list. That means “Smells Like Teen Spirit” has held on 20 times longer than “Something in the Way” on the Alternative Streaming Songs chart, though it’s never approached the same heights.
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