The grunge group becomes the first rock band to receive the honor since 2003.
Nirvana has been named the recipient of the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards’ Video Vanguard Award in recognition of their lasting impact on music videos and popular culture. The announcement on September 9 arrived exactly 34 years after the band’s VMA debut on September 9, 1992, where they played the opening chords of “Rape Me” before performing “Lithium” and winning Best New Artist in a Video. Accumulating five VMAs between 1992 and 1994, Nirvana is the first rock band to receive the Video Vanguard Award since Duran Duran in 2003.
The group’s 1991 video for “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” directed by Samuel Bayer, became a defining clip of the era and has surpassed 2 billion views on YouTube. The 2026 MTV VMAs will take place on September 27 in Los Angeles and will air live on CBS and MTV, with streaming available on Paramount+.
