‘Unplugged’ will no longer be Nirvana’s first big MTV-related milestone, although the second may not be as remembered. The band will receive the Video Vanguard Award, the highest career recognition at the MTV Video Music Awards, during the 2026 ceremony, which will be held on September 27 in Los Angeles.
That the award goes to a band that ceased to exist more than 30 years ago is striking, although it is not something unprecedented. The Beatles received the Video Vanguard in 1984, when they had already been separated for 14 years, and other bands such as REM and Bon Jovi have also received the recognition. Kurt Cobain died in 1994, just three years after the explosion of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’.
The video for ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, directed by Samuel Bayer, became one of the most iconic of the MTV era and won two Moonmen at the 1992 VMAs, for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Video. Among his most memorable videos are also ‘Come as You Are’, ‘In Bloom’ and ‘Heart-Shaped Box’.
Nirvana thus joins a list of winners that includes Madonna, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Justin Timberlake and Shakira, among many others. At the 2026 VMAs, Madonna and Taylor Swift are the most nominated artists. The gala will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
