Smells Like Teen Spirit Movies & TV

Singles (1992)

Seattle at the peak of the grunge movement provides the setting for this rather conventional Hollywood romantic comedy, starring Matt Dillon and directed by Cameron Crowe. It's not a great movie, but it remains interesting as a case study in how mainstream pop culture can embrace (and perhaps co-opt) an "alternative" music scene such as the one that thrived in Seattle in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It's also fun to see goofy acting cameos from the young members of Pearl Jam.

Hype! (1996)

This fascinating and entertaining documentary traces the rise and fall of Seattle's grunge music scene, which began as a funky do-it-yourself subculture and suddenly exploded into a national fad after Nirvana became America's hottest band in 1991. The film is full of priceless interviews and performances with Northwest musicians… including rare footage of the first time Nirvana ever played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in public.