10 Amazing Albums Turning 30 In 2021

I mean, who didn't see this one coming? In a world that was about to be shaped by the grunge revolution, the idea of Nirvana not making the list would seem almost criminal when looking at the thousands of bands they launched as a result. Everyone's got to start somewhere though, and Nevermind proved to be the lynchpin for the entire alternative explosion.

Not really looking to make anything too flashy, Nirvana checked into Sound City Studios with Butch Vig to cut this collection of songs, which turned into an atom bomb once they reached the studio floor. While still having a bare bones skeleton to the whole thing, the amount of anger and rage pumped into every one of these tracks was enough to get a rise out of nearly everyone who heard it, making Smells Like Teen Spirit one of the most immediate rock singles ever made.

Without really knowing it, Kurt Cobain turned into the spokesman of his generation, leading the way for legions of disaffected youths to scream out their anger and frustration at the world every single day. Though Cobain may have burned out long before we were ready for any of it to stop, Nevermind still sounds like the future of rock and roll all these years later. This wasn't just sadness and despair...this was the shot of life that rock and roll sorely needed.