10 Greatest MTV Unplugged Episodes

It's hard to really overstate the impact that Nirvana had on the future of modern rock. Off the strength of Smells Like Teen Spirit alone, Kurt Cobain became the biggest generation spokesman since Bob Dylan, speaking to a legion of disenfranchised kids who wanted something more than just hair metal being shoved down their throats by MTV. It's one thing to grab the public's ear though...MTV Unplugged is what happens when you actually have their attention.

While none of Nirvana's songs before this could be described as soft, Kurt Cobain's raw honesty during this night in New York might go down as one of the greatest performances of his career. Recorded shortly after the release of In Utero, this is a much different side to Kurt than we were used to, with obscure cover songs by David Bowie and Lead Belly dominating the set and no real hits to speak of other than Come As You Are at the very beginning of the night.

Instead of the usual degenerate we were ready for, this was the first time many of us got to see Kurt as a songwriter first, which turned out to be just a passing glimpse when he passed away a few months after this was recorded. In essence, this night acts as a final goodbye from Kurt to his fans, long before most of the rock world was ready for it to stop.