Nirvana Fans Have Mixed Reactions To Post Malone’s SNL50 Performance Of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”

Post-Nirvana?

Post Malone really is a jack of all trades. We all know he can rap, he makes pretty catchy pop music, he made a solid pop country record (the deluxe solo stuff was much better), and he can bang on the guitar like best garage band in your neighborhood. Like him or not, he’s a talented dude.

Surviving Nirvana member Dave Grohl (also of the Foo Fighters), Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear, reunited at the FireAid benefit concert in Los Angeles last month, and then this past Friday, returned to the stage for Saturday Night Live’s 50th Anniversary special.

With… Post Malone on lead vocals.

Adam Sandler introduced them as Post Nirvana, ahead of a performance of what is arguably Nirvana’s signature song, their 1991 “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

Adam Sandler introduces Nirvana's surviving members with Post Malone to perform "Smells Like Teen Spirit" at SNL's 50th anniversary concert pic.twitter.com/Ua16CKTjHu

— Wu Tang is for the Children (@WUTangKids) February 15, 2025

Of course, back in 2020, right during the height of the lockdowns in the COVID pandemic, Post Malone teamed up with Travis Barker, guitarist Nick Mack and bassist Brian Lee to perform a live-streamed Nirvana tribute concert in an effort to raise money. He’s actually going to release a vinyl album of that tribute concert on Record Store Day 2025, with all of the net proceeds going to Musicares’s Addiction Recovery/Mental Health division.

Back to the performance…

Honestly, I thought it was pretty good and you could tell the guys were having a blast doing it, especially Pat who looked like a kid in a candy store up there. I grew up on Nirvana. Nevermind was one of the first albums I really loved (even though I was probably too young to be listening to it), and while I think Kurt was a revolutionary in the music world, and probably one of the guys who made me first pickup a guitar, you really can’t convince me that he was a GREAT guitar player.

Kurt is an icon, but I always find it kinda funny when diehard Nirvana fans hate every single cover or tribute performance that’s ever been done. Overall, the reactions were pretty mixed with a lot of fans thinking Post butchered it, and others enjoying it for what it was.

This exchange is more or less how I felt:

Kurt butchered it every time they played it live too.. I’d say it was a perfect tribute.

— Neil McVey (@nmcvey) February 15, 2025

And some more reactions which, like I said, were overall pretty mixed:

That was super cool. You could see it was very exciting for the original band members to play that song…

— Dylan Hunton (@Hunton1111) February 15, 2025

Did he nail it? Nope. Did I watch it on repeat for a half hour? Yup.

— cap10bad (@cap10bad) February 15, 2025

I can’t wait to not watch the entire thing. But especially that segment.

— Mr. C (@christophsly) February 15, 2025

God Post Malone is not Nirvana quality.

— HBARCAR.HBAR (@HBARCAR2030) February 15, 2025

I just went back to the 1990’s, looked around and now I want to stay there, relatively life sucks in 2025

— Jason DeLand (@jasondeland) February 15, 2025

Smells like who gives a fuck.

— DumpsterKitty (@DumpsterKitty45) February 15, 2025

Listen for all the haters … nobody will ever be, or sound like, Kurt.

Nor does anyone want that.

You could tell they were having fun.

— brandonwojo (@brandonwojo) February 15, 2025

This sounds like me at karaoke night after 8 miller lites

— Mother Fucker Jones (Charlie Heat Version) (@mfjones69_) February 15, 2025

Seeing Dave and Krist so happy to play that song is awesome. Must be so strange.

— Not Greg (@dogecoinmillion) February 15, 2025

Dave should have done the vocals. I like Post, but he did not sound too good.

— P (@Pasgiano) February 15, 2025

Turns out this was pretty damn cool.

— John Gill (@JGeeWillikers) February 15, 2025

Like postie but he did not nail this

— Bourbonbabe (@Amyhaze01) February 15, 2025

Actually brought a tear to my eyes. So sad Kurt’s no longer here.. post did amazing and seeing all the rest there with Dave banging drums… special

— 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐰𝐚𝐲 (@Brockway5353) February 15, 2025