Nirvana will be awarded the Video Vanguard Award at the 2026 MTV VMAs next month. Previous recipients of the increasingly meaningless honor include Mariah Carey (2025), Katy Perry (2024), Shakira (2023), and Nicki Minaj (2022).
Since the 1994 death of Kurt Cobain, Nirvana’s surviving members (Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear) have occasionally appeared for one-off tributes featuring a rotating cast of singers. In 2014, they invited Joan Jett, Kim Gordon, St. Vincent, and Lorde to cover Nirvana songs for the band’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Grohl, Novoselic, and Smear’s most recent performances together took place in 2025 for the Fire Aid benefit concert.
The 2026 VMAs ceremony will broadcast live from Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 27 and will once again air on CBS (with a simulcast on Paramount+ and on its original home of MTV). A host has yet to be announced. A full list of nominees can be found here.
