Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – c. April 5, 1994) was the lead singer, guitarist, and songwriter of the Seattle-based rock band Nirvana. Cobain was born in Aberdeen, Washington and grew up with a troubled childhood, which he frequently addressed in his songs and interviews. Known for his abrasive and often disturbing songwriting as well as his distinctive vocal style, Cobain is often cited among the most influential musicians of his time.

Cobain formed Nirvana in 1986 with Krist Novoselic. Within two years, the band became a fixture of the burgeoning Seattle grunge scene. In 1991, the arrival of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" marked the beginning of a dramatic shift of popular rock music away from the dominant genres of the 1980s (glam metal, arena rock, and dance-pop) and toward grunge and alternative rock. The music media eventually awarded the song "anthem-of-a-generation" status, and, with it, Cobain ascended as the reluctant "spokesman" for Generation X. Other songs written by Cobain include "Come as You Are", "Lithium", "In Bloom", "Heart-Shaped Box", "All Apologies", and "About a Girl".

During the last years of his life, Cobain struggled with drug addiction and the media pressures surrounding him and his wife Courtney Love. On April 8, 1994, Cobain was found dead in his home in Seattle. His death was ruled a suicide by self-inflicted shotgun wound to the head. Since then, the circumstances surrounding his death have fueled much analysis and debate.