Before settling on 'Nirvana,' Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic performed under names like Skid Row, Pen Cap Chew, and Ted Ed Fred. Cobain eventually chose 'Nirvana' because he wanted a name that was beautiful, nice, and pretty, rather than a typical 'mean, raunchy punk rock name like the Angry Samoans.' In Buddhist philosophy, Nirvana is the state of being free from suffering and the cycle of rebirth. Cobain liked the contrast between the peaceful, spiritual meaning of the word and the heavy, aggressive music the band played. Their 1991 album 'Nevermind' popularized grunge and changed the course of music history, though Cobain often struggled with the massive fame that the 'beautiful' name brought him.