Perhaps no band is more linked to Seattle than Nirvana, which got its start in the city’s venues before hitting mainstream success with “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Drummer Dave Grohl went on to form the Foo Fighters here in 1994. Also on the scene were Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Mudhoney. And during the same era, local rapper Sir Mix-a-Lot topped the charts with “Baby Got Back.”

Before grunge defined the city, Seattle-born Jimi Hendrix was jamming with local bands, Ernestine Anderson was garnering Grammy nominations for her jazz singing, and Heart was topping the charts with hits like “Crazy on You” and “Barracuda.” Tacoma-born Bing Crosby did plenty of his signature crooning around town, and The Sonics were making major contributions to garage rock and punk.

In the late ’90s and early 2000s, Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, helmed by Ben Gibbard, became a gold standard of indie rock. (His song “Teardrop Windows” is about Pioneer Square’s Smith Tower.) More recently, Brandi Carlile, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Mary Lambert, The Head and the Heart, SYML, and Fleet Foxes have made a splash.

Want to learn more? MOPOP (325 Fifth Ave N) has great exhibitions on some of Seattle’s music legends, Nirvana, Hendrix, and other local artists. Discover how the city has inspired a wide range of musicians in our series Seattle (Un)Covered.