Let me see if I understand the rules to your challenge. You're talking about an actual BAND (so solo artists like latin sensation Ricky Martin are excluded?) and it has to be within the past 10 years (dropping Big Country and 2LiveCrew from the running). With that, here goes...

One can obviously look at this from different angles when trying to assess a band that had the kind of 'impact' Nirvana had. No...popularity alone won't cut it, nor will raw talent or a sexy pair of leather pants. Sure bands like Arctic Monkeys and Spoon are putting out some decent hits, but who has heard of them? Don't tell me that Good Charlotte even gets a sniff of the Top 100 list! What...you put on a little black eye liner and PRESTO you're a rock star? I thought you might have been on to something with your mention of Outcast, which could cross over between the male & female audience with their street hiphop vibe coupled with a bouncy clubin' beat, but they've been MIA over the past few years. U2 War was an absolute kickin' album and I applaud their political awareness, but they get ruled out of this contest due to conceitedness (and sunglasses selection), plus I can't understand a bloody word that bloke says during an interview.

I think that the #1 challenger in your challenge has to be.....(drumroll).....The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Hey, I said challenger, not winner. Come on, they've got longevity, urban sex appeal and all around talent at each position. So what they look like freaks. That's exact what I want. My motto: play like an all star, bang like a porn star and party like a rock star. If you don't like my answer, I'm sending Public Enemy over to your house tonight to drop some knowledge on ya, boyee!

Lori Colvin
Yes for the time Nirvana had a real impact on the tennagers in the 90's and defined a new genre of pop culture but I would argue that the same kind of argument for a cross generational impact over time could not be made.

You have a right to like Tool more than Nirvana. After all, there are people out there who think Fall Out Boy is a good band with musical talent. But it is positively idiotic and irresponsible to make the audacious assertion that Tool has had more influence within the rock genre than Nirvana.

Nirvana, love them or hate them, is one of the most most influential and copied bands of all-time. Though I love Nirvana, I do agree that the martyrdom of Kurt has had a lot to do with their enormous legacy. After all, I distinctly remember that when he was alive, Nirvana and Pearl Jam were about equals, but after the suicide, Nirvana skyrocketed to the top, subsequently taking PJ a decade and several more albums to attain the same heights.

And by the way, Radiohead sucks.

I've dug (digged?) this already, but thought
I'd comment here, too.

Well, wow. I believe you've grabbed a live wire with both hands here my friend. And clearly, that wire is a bit frayed - wires exposed and ready to spark on contact - in some places.

Funny how the same people who act like you've physically assaulted their own mothers by merely giving your strong opinion are often the same ones who: 1) personally insult you and 2) act as if their opinion is painfully self-evident but then 3) still feel the need to argue against you.

******
"One must always choose the lesser of two weevils..."
******

You are an idiot. Nirvana is one of the most over-rated bands to ever play on stage, aside from Godsmack that is. Kurt couldn't play for shit, he couldn't sing for shit, and heroin wrote his best songs. I hate how just because someone shoots himself (or gets shot, whatever you believe) everyone thinks he was such a damn genius. They haven't even made 1/100th the impact that the Beatles or Led Zeppelin made...Tool has made a better impression on the music industry even. DOWN WITH NIRVANA!

Nirvana was indeed a huge part of the alternative and angsty 90's, and if I had a time machine I would certainly go back...if only for a few days. Although, I must admit that when it came to my personal taste - Alice n Chains & Pearl Jam were the ones who connected to my emotions and pulled me through dark times. But on a sad note, only the really devoted AnC/Mad Season fans mourned the loss of Layne. Even more depressing though is the fact that a great deal of the 90's pioneers died of drug overdose (Shannon Hoon, Bradley Nowell, etc.) - And that is one reason I raise my arms in a "V" to PJ for not only staying "Alive", but keeping the spirit of real jammin, as well as speaking truth about politics when it is needed.
People often wonder why I hate music these days - but the reason I do is because a majority of bands no longer have anything to say. Of course...yes...it has all been said before, BUT we all are unique individuals who can tap into the omega of creativity and remind the masses that music is truly a universal language....and should contain some substance.

Stop it. Take any of the artists mentioned in that list, and put a shotgun in their hands, and bingo, you'd have what you're lookin for.

Tupac didn't make an impact like Kurt? Oh that's right, he did. And he was shot.

Biggie? Shot. Bullets = sales and legacy.

Nirvana was a big deal. The whole scene was a big deal, and they had the catchy song to ride to the top.

But DON'T put them on a f$@% rock god pedestal because the dude couldn't hack it and killed himself. Glorifying suicide is stupid.

If any band is doing anything right in rock music, it's Pearl Jam. But you know why that is? 'Cause they don't give a shit about "who sells the most albums" and billboard charts and all that.

They just wanna rock.

I'm sure it's been mentioned, but it can probably be argued that Tool could mentioned above Nirvana. I try to look at bands now by whose t-shirts we're still going to see kids wearing in 10 or 20 years. I agree with you on pretty much everything though. There's not anyone around right now with that kind of staying power or influence...spare just a couple of bands. I'd put Tool at the top of my list though. Given the time, I think Nirvana would've done something to lessen their historial impact had Kurt not killed himself when he did (at the peak of it all).

Although Nirvana is a legend, I do have to admit that by Kurt killing himself it pretty much sky rocketed the success of Nirvana. Most people think of Kurt Cobain as a one man show. They fail to realize that without th killer drummer and wacky bassist in that band, there probably wouldn't be a success when he was alive.
I think you already gave the only band that has surpassed Nirvana already. Foo Fighters. Dave has so many hits and so much passion; Nirvana doesn't come close. Just reevaluate Dave's career as the the front man/songwriter for Foo Fighters. Not only does he charm us with a great rock band, but also as a metal freak himself has helped out the metal scene with projects.
I'm afraid Nirvana was the product of people feeling sorry for someone who ended his life. People seem to want the depression...weird.

I think Nirvana was completely overrated, and are who they are, because of the death of Kurt. I've always seen them as a one-hit wonder kind of group (Teen Spirit), with an underserving legacy over the death of their lead singer.
In HIP-HOP, go ahead and add Jay-Z, Common, Nas (please remove Eminem and Lil Wayne). R&B: Beyonce, Ne-yo, R. Kelly (doing it since 1992, and is finally falling off), Mary J Blige, Mariah Carey. ALTERNATIVE: Linkin Park, Maroon 5.
There are more to add, but I think there are many out there doing their thing. Like Biggie and Tupac, death increases appreciation that may not have been given if they were still alive.

I think you make a good point about the martyrdom/icon aspect of Kurt Cobain. I don't think there's any doubt that he is the Jim Morrison or Jimi Hendrix of Generation X.

Personally, I love that entire period of music. Alice In Chains, Soundgarden, and even Screaming Trees were all brilliant fucking bands. Along with the British Invasion scene of the 60's, I think the Seattle movement in the early 90's is about as good as it gets in rock.

I'm with you on Pearl Jam. I love them, too, and the fact that they are still going says something. I guess where I think Nirvana might have an edge on most "supergroups" since 1994 is in their huge impact/effect on the musical-landscape and pop culture (in their time, and still today). Be it timing or martyrdom or perception, it is Nirvana who seems to leave a heavier mark on our conciousness (at least to me). But, long live Eddie V!

I love Nirvana, but I've always thought Pearl Jam was just a little better. Vedder & CO. are definitely the best live rock band since The Who, and given their current status I think it's pretty easy to assume that they are more popular world-wide than is Nirvana. I'm surprised they didn't make it on your list. In terms of today's supergroups, I think it's pretty much a toss-up between PJ and U2 for ultimate supremacy.