Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters emerged from the ashes of grunge pioneers Nirvana to become one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the early 21st century.

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl - a veteran of the Washington D.C. hardcore scene - joined Nirvana in 1990, replacing Chad Channing on drums. Grohl's massive drum sound and disco-inspired beats were an essential component of Nirvana's rise to universal success, which began with 1991's Nevermind. Nirvana singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain struggled with health issues and drug addiction, however, and on Apr. 5, 1994, he died by suicide in his Seattle home.

Grohl resurfaced the following year with Foo Fighters' self-titled debut LP, which he wrote and recorded entirely on his own. Guitarist Pat Smear, who played rhythm guitar in Nirvana during the group's final months, as well as Sunny Day Real Estate bassist Nate Mendel and drummer William Goldsmith completed the Foo Fighters lineup for the band's 1997 sophomore effort The Colour and the Shape, which spawned the hit singles "Everlong," "Monkey Wrench" and "My Hero."

Drummer Taylor Hawkins replaced Goldsmith ahead of the third Foo Fighters LP, 1999's There Is Nothing Left to Lose: Grohl, Mendel and Hawkins remained the nucleus of the group into the new millennium, releasing a series of albums including 2007's Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, which earned Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Best Hard Rock Performance, as well as 2011's Wasting Light, their first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Hawkins died Mar. 25, 2022, ahead of a Foo Fighters performance in Bogotá, Colombia; Josh Freese was installed as his replacement for 2023's But Here We Are.