Bleach
by Nirvana

Bleach by Nirvana
Year: 1989
Release date: 1989-06-15
Overall rank: 490th   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 1,321 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 10 albums of 1989 (7th)
Award Top 100 albums of the 1980s (74th)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (490th)

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Nirvana bestography

Bleach is ranked 4th best out of 17 albums by Nirvana on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Nirvana is Nevermind which is ranked number 13 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 37,291.

Nirvana album bestography « Higher ranked (157th)
MTV Unplugged In New York
This album (490th)
Bleach
Lower ranked (1,662nd) »
Incesticide

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Mar
07
Sat
GROHL FEST - Celebrating the Music of Foo Fighters & Nirvana
Mickey's Black Box, Lititz, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
13
Fri
Nirvana GrungeFest + Seven Circle Sunrise
Rumba Cafe, Columbus, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Mar
13
Fri
Smells Like Nirvana - Tribute to Nirvana
Knitting Factory - Boise, Boise, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 

Listen to Bleach on YouTube

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Bleach rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 490th | 1980s rank: 74th | 1989 rank: 7th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026matterhornriderTop 42 Music Albums of 198922/423
2026sweetnessTop 82 Music Albums of the 1980s49/828
2026 RomanelliTop 79 Music Albums of 198944/792
2026leniadTop 101-200 Music Albums of the 1980s23/44 -
2026Rm12398Top 26 Music Albums of 198920/261
2026spewventuriTop 91 Music Albums of the 1980s29/9114
2026 zags7000Top 100 Music Albums of 198935/1003
2026Cheboygan74Top 16 Music Albums of 19896/163
2026JohnnyoTop 100 Music Albums of 198936/1003
2026bonnequestionTop 17 Music Albums of 19899/173
2026saltysurpriseTop 67 Music Albums of 198915/674
2026SiromynianTop 23 Music Albums of 19898/233
2026AbsurdCheesecakeTop 60 Music Albums of the 1980s35/609
2026 ExTeaSeaFavorite album of each year!37/50 -
2026 PurplepashTop 100 Greatest Music Albums67/10033
2026bonnequestionTop 100 Music Albums of the 1980s51/10010
2026culwinTop 42 Music Albums of 19898/424
2026Cheboygan74Top 100 Music Albums of the 1980s36/10013
2026 neilgeeTop 33 Music Albums of 198922/332
2026stareaterogni0nTop 100 Greatest Music Albums84/10017
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 644
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 3,477
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Bleach collection

Bleach ratings

Average Rating: 
76/100 (from 1,321 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 1,321 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
50/100
 
18 hours ago WIMRMet319  Ratings distribution  3273/100
 
95/100
 
22 hours ago HorribleClaus25  Ratings distribution  13986/100
 
80/100
 
4 days ago zsolti  Ratings distribution  66681/100
 
80/100
 
5 days ago bulutsuzluk  Ratings distribution  1988/100
 
75/100
 
03/01/2026 17:22 sweetness  Ratings distribution  1,07279/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 5% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 76.1/100, a mean average of 75.2/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 76.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 15.3.

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Bleach comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 61 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
85/100
From 05/22/2023 19:15 | #297167
Solid debut album form Nirvana, they had never been that heavy and raw after it. I love the section About The Girl, School, Love Buzz any of these could be my favorite song. I aslo find Paper Cuts and Negative Creep very interesting. The album drags for me a bit and I don't like Mr Moustache, but it's overall very good.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 04/07/2023 05:01 | #295841
Bleach may not be Nirvana's most meticulously crafted album, but it will always be my favorite. The raw, buzzy brutality achieved on this record by just three musicians is as baffling as it is exhilarating. Kurt Cobain was a rare creative force, and I believe Bleach captures his genius in spades. The sheer variety displayed on this project is admirable--from the lurching stoner sludge of "Paper Cuts" and "Floyd the Barber," to the furious thrash of "Mr. Mustache" and "Negative Creep," to the sparkling Beatles-esque beauty of "About a Girl," and everything in between. Underneath all the howling and shredding, there is a tangible lyrical wit and countercultural intelligence. Potent, snarky, catchy, memorable hooks are all over this record. Incredible, and too-often overlooked.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/30/2023 11:31 | #295598
Peso, distorção, agressividade escondendo poesia.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 09/29/2022 05:51 | #290039
Features my favourite Nirvana track Negative Creep and for raw energy beats Nevermind
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
70/100
From 09/07/2022 01:10 | #289452
Alright debut but nothing too special
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 08/29/2022 13:18 | #289000
My favorite Nirvana album. I’m not saying it to be different or anything, I feel like this album has an authentic quality about it that the later 2 lack, and I don’t get the feeling from Kurt that he is a miserable twat. I give it a 90/100, it’s a great casual listen
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
65/100
From 07/23/2022 16:53 | #287754
Miserable.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
15/100
From 01/01/2022 13:31 | #278331
Really poor album overall. About A Girl is an incredible song, and drags the rating of this album up considerably - a glimpse of the greatness to come. Love Buzz is okay, but the rest is just incoherent noise.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -2 votes (2 helpful | 4 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 11/20/2021 12:24 | #276465
‘Bleach’ is one of those albums that is historically important without actually being particularly good and clearly suffers from personnel issues (Dave Grohl wouldn’t join Nirvana for another year and Jason Evermore, Soundgarden, wouldn’t play a note despite being credited on the sleeve)

There’s four really solid tracks here in “Blew” / “About a Girl” / the Shocking Blue cover “Love Buzz” and of course “Negative Creep”, the remaining 9 tracks, with the exceptions “Floyd the Barber” & “School” are largely forgettable. Cobain famously declared he was still writing lyrics for ‘Bleach’ on his way to the studio and it kinda shows

I could understand someone saying they prefer this album to Nirvana’s next release, but to say its better is simply wrong
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 10/28/2021 20:25 | #275488
Nirvana’s opening effort shows their embryonic brilliance in punk form. The songs are – for the most part – short and punchy, delivering their message with energy and abandon and then closing abruptly. The songwriting may not quite be up to their future standards but there’s no denying the impact of this album.
Best Track: About A Girl
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1989
1. Doolittle by Pixies
2. Disintegration by The Cure
3. The Stone Roses by The Stone Roses
4. Paul's Boutique by Beastie Boys
5. 3 Feet High And Rising by De La Soul
6. On Fire by Galaxie 500
7. Bleach by Nirvana
8. Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails
9. Full Moon Fever by Tom Petty
10. New York by Lou Reed
11. Like A Prayer by Madonna
12. Technique by New Order
13. The Real Thing by Faith No More
14. The Sensual World by Kate Bush
15. Rhythm Nation 1814 by Janet Jackson
16. Floating Into The Night by Julee Cruise
17. 13 Songs by Fugazi
18. Hats by The Blue Nile
19. Oh Mercy by Bob Dylan
20. Wrong by NoMeansNo
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