Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain first met at a Nirvana show in the Portland area, but the exact date varies by source. Most accounts place the first meeting around 1989 or 1990, and some biographies say they later reconnected in 1991 before starting their relationship.

What the sources say

  • One account says they met at the Satyricon nightclub in Portland in January 1990 during a Nirvana show.
  • Another says the first meeting may have happened in 1989 at a Dharma Bums gig with Nirvana opening.
  • A third version says they were formally introduced later, in 1991, at a concert.

Quick scoop

The simplest way to put it is: they met through the Portland grunge scene, probably at or around a Nirvana performance, and their exact first meeting is disputed.