Smells Like Teen Spirit — Nirvana (1991)

Samuel Bayer's anarchic pep-rally-gone-wrong visual for Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is the definitive grunge anthem video, capturing Generation X's anti-establishment fury with a budget of only $50,000. The clip featured a listless high school crowd and a janitor dancing amid chaos, receiving over 70 rotations per week on MTV at its peak. Compared to #7's "Vogue," which cost $2 million and depended on precise choreography, "Teen Spirit" spent 40 times less but achieved greater cultural resonance, helping the album "Nevermind" sell 30 million copies worldwide.