The group looked at Mark Lanegan's 1990 album The Winding Sheet for inspiration. Nirvana wanted to do something different from a typical MTV Unplugged performance according to drummer Dave Grohl, 'We'd seen the other Unpluggeds and didn't like many of them, because most bands would treat them like rock shows-play their hits like it was Madison Square Garden, except with acoustic guitars.' Nirvana had been in negotiations to appear for some time Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain finally accepted while touring with the Meat Puppets. MTV Unplugged began airing on MTV in 1989, with artists performing their hits on acoustic instruments in intimate settings. The performance was released as a DVD in 2007. It won the Best Alternative Music Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards, Nirvana's only Grammy Award win, and has since been ranked one of the greatest live albums of all time. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 and was certified eight-times multiplatinum by the RIAA in 2020. It was the first Nirvana release after the suicide of singer Kurt Cobain seven months prior. MTV Unplugged was released after plans to release the performance as part of a live double-album compilation titled Verse Chorus Verse, were abandoned.

They were joined by rhythm guitarist Pat Smear and cellist Lori Goldston, plus members of Meat Puppets for some songs.

Unlike prior MTV Unplugged performances, which were entirely acoustic, Nirvana used electric amplification and guitar effects during the set. In a break with MTV Unplugged tradition, Nirvana played mainly lesser-known material and covers of songs by the Vaselines, David Bowie, Lead Belly and Meat Puppets. The show was directed by Beth McCarthy and aired on the cable television network MTV on December 16, 1993. It features an acoustic performance recorded at Sony Music Studios in New York City on November 18, 1993, for the television series MTV Unplugged. MTV Unplugged in New York is a live album by American rock band Nirvana, released on November 1, 1994, by DGC Records.

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