Some of us may remember where we were when we first heard, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” It marked the beginning of a movement away from hair bands like “Guns and Roses,” propelling a reluctant Kurt Kobain into music history and much of the nation’s youth into a flannel craze.

It’s been 25 years since Nirvana’s “Nevermind” was released. The seminal album didn’t just change the way people thought about rock or give new meaning to the word “grunge.” For many, it was the album that defined their youth, and their generation.

But one person’s “Nevermind” is another person’s “ Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band” or “Thriller,” depending on what spoke to you in your adolescence. And maybe Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” got into your head, even though you were born in the 90s. That works too.

What album defined your youth? Why did that particular artist speak to you, and how did it change the way you thought about music? 

Guests:

Shirley Halperin, news director of Billboard; music editor of The Hollywood Reporter; she tweets from