Dave Grohl Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Dave Grohl’s net worth?

With a net worth of $330 million, Dave Grohl is a prominent American rock musician, singer, songwriter, and director. Best recognized as the frontman and guitarist of the Foo Fighters, he was also the former drummer for Nirvana. During his time with Nirvana, Grohl contributed to the sale of 75 million records globally, 30 million of which were sold in the United States. The Foo Fighters have also had significant commercial success, selling over 30 million albums worldwide, and notably, they have been one of the highest-grossing touring acts for over two decades. An essential distinction between the two bands is that Grohl owns all the masters of Foo Fighters’ albums, licensing them to Sony/BMG while retaining complete ownership of the catalog.

During a 2011 interview with Howard Stern, Grohl revealed that his net worth was approximately $15 million when Nirvana came to an end, at which point he was in his early 20s.

Early Life

David Eric Grohl was born in Warren, Ohio, on January 14, 1969, and has an older sister, Lisa. When he was a child, his family relocated to Springfield, Virginia. His parents, Virginia and James, divorced when he was seven, and his mother raised him alongside his sister.

At the age of 12, Dave began learning the guitar. Finding traditional lessons unfulfilling, he decided to teach himself. During a summer spent with his cousin Tracy in Chicago at the age of 13, he was introduced to punk rock music. That summer, he attended his first concert, a 1982 Naked Raygun performance at the iconic Cubby Bear bar in Chicago.

While in high school at Thomas Jefferson High, he held the position of vice president in his freshman class. When his mother discovered he was using marijuana, she transferred him to Bishop Ireton High School. Throughout high school, he played in various local bands and taught himself how to play drums.

In December 1985, at just 16 years old, Grohl became a member of a hardcore punk band named Dain Bramage, which ultimately disbanded in March 1987 when he left to join a local band called Scream, already an established touring punk act. Notably, Dave was significantly younger than his bandmates, being a decade their junior.

Scream

At the age of 17, Grohl auditioned for the role of drummer in the well-known local punk rock band Scream in Washington, D.C. He fabricated his age in order to qualify for the audition and was taken aback when the position was offered to him. As a result, he decided to leave high school during his junior year. With the band, he not only toured extensively but also recorded two studio albums along with several live albums.

While performing with Scream, Dave formed a friendship with Buzz Osborne from the Melvins. One evening, Osborne brought along his friends Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic to watch Scream play. A few months after that, Cobain and Novoselic’s band Nirvana was on the lookout for a new drummer. At this time, Scream was largely inactive. Osborne informed Grohl that Nirvana needed a drummer and passed along Cobain and Novoselic’s contact details. Grohl was invited to Seattle for an audition with Nirvana. The rest is now historical.

Nirvana and Foo Fighters

During the spring of 1991, the band entered Sound City Studios in Los Angeles to record their album “Nevermind,” a process documented by Grohl in his 2013 film Sound City. Upon its release in 1991, Nevermind surpassed all expectations, achieving global commercial success.

After Kurt Cobain’s passing in 1994 and the end of Nirvana, Dave devoted six days to recording music independently, seeking a means to alleviate his grief. He handled all instrumentation on the tracks and produced them himself. Upon completion, he created 100 cassette tapes, distributing them amongst friends. Preferring to remain anonymous, he adopted the name Foo Fighters. One of those tapes made its way to a record executive at Capital Records, who signed Dave immediately, believing the music was from a full band. This marked the inception of Foo Fighters, which has enjoyed a thriving music career ever since. To date, Grohl has released 11 studio albums with the Foo Fighters, who have sold tens of millions of records globally and garnered numerous Grammy awards.

Other Work

In addition to his primary career, Grohl has made guest appearances for bands such as Queens of the Stone Age and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Moreover, Dave has worked on various projects alongside music artists like Tenacious D, Nine Inch Nails, Killing Joke, David Bowie, and Paul McCartney. Although he ranks among the most successful musicians ever, Dave is widely recognized for being one of the friendliest and most approachable individuals in the industry.

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In July 2009, it came to light that Grohl was collaborating with Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age and John Paul Jones, forming Them Crooked Vultures. Their inaugural performance occurred on August 9, 2009, at Metro in Chicago. The trio made a surprise appearance for their first UK show on August 26, 2009, at Brixton Academy in London. In the fall of the same year, they released their debut album, Them Crooked Vultures.

Since 1992, Grohl has made 13 appearances on Saturday Night Live, more than any other musician. His appearances include performances with Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures, alongside Mick Jagger and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

In 2013, Grohl made his directorial debut by producing and directing a documentary that chronicles the history of the iconic recording studio Sound City located in Van Nuys, California.

In 2014, Grohl also directed the HBO documentary miniseries Sonic Highways, which was associated with Foo Fighters’ eighth studio album. He referred to this project as “a love letter to the history of American music,” with each of the eight episodes serving as a deep dive into the musical heritage of a different American city through a series of interviews conducted by Grohl.

In early 2020, Grohl revealed that he was working on a new documentary centered around bands’ van tours. Tentatively titled “What Drives Us,” this project examines the motivation that drives musicians to abandon everything for months to tour the country in a small van.

In 2022, Grohl and the Foo Fighters made cameos as themselves in the horror-comedy film “Studio 666.”

Personal Life

Grohl wed photographer Jennifer Leigh Youngblood in 1994, but they separated in December 1997 and finalized their divorce later that year.

On August 2, 2003, he tied the knot with Jordyn Blum. They are parents to three daughters: Violet Maye (born April 15, 2006), Harper Willow (born April 17, 2009), and Ophelia Saint (born August 1, 2014).

In September 2024, Grohl confirmed via social media that he had welcomed a child out of wedlock.

Notably, Grohl does not read music and instead plays solely by ear.

In August 2009, he received the key to the city of Warren, Ohio, where he performed to mark the occasion. In his honor, a street in downtown was named “Dave Grohl Alley.”

On May 20, 2015, Grohl and the Foo Fighters were chosen by David Letterman to perform “Everlong” as the final musical act on the last episode of Late Show with David Letterman. Letterman expressed that “Everlong” was his favorite song and mentioned a bond that formed between him and the band when they canceled tour dates to play for his first show after heart bypass surgery at his request.

In 2022, Grohl faced the loss of both his mother, Virginia, and his best friend and bandmate, Taylor Hawkins. The Foo Fighters’ 11th studio album, “But Here We Are,” is dedicated to their memory.

Real Estate

As noted in an interview with Variety, “When Nirvana rose to fame, I made my first purchase—a beach house in North Carolina, and I spent years there indulging in pulled pork like crazy during that time.I was 22 to about 25 years old.” It remains uncertain when or if he decided to sell this property. Back in 1993, a 24-year-old Dave acquired a 4,000-square-foot residence in Shoreline, Washington, paying $335,000. He then sold that home in 1997 for $345,000.

Following Kurt Cobain’s passing, Dave moved to Alexandria, Virginia, temporarily residing in a 4,500-square-foot house. He constructed a recording studio where his newly formed Foor Fighters recorded their debut album “Nothing to Lose” within that home.

In 2001, Dave invested $569,000 in a property located in Sherman Oaks, California, which he later sold in July 2024 for $1.6 million. In 2003, he purchased an 8,000-square-foot home on two acres in Encino, California, for $2.2 million. Currently, that property is estimated to be worth around $9 million.

In 2006, Dave bought a beachfront property in Oxnard, California, for $3.8 million. He sold that residence in November 2015 for $2.9 million.