re: if Kurt Cobain wouldn't have suicided?

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More like Pearl Jam.

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Their style was nothing like Pearl Jam. Kurt did everything possible to deviate from the commercial success and polished sound of Nevermind. In Utero is so deeply rooted in punk and indie, it gives me the impression that the band would have continued to trend towards a less radio-friendly sound.

Cobain's legacy, like with all musical "martyrs", is aided by his early death. However, it's hard for me to imagine Nirvana just fading into obscurity like some of their contemporaries.

Soundgarden is the perfect example of a band that attempted to appease record executives rather than continue on with a sound which garnered such widespread acclaim. I would imagine that Nirvana's later releases would be more akin to Alice in Chains: experimental and variegated in sound and style.

It would have been difficult for Kurt to continue to channel such anger and despair in his writing. Eventually, you stop being a pissed-off teenager or young adult and move on with your life. Had he maintained his addiction, then perhaps he would have continued on in a similar path. However, artists of his ilk typically lose some "juice" in their music and lyrics once they become sober.