OK, for one. Nirvana opened the floodgates with the media.

I mean, yeah. Smells Like Teen Spirit got a lot of attention, but the Seattle scene had been garnering more and more attention for a while. Smells Like Teen Spirit breaking through would have had almost effect on rock music as a whole unless there were a bunch of other bands

As you said, Ten did not gain its momentum until well after Nevermind.

I never said that. I said it was outselling Nevermind by 1993. It also outsold Nevermind in 1992, which is the year Nevermind reached its zenith.

The article that it's linked to addressed The Replacements etc.

No, it didn't.

Sonic Youth and the Pixies were critically acclaimed but when the hottest band in the world mentions you repeatedly it increases your visibility.

This is arguable. The last Pixies album (released the day before Nevermind) performed less well than their previous album, and I mean, both Pixies and Sonic Youth were hugely influential even at the time Nirvana broke. David Bowie, U2, Pavement, Sebadoh, My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead etc etc etc were influenced by one or the other (or both) so their legacy was already intact.

I'm saying if we're going to talk about "alternative music" forefathers The Smiths, The Cure and Joy Division should be mentioned prior to the other bands you mentioned.