If Grunge is just a movement and not a stylistic entity, then the matter is settled by answering the following question:

Did Nirvana and in particular Cobain really identify with the grunge movement? 'Cause a number of fans claim that Cobain never really wanted anything to do with grunge and didn't see Nirvana as a part of it; that the only reason Nirvana was grouped with grunge was because they happened to be from Seattle; that the term "grunge", in respect to Nirvana, was just used as a promotional vehicle and for commercial ends, in other words, because they could; and so forth.

Not saying that is correct, just what some do claim.

Kurt Cobain was a fan of Black Flag, Meat Puppets and alternative acts like that. You can hardly blame him for not wanting to be part of the next music trend, especially when your fellow bands in the movement are mostly crap.

Did they lead it, or were they promoted and marketed as the leaders without that really being something they wanted or particularly identified with?

Well the term 'grunge' was made by the media to describe Nirvana's sound so bloody hell yes.

Nah, it wasn't.

According to Cobain, it was Jonathan Poneman, Sub Pop executive, who coined the term. Also widely credited with coining the term was Mark Arm, the Mudhoney vocalist.

Question remains: did Nirvana see themselves as part of the grunge movement or did they want to be something else/more than that?

He was quite partial to Black Sabbath and The Pixies too.

Yes, but there's a difference between on the one hand: taking pride in being part of something while wanting to be better than contemporaries, and on the other hand: scorning it and not desiring any sort of membership or association with it at all. If Cobain and Nirvana did not really associate with the movement in the first place, then there would be little reason to group them as part of it.

Did Kurt not have an audition for Melvins before Nirvana formed? I remember reading that he was briefly in Earth, as well. I could be mistaken on both accounts, though...I'm just curious.

Hmmm, 36 posts and noone is asking themselves how retarded this is?

Omg!!!!!!!