Kid Cudi praised for performing in dress on Saturday Night Live

Kid Cudi has won praise from fans around the world for performing in a dress on Saturday Night Live.

The rapper served as the musical guest on the latest episode of the sketch programme, which was hosted by actress Carey Mulligan in New York City on Saturday evening.

During the show, Kid took to the stage to perform his song Sad People, which explores his own battle with depression and suicidal thoughts, while wearing a floral print dress.

After fans began to speculate that the outfit was an homage to a look that the late Kurt Cobain wore in the 1990s, the star confirmed the tribute to the Nirvana guitarist via a social media message. Cobain committed suicide at the age of 27 in 1994.

Kid also took to Twitter after the show to share that Off-White creative director Virgil Abloh had custom-made the look and indicated it would be included in an upcoming collection.

"Virgil designed the dress for me. I told him I wanted to show love to Kurt (with) a floral print sundress and this man made a masterpiece. Thank You @virgilabloh. Ur a f**kin genius!! Love you man we did it!!!"

The outfit quickly generated a lot of attention online, with many fans praising both the fashion statement and tribute to Cobain.

"I love Kid Cudi and his performance last night was great! The only question I have is..does the dress have pockets @virgilabloh? Cuz it was fabulous," one viewer praised, while another commented, "I've always been a Kid Cudi fan but omg (oh my God) this dress is so cute and I'm a fan all over again!"

And another joked: "Kid Cudi has officially opened sundress season. I'll be avoiding hard pants for six more months."

Earlier in the evening, Kid also performed his song Tequila Shots while wearing a dark green cardigan and T-shirt featuring a photo of late SNL castmember Chris Farley. Farley died of a drug overdose at the age of 33 in 1997.