Can You pinpoint greatness?
Who were the best bands of the 90s?
Theres no way to determine what exactly it is that makes a band great.
Tupac Shakur
Sometimes their transcendent powers come primarily from a single member, as with Freddie Mercury ofQueen.
Sometimes its the mix of personalities, as it was withThe Beatles.
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so that compile this list, we tried to consider greatness across the entire spectrum.
We looked at the overall cultural impact of the bands work.
Hundreds of musical acts were considered but ultimately didnt make it.
Then some were marginalized, only receiving recognition later.
Some artists dropped onto the scene in 1999 but werent noteworthy until later.
Its a broad spectrum, bearing exceptions to every rule.
Read:Tupacs Best Quotes
2.
He gave city folks a more relatable kind of pickin and grinnin than the standard twangysteel guitarist.
Snoop Dogg
Snoop didnt always get high and make commentary on internet videos while he cooks with Martha Stewart.
Instead, he used to get high and makereally incredible musicboasting street-level reality.
Evidence that female minorities can bring the noise and empower.
Insane Clown Posse
I.C.P.
The Offspring
Fun, fast, and playful,The Offspringshow an offshoot of rock that none anticipated.
It remains their biggest selling album.
REM
The 90s seemedbuilt for R.E.M., with the odd pop-culture references of Stipes music.
Though they came from the 80s, R.E.M.
So strange, only the 90s could have spawned him.
Alanis Morissette
One of the first ladies to make a pop/rock crossover that actually worked.
Alanis Morissette was a vanguard who cemented empowerment for women in a new age.
Polarizing and unrelenting, theyre the example to follow now more than ever: Caustic civil disobedience.
Come back to us…
26.
Oasis
The only sound that accurately captures what it was like to be a teenage boy in the mid-1990s.
Spice Girls
When talking about music in the 90s, it is impossible not to mention the Spice Girls.
They burned fast and they burned bright in the often dreary 90s pop scene.
Their debut album earned them the record as the best-selling album by an all-girl group ever.
Topping the charts worldwide, it was certified 16x platinum.
Two further albums and a string of sellout tours more than qualify them for a spot on the list.
They had a string of successful albums that saw their popularity skyrocket.
Sadly substance abuse problems saw the band all but disappear for over 14 years in 1995.
It wasnt until 2009 that they reformed and released the first of three further albums.
They moved from strength to strength selling out every leg of every tour from 1990 through to 2016.
Aerosmith
Time means nothing to Aerosmith.
All members had just completed rehab programs and taken a short break following their 1989Pumpalbum.
They needed to hit it big and did so.
The song spent 12 months in the charts including 18 weeks in the number one spot.
Phish
A unique band that came to to the front in a unique time for music.
Phish is known for its wide range of songs and the different ways in which they play them.
Their claim to fame is never playing the same set twice.
DMB is a band that loves music.
Smashing Pumpkins
Alt-rock legends the Smashing Pumpkins rose to international acclaim in the mid-90s.
Selling more than 40 million records globally.
Green Day
Dookie,the major-label debut for Green Day propelled them towards rock stardom.
The related tour ran from 1991- 1993 and saw them gain a near-cult following.
The album saw the release of several hit singles including the timeless classicLinger.
They disbanded in 2019 after releasing one final album.
Korn
43.
Their influential third albumEnema of the Statewas released in 1999 and catapulted them to international acclaim.
Janes Addiction
There will be some who dispute the placement of Janes Addiction on this list.
After all, they disbanded in 1991 and spent the rest of the decade apart.
Pantera
When it comes to heavy metal, there are not many acts like Pantera.
After forming in 1986 they pioneered the groove-metal genre finding their feet in the 1990s.
Their fifth albumCowboys from Hellsaw their popularity begin to grow.
It went multi-platinum and saw 6 different singles released.
Faith No More
Album sales are important, but they are not everything.
Many of the names on this list have sold more music than alternative rock band Faith No More.
However, few can claim to have been as influential and experimental.
Unafraid to step out of their comfort zone and try something new.
If the 1990s were the era to experiment musically, then Faith No More took that to heart.
Their second albumSignificant Otherwas released in 1999 and propelled them into the mainstream spotlight.
So lets take a look at a few honorable mentions.
All of the above bands made enormous contributions to music in the 1990s.
One song can be received as great or crap by different ears.
Thats the beauty of music.
It speaks directly to our souls, and be it words, melody, or a combination of everything.
Music creates a resonance that moves us to the very core of our being.
That personal touch is what makes defining a list so hard.
Whats good for one is not necessarily good for the other.
We hope to have captured a rounded image of music from the 1990s.
It was a hard era in many ways, coming off the back of the 70s and 80s.
The weight of expectation was heavy.
