It cannot be denied that the 1990s were defined by the growth of alternative media and multiculturalism. Movements such as hip hop, teen pop, and the rave scene became widely loved across the world, strengthened by advances of the decade such as the World Wide Web and cable television. Then there was the renewed popularity of punk rock in 1994 thanks to Green Day, Blink 182, and Weezer.
U2’s groundbreaking Zoo TV and PopMart tours produced the best-selling concerts of 1992 and 1997, while Dr. Dre's 1992 album The Chronic created an environment for modern gangsta rap, opening up space for other artists to make the genre a tremendous commercial success during the early 1990s. The decade also launched female pop icons like The Spice Girls, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguillera, all of whom took the world by storm, enjoying their respective global success within the widespread scene of teen pop music.
The period also saw a worldwide phenomenon in country music courtesy of Shania Twain and Garth Brooks, with their wildly successful careers making music history. Brooks holds record-breaking sales and concert attendance figures throughout the decade. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has certified his recordings at a combined 128× platinum.
Despite the many music-related deaths of the decade (Freddie Mercury, Kurt Cobain, and Selena to name a few), the tunes of the ‘90s continue to influence today’s artists and audiences across the world through the legacy left by these remarkable entertainers of various genres.
Formed in Aberdeen, Washington by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic, the immensely popular rock band Nirvana found monumental worldwide success in 1991 via their track Smells Like Teen Spirit. Nirvana's epic journey popularized alternative rock, and Cobain was dubbed the "spokesman of a generation." Their band has gone down in history as the "flagship band" of Generation X.
With more than 75 million records sold worldwide, Nirvana is considered one of the top-selling bands of all time. American music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine wrote that Nirvana redefined alternative music. According to Erlewine, following the release of their first major album Nevermind, "nothing was ever quite the same, for better and for worse." The album established "the cultural and commercial viability of alternative rock in general."
This boy band was formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993 and rose to stardom with the release of their international album, Backstreet Boys in 1996. Impressively, they are the first and the only band since Led Zeppelin to have their first ten albums join the top 10 on the Billboard 200. One of the legacies that The Backstreet Boys will leave to their millions of fans was the tornado relief concert they headlined in 1998 in Orlando, raising more than $250,000. The day was also announced as Backstreet Boys Day in Orlando in honor of their kind act towards the city and its people.
Did you know that Ryan Gosling almost joined the famous group? In 1992, AJ Mclean lived in the same building as Ryan Gosling. During one of their basketball games, AJ asked Ryan to join his new band, The Backstreet Boys. Ryan nodded. Just like that. However, he didn’t follow through.
The Spice Girls made their debut in 1994. Originally called “Touch,” they changed their name in 1995 following a change of management. Did we mention that they had several meetings with the Queen and Prince Charles?
The iconic English pop girl group consisted of Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"), Victoria Beckham ("Posh Spice"), Melanie Brown ("Scary Spice"), Melanie Chisholm ("Sporty Spice") and Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"). "Wannabe" (1996), their debut song reached number one in 37 countries, establishing their worldwide success. The Spice Girls' version of the phrase “Girl Power” was appealing as it sent a message of empowerment to young girls, adolescents, and adult women, focusing on the relevance of loyal friendship among females.
Widely referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by Guinness World Records, the New York native is known for her signature five-octave vocal range and use of the whistle register. Mariah Carey’s eponymous debut album led to her superstardom as it topped the US Billboard 200 for eleven consecutive weeks.
Her single "One Sweet Day" was regarded as the longest-running US number-one single in history from 1996 until 2019. The singer/songwriter has received five Grammy Awards, ten American Music Awards, and 15 Billboard Music Awards. To this day, Carey has consistently been recognized for influencing a generation of singers and is considered one of the pioneers of contemporary R&B music. Before making a name for herself in the music industry, she studied cosmetology in Manhattan and juggled odd jobs like sweeping in hair salons, waitressing, and hostessing to support herself.
Kurt Cobain despised Pearl Jam, but that did not hinder their global success. The rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, and broke into the mainstream with their debut album, Ten (1991). One of the key bands in the grunge movement during the early 1990s, Pearl Jam avoided popular music industry traditions like giving interviews and creating music videos.
The group was hailed as "the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s" by AllMusic and has been described as "modern rock radio's most influential stylists.” Ranked at no. 8 by Rolling Stone magazine in its "Top Ten Live Acts of All Time," the band has also been credited for inspiring American rock music culture.
Arguably, Nirvana’s greatest hit, and the song of the decade, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was a teen revolution anthem. Kurt Cobain explained that the song was about his friends: "We still feel as if we're teenagers because we don't follow the guidelines of what's expected of us to be adults.” Indeed, the song identified with the generation so much that its young listeners easily related to the lyrics.
A pop song that describes a girl's emotions after a break-up with her boyfriend, "...Baby One More Time" was released in 1998 and became the country's best-selling song of 1999. The music video shows Britney Spears as a scantily-clad Catholic high school student who dreams that she is singing and dancing around the campus while observing her love interest from afar. Any teenage girl of the ‘90s can relate.
The Spice Girls' most iconic song stayed in the number one spot of the Hot 100 chart for a month, making the entire world sing and dance ala “zig-a-zig-a.” The lyrics symbolize the importance of female friendship and empowerment. While this contributed to the song’s epic success, rumors have it that the song was, in reality, referencing drugs. We hope not.
“(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" is a mega-hit song by Canadian singer/songwriter Bryan Adams. It has been covered by hundreds of singers around the world. Intended to be a theme song for the action-adventure film Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, Adams spent 45 minutes writing the song and knew he’d “written something beautiful,” but “had no idea of the impact it would have.”
Shania Twain’s most successful song won the 1999 Grammy Awards for Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Inspired by their marriage, Twain wrote the song with her rock producer husband, Robert Lange. Sadly, the couple divorced after fourteen years of marriage. Ironic.