The 90s was an extraordinary decade for pop music. Boy bands, divas and even new genres all thrived during this era – the Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears being among its most iconic acts; grunge brought an alternative sound to rock while rappers such as D’Angelo and Outkast propelled hip hop into mainstream awareness.
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” served as an iconic pop music anthem of the 1990s, which were years of cultural upheaval and change. Grunge saw its revival, with bands like Smashing Pumpkins and Jane’s Addiction becoming beloved favorites with their dark songs and anthemic howls; at the same time rap and hip hop artists such as Public Enemy, N.W.A, Notorious B.I.G and Snoop Dogg made its global dominance known.
The 1990s witnessed an upsurge in hard rock and glam metal music, with acts such as Guns N’ Roses, Van Halen, Aerosmith and Poison all experiencing unprecedented success. Unfortunately for third wave glam metal groups like Firehouse Warrant Slaughter this period marked their end as their peak may never come again.
Popular music in the 1990s saw many musical trends come and go throughout, yet its focus remained consistent: teen pop and dance-pop styles continued their reign while R&B became more integrated with hip-hop, with new jack swing and neo-soul flourishing, leading to success of artists like Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men and Janet Jackson on charts worldwide.
Overall, the 1990s was an era of intense contrasts and creative genre fusions; an intricate dance between counterculture and mainstream culture that still resonates today among Gen Xers, millennials, and “zoomers” (Gen Z) alike. Even today they listen to more music from that decade than any other generation does.
Arrested Development’s “Tennessee”
Arrested Development, known for their groundbreaking 1992 debut “Three Years, Five Months and Two Days in the Life of…,” made an unforgettable impactful statement about music’s unwavering relevancy to society today.
Atlanta-based group Mayday Parade may not have made waves among hip hop’s gun-toting gangsta rappers, but their music resonated strongly with African American cultural history through songs such as People Everyday, Mr. Wendal and Tennessee; each song contained sunny pop choruses combined with political ideallism and humor – including their album’s title track featuring Prince’s Alphabet Street sample which captured perfectly their deep legacy of slavery, lynchings and racial violence still haunting black communities today in America
The 90s saw several alternative artists transform rock music, replacing hair metal bands of the 1980s with unconventional acts who dared to go beyond its rules – Jimmy Eat World helped usher in the rise of emo while Elliott Smith followed in Bob Dylan’s footsteps by weaving folk-style storytelling with heartache and depression into their work.
Grunge quickly eclipsed sugary 80s pop, yet that didn’t hinder girl and boy pop groups such as Spice Girls and *NSYNC from making waves on the charts; Britney Spears reigned as a solo artist. Meanwhile, country made a comeback thanks to neo-traditionalists Clint Black and Alan Jackson, with singers Trisha Yearwood and Brooks and Dunn mixing southern rock with mainstream pop.
Beck’s “Loser”
“Loser,” released in 1994 by DIY singer-songwriter Beck Hansen was an instantaneous success and became one of his signature hits. This unique blend of folk and rap music resonated strongly with young musicians with unconventional ideas who used multi-track recorders; moreover, its popularity became emblematic for an entire generation X of burnouts and misfits who associated itself with “Loser”.
Beck began this song with a rap section where he discussed being less-than, being stuck in monkey mode, and suffering through life as an underachiever. From there he segued into lyrics about spray-painted vegetables and termites choking on splinters; most were free association lyrics but proved so entertaining they captured everyone.
Beck was discontent with being cast as just another one-hit wonder and spent much of 1995 locked away in studios recording Odelay album.
Although “Loser” didn’t do as well commercially, it was a critical success and became Beck’s best-selling album to date. Additionally, several Grammy awards would go toward its creation; these included Best Engineered Non-Classical Album and Best Alternative Rock Album awards from Grammy. Rolling Stone also included it among their list of 500 Greatest Albums Ever Made.
Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca”
In the 1990s, hip hop experienced an unprecedented transformation as it evolved from regional style to a genre with vast mainstream and critical success. Additionally, this decade saw numerous distinct styles emerge such as Gangsta Rap (G-RAP), Party Rap, Political Rap and even Party-Rocking Hip Hop; alongside artists like Tupac Shakur, NWA LL Cool J A Tribe Called Quest and Sir Mix-a-Lot gaining mainstream acclaim during this era.
Alternative rock also enjoyed great popularity during the 90s with bands like Hootie and the Blowfish, Collective Soul, The Offspring, Alice in Chains, Creed, Counting Crows 311 and Green Day all having notable successes. These groups’ sound often included elements from other musical genres like ska, punk disco metal.
The 90s was also an era of female empowerment and diversity in music with the rise of girl groups such as Salt-n-Pepa, Queen Latifah, Missy Elliott and TLC. We saw R&B superstars such as Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey become superstars, along with pop icons like Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys becoming more widely-known stars.
Reggae saw its own development during the 1990s with artists like Beres Hammond and Mr. Vegas popularizing dub and dancehall as new forms of reggae music. Furthermore, this led to an emerging style known as raggae which combined elements from both genres.
Presidents of the United States of America’s “Lump”
In the ’90s, musical genres and styles collided creatively. Grunge embodied by Kurt Cobain’s disillusioned howls collided with pop music’s carefree explosion epitomised by The Spice Girls’ commercialised version of “Girl Power.” Britpop, industrial rock/metal and contemporary R&B were also all popularly played across different periods during this decade.
Hip hop continued its evolution throughout the ’90s, with distinct styles from various regions and coasts finding widespread mainstream success. Gangster rap, political rap and party rap were all seen as viable forms of expression during this era of hip hop’s development; artists like Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, The Fugees, Naughty by Nature Queen Latifah Salt-n-Pepa NWA De La Soul Ice Cube LL Cool J Eazy-E and A Tribe Called Quest all found great success during this era of hip hop’s development.
Reggae and dancehall continued their rise in popularity, with artists like Mr. Vegas championing his “filthy riddim” style of reggae music and Cutty Ranks likening his pre-music career to butchering enemies lyrically. African music also made waves as artists such as Baaba Maal and Ali Farka Toure brought Senegalese folk and world music from Senegal into global awareness. Musical trends from the 90s still influence popular culture today with dub and reggaeton becoming celebrated subgenres of pop music – widely considered to have marked the beginning of an era where no specific genre had to fit within certain boxs for mainstream appeal.
Marc Anthony’s “I Need to Know”
The 1990s were an exciting era in music history, when artists could express themselves and connect with audiences more freely than ever before. From grunge and gangsta rap to disco, TRL mall-pop, reggae dub and dancehall; to Colombian rock singer Shakira, Puerto Rican pop star Marc Anthony and Spanish crooner Enrique Iglesias dominating pop charts – everything came to fruition during these decades.
R&B experienced a significant renaissance during the 90s and began selling like it hadn’t since the 1960s, thanks to artists like Boyz II Men, Mary J. Blige, and R. Kelly reviving it through high-profile hits that drove massive sales figures.
Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston also found success during this era, often known as the golden age of R&B. Additionally, the 1990s witnessed the advent of neo soul music – which combined 70s soul influences with hip hop soul blends – through pioneering artists like D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill etc.
Outside of the United States, reggae enjoyed continued popularity and new iterations of Jamaican music were brought forward, such as that promoted by Mr. Vegas and Cutty Ranks through dancehall styles. Latin music also flourished immensely, with Ricky Martin surpassing Luis Miguel as Latin pop superstar to introduce his brand of Latin rock to audiences across the globe.