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From grunge anthems to pop masterpieces, the 90s delivered some of music's most unforgettable hits. Join us as we count down our picks for the greatest songs from this iconic decade! From Nirvana's angst-filled revolution to Whitney's powerhouse vocals, we're celebrating the tracks that defined an era. Which 90s anthem still gets your playlist on repeat?
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00:00I found it hard, it's hard to find, but well, whatever, never mind.
00:08Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 30 greatest songs to come out during
00:14that oh-so-special time for music, the 1990s.
00:23Number 30, Bittersweet Symphony, The Verve.
00:26From the moment the world laid eyes on the now-iconic music video for this Verve classic, everyone was hooked.
00:33Bittersweet Symphony is Britpop at its absolute best, a poignant piece of passionately delivered pop from one of the standout
00:39bands of the era.
00:48Released in 1997, it went on to become the highest-selling record that Richard Ashcroft and company ever put out.
00:54Unfortunately, a long-running plagiarism dispute with the Rolling Stones left The Verve without financial compensation until years later.
01:07That does not change the fact that this song is widely regarded as their magnum opus.
01:13Number 29, Believe, Cher.
01:15Auto-Tune had been around for a while before Cher released Believe in 1998.
01:20Up to that point, though, it had been primarily used to correct poor vocals.
01:31On this track, however, the Auto-Tune was used as a stylistic choice, adding a robotic effect to the legendary
01:38singer's voice.
01:38Despite being over 30 years into her career, the song catapulted Cher right back to the top of the charts.
01:48Not only did the song end up becoming one of the most commercially successful she had ever released,
01:53it also further cemented her reputation as a cultural icon.
01:57Number 28, Say It Ain't So.
01:59Weezer.
02:00Ask 50 people to pick their definitive Weezer song, and we're sure that more than a few would go with
02:05Buddy Holly.
02:06For our money, though, few songs in their catalog sum up their overall vibe as well as Say It Ain't
02:12So.
02:18Like many other tracks off their debut, the guitar work is front and center,
02:22and the band has rarely sounded this good.
02:24Rivers Cuomo sings about his father's relationship with alcohol,
02:27and how that trauma shaped his view of his mother's next relationship.
02:30Say it ain't so, my love.
02:40To this day, the song is regarded as one of Weezer's best,
02:44an angsty masterpiece that has rarely left their set lists in the three decades since they put it out.
02:49Number 27, Fantasy, Mariah Carey.
02:52There's just something truly fun and infectious about Mariah Carey's 1995 hit fantasy,
02:57which is fitting considering it samples the uber fun and carefree genius of love by TomTom Club.
03:09This was peak Mariah, though, both in terms of her vocal talents and her ear for melody.
03:14Once it was released, it became only the second song to ever debut at the top of the Billboard Hot
03:19100,
03:20and the first by a female artist.
03:22The remix featuring O.D.B. from Wu-Tang Clan helped Carey gain some real credit within the R&B
03:27and hip-hop markets.
03:35Number 26, Rebel Girl, Bikini Kill.
03:38In order to truly affect change, you've got to challenge the status quo.
03:42For Punk Rocker's Bikini Kill, taking aim at the landscape of pop music and its tropes
03:47was exactly what they did with their seminal hit Rebel Girl.
03:57Now seen as a landmark release for feminist punk music,
04:00the song does not pull any punches, delivering a truly impactful piece of hard-hitting music.
04:05Though it wasn't technically a hit when it came out,
04:08its reputation has grown and grown over the years.
04:17Now a days, the song and the band themselves have taken their spot
04:21as one of the most important parts of the Riot Grrrl movement of the early 90s.
04:25Number 25, Loser, Beck.
04:28Self-loathing in art really hit new peaks in the 1990s,
04:32helped by the emergence of alt-rock musicians like Beck.
04:35In the time of chimpanzees, I was a monkey.
04:38Butane in my veins, I'm out because of my blood.
04:40Though he later grew to resent his connection to the slacker image that Loser created,
04:45no song in his discography crossed over to the mainstream quite like this one.
04:49Co-written with producer Carl Stevenson,
04:51it takes elements from numerous genres,
04:53including lo-fi indie, alternative rock, and hip-hop,
04:56blending them seamlessly to create something truly new.
04:59So I don't care the door.
05:06Beck consistently pleased fans and critics alike over the course of his career.
05:11But Loser remains his highest-selling single ever.
05:14Number 24, Don't Speak, No Doubt.
05:17After going through several different lyrical iterations,
05:20Gwen Stefani eventually took the blueprint for the song Don't Speak
05:23and made it into the breakup song we all know and love today.
05:26You and me, we used to be together.
05:31Now regarded as one of No Doubt's finest moments,
05:34the fact that the track was written about Stefani's breakup with the band's bassist,
05:38Tony Cannell, only makes it hit harder.
05:40It was almost like the 90s answer to the inner turmoil
05:42that existed within Fleetwood Mac at various points in their career.
05:45Though Stefani's solo career saw her achieve even more commercial success,
05:48she never let Don't Speak stray too far from her live set lists while on tour.
05:53Don't speak, don't speak, don't speak, don't speak, go!
05:59Number 23, Cream, Wu-Tang Clan.
06:02To say that Wu-Tang Clan was a sensation would be putting it mildly.
06:05Despite having eight members when they put out their debut album,
06:08the lineup never sounded cluttered.
06:10No question, I will flow off and try to get the door off.
06:14Sticking up right, boys, a war warning.
06:16My life got no better.
06:17Each rapper brought something unique to the table,
06:20and while several of their early songs are worthy of a mention,
06:23Cream was truly a highlight.
06:25At first, the song met a somewhat lukewarm reception,
06:28hitting number 60 on the Billboard chart.
06:35However, as the years went on,
06:37it was later regarded as not only one of Wu-Tang's greatest moments,
06:41but one of the definitive songs in hip-hop history.
06:43Number 22, Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden.
06:47Out of all the memorable grunge and alt-rock anthems to highlight the 1990s,
06:51there might not have been a more perfectly crafted tune than Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun.
06:55In my eyes,
06:57in this pose,
07:00in disguises no one knows.
07:04Though most people would agree that Chris Cornell could sing any old nonsense into a mic and still sound good,
07:09material like this truly brings the best out of him.
07:12Described by Cornell himself as him just writing words for words' sake,
07:16it ends up being a pretty surreal piece of lyric writing.
07:19Black Hole Sun,
07:24Now seen as Soundgarden's signature song,
07:27the track has aged remarkably well,
07:29sounding every bit as fresh and immediate decades later.
07:32Number 21,
07:33My Heart Will Go On,
07:35Céline Dion.
07:36There are not many singers who can nail a power ballad quite like Céline Dion.
07:41Every night in my dreams,
07:44I see you.
07:46Her contribution to the soundtrack of 1997's Titanic didn't just work perfectly for the movie though,
07:51it ended up becoming one of the highest selling singles of all time.
07:55In fact,
07:55it eventually became the second highest selling single by a female artist in music history,
08:00coming in behind only Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You.
08:03The song never truly fell out of popular culture either,
08:06holding its place in our minds to this day,
08:08thanks to the endless covers, references, and even memes and parodies.
08:22Number 20,
08:24Thunderstruck,
08:24ACDC.
08:26By the time the 1990s rolled around,
08:28ACDC could have very easily ended up on the downswing of their career.
08:31In the 70s and 80s,
08:33their early success with Bon Scott at the helm
08:35was somehow met with the equally impressive early Brian Johnson albums.
08:46If the band wanted to pack it in and hit the legacy circuit,
08:49who could have blamed them?
08:50Instead,
08:51they ended up writing one of the most adored rock songs of all time.
08:55Thunderstruck distills the very essence of ACDC
08:57down into just under five minutes of rock and roll brilliance.
09:07And it also brought us one of the most iconic guitar riffs ever played.
09:12Number 19,
09:13Nothing Compares to You,
09:15Sinead O'Connor.
09:16Prince was famously not a fan of many other artists' covers of his own tracks.
09:20Since you've been gone,
09:22I can do whatever I want.
09:26However,
09:27despite the fact that he and Sinead O'Connor
09:29supposedly did not get on well at all when they first met,
09:32he gave a rare seal of approval for her take on Nothing Compares to You.
09:35It's not hard to see why either.
09:37O'Connor took the song and made it her own,
09:39adding different elements to the melody
09:41that elevated the chorus to a totally new level.
09:52It became O'Connor's biggest hit and outsold Prince's original by a huge margin.
09:57It's truly superb music video only served to amplify the song's impact and enduring appeal.
10:03Number 18,
10:04No Scrubs,
10:06Trust us,
10:07we came very close to picking Waterfalls to represent TLC on this list.
10:11However,
10:12No Scrubs just about edges it out.
10:19It might sound like a pretty straightforward track lyrically on first listen,
10:23but it's actually quite a humorous takedown of entitled guys who make pitiful attempts at courting the group's members.
10:29The fact that it spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 should come as no surprise.
10:40It's a track that was both ahead of its time and perfectly suitable for that era's R&B palette.
10:45A defining moment for the genre.
10:47Number 17,
10:48Basket Case,
10:49Green Day.
10:50Angst has rarely sounded as catchy as it did on Green Day's 1994 masterpiece, Basket Case.
10:55Do you have the time to listen to me whine?
11:00According to singer and songwriter Billy Joe Armstrong,
11:03the track was written about his own struggles with anxiety and panic attacks.
11:06The punchiness of the song's message is hammered home by the extremely urgent sounding performance from the band instrumentally.
11:12Upon its release,
11:14it was instantly seen as the band's finest moment to date.
11:17The moment that they truly managed to adapt their sound to be fully fit for radio play.
11:21Sometimes I give myself the drinks.
11:26Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me.
11:29Even all these years later,
11:31no Green Day show would be complete without hearing this one in all its glory.
11:36Number 16,
11:37Around the World,
11:38Daft Punk.
11:39The famously elusive electronic music duo Daft Punk may have officially retired in 2021,
11:45but through their four studio albums,
11:47they radically altered the face of music.
11:50Around the world,
11:51Around the world,
11:54Around the world,
11:55Around the world,
11:57Their combination of house,
11:59funk,
12:00disco,
12:00techno,
12:01and synth pop scored them several major hits during their career.
12:04However,
12:05no single song contains all of the quintessential Daft Punk tropes as much as their debut album highlight,
12:11Around the World.
12:11It became a major club hit globally,
12:14solidifying the duo as ones to watch in the future.
12:17Around the world,
12:18Around the world,
12:21Around the world,
12:22Around the world,
12:24It's funky,
12:26groovy,
12:27and despite its only lyrics being the title said 144 times on loop,
12:32we wouldn't have it any other way.
12:34Number 15,
12:35California Love,
12:36Tupac featuring Dr. Dre.
12:38The type of climate that can produce a celebratory song as joyous as Tupac Shakur's California Love is never gonna
12:44last long.
12:44Now let me welcome everybody to the wild, wild west,
12:47A state that's untouchable like Elliot Ness.
12:50Just teaming up with the iconic producer Dr. Dre for this instant classic was a stroke of genius.
12:55What came out of that collaboration was one of the most timeless hits in the genre's history.
12:59It was a truly infectious ode to the golden state that fits comfortably among many of the other legendary tributes
13:04to California.
13:12We had no idea that hip-hop was headed in a very dark direction just one year later.
13:17After the murder of Shakur,
13:19and then later,
13:19his friend turned rival Biggie Smalls.
13:22Number 14,
13:23Under the Bridge,
13:24Red Hot Chili Peppers.
13:25When Anthony Kiedis showed the scraps of what would become Under the Bridge to producer Rick Rubin,
13:30it seemed like a huge departure for the band.
13:32Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner.
13:37However,
13:38Rubin saw the potential and urged the Chili Peppers to make it work.
13:42Up to that point,
13:43the group's output was more about high-intensity funk metal and maintaining their image as fun-loving party boys.
13:48This song changed everything.
13:50Detailing Kiedis' battles with substance use disorder and other demons,
13:54it went on to become a surprise hit,
13:56reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100
13:58and marking a radical shift in the band's songwriting approach.
14:07Number 13,
14:08Say My Name,
14:09Destiny's Child.
14:10So many elements of R&B's future were easy to spot during the prolific run of Destiny's Child.
14:22The Beyonce-fronted trio barely put a foot wrong during the seven-year period they spent at the peak of
14:28their powers.
14:28Honestly,
14:29there are two or three songs from their catalog that we were considering for this spot,
14:33but their 1999 classic,
14:35Say My Name,
14:36is probably the most essential of the lot.
14:44It became their second number one hit in the U.S.
14:48and later won the 2000 MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video.
14:53Number 12,
14:54Paranoid Android,
14:55Radiohead.
14:56Sure,
14:57we could have gone the obvious route and picked Creep,
14:59but for most Radiohead fans,
15:00there's one clear winner.
15:02Paranoid Android took inspiration from the structure of the Beatles' multi-arc song Happiness is a Warm Gun,
15:07except Tom York and Company really elevated things to a new level.
15:16What came out was six and a half minutes of pure alternative rock genius.
15:20In its early stages,
15:21it's totally on edge,
15:23some might even say paranoid,
15:25before it explodes into its rock section.
15:27From there,
15:28the pace slows once more with a truly beautiful build-up,
15:31before Johnny Greenwood takes the reins for the final rock out,
15:34delivering one of his wildest guitar solos.
15:43Number 11,
15:44You Oughta Know,
15:45Alanis Morissette.
15:46Few singers,
15:47if any,
15:48summed up the mood of the 1990s quite like Alanis Morissette.
15:51After failing to catch a spark with her early releases,
15:54the formula finally came together with her third album,
15:56Jagged Little Pill,
15:57in 1995.
15:59And every time you see the man,
16:01they know how you told me,
16:03I'll tell you,
16:03I'll tell you,
16:04I'll tell you,
16:04I'll tell you,
16:05I'll tell you,
16:07every one of its six singles has gone on to be considered a classic of the alt-rock genre.
16:12That said,
16:13there was just something exciting and new about You Oughta Know that resonated with listeners almost immediately.
16:18Whether it was the edgy instrumentation,
16:20Morissette's equally edgy lyrics,
16:22or just the whole package combined,
16:23this was a big home run for the Canadian songstress.
16:33The fact that it has aged so well should come as no surprise.
16:38Number 10,
16:39Enter Sandman,
16:40Metallica.
16:41For Metallica,
16:42the 90s represented a move into mainstream pop radio that surprised pretty much everyone.
16:53After establishing themselves as the bonafide kings of thrash during the 80s,
16:58James Hetfield and his band changed course,
17:00going for a melodically varied sound.
17:02Some fans accused them of selling out,
17:04but the band never lost their heaviness.
17:06Enter Sandman was the closest thing to a pop record they ever put out,
17:10even to the point where Hetfield has admitted he originally didn't think it was all that great.
17:20Still,
17:21that does not dampen its impact.
17:23This one is a true powerhouse in every sense of the word.
17:27Number 9,
17:28Zombie,
17:29The Cranberries.
17:30Irish rock heroes,
17:31The Cranberries were truly firing on all cylinders in the early to mid 1990s,
17:35putting out a string of hits that are still widely celebrated to this day.
17:44The protest song,
17:45Zombie,
17:46was the standout single from their second album,
17:48reaching number one on the US Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.
17:51It is a truly gut-wrenching piece of music,
17:53and it should come as no surprise that it's become something of a sporting stadium anthem in Ireland and abroad.
17:59As an anti-war song at its core,
18:02the late Dolores O'Riordan well and truly succeeded in summing up her emotions as an onlooker to the Troubles
18:07in Northern Ireland.
18:08A classic example of how tough times can produce great art.
18:20Number 8,
18:21Killing in the Name,
18:22Rage Against the Machine.
18:24Though hip-hop had certainly touched on political elements prior to the 1990s,
18:28Rage Against the Machine was something different.
18:35Fronted by rapper Zack de la Rocha,
18:38they had a lot more in common with metal,
18:40alt-rock,
18:40and funk than the beats of hip-hop.
18:42However,
18:43this aggressive sound allowed them to approach touchy subjects with way more intensity than most other acts.
18:48Killing in the Name might just be the most outwardly angry hit song of the entire decade.
18:52It's catchy,
18:54propulsive,
18:54and features some of Tom Morello's meanest guitar playing.
19:13Killing in the Name,
19:14Spears' baby one more time.
19:15How was I supposed to know that something wasn't right?
19:23From its opening bars onwards,
19:25it is instantly clear that a new sensation has arrived.
19:28Spears didn't need any time to warm up or find her image.
19:31This was conclusive proof that she was very much prepared to take the mantle as the princess of pop.
19:37Give me a sign.
19:43Sure,
19:44she went on to have a string of hits that left her with quite the catalog,
19:46but for most fans,
19:48this 1998 classic might have been her finest moment of them all.
19:52Number six,
19:53Wonderwall,
19:54Oasis.
19:55There might not be a song that is more synonymous with British rock in the 1990s than Oasis' Wonderwall.
20:01Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you.
20:05It's the type of song that has been described as the perfect example of melodic pop.
20:09Everything from its incredibly simple but iconic acoustic guitar line to the vocals of Liam Gallagher just works perfectly,
20:16forming a beautifully succinct four-minute package.
20:18Taking its name from George Harrison's solo album, Wonderwall Music,
20:22its actual meaning has been debated for years.
20:25You're my Wonderwall.
20:29Just don't expect Noel or Liam to give you a straight answer on that one.
20:33Number five,
20:34Vogue,
20:34Madonna.
20:35You do not earn the right to call yourself the queen of pop without some reason.
20:39pretty huge cultural influence.
20:41Madonna had already scored more hits than the vast majority of pop stars in the 1980s.
20:52When that decade concluded,
20:54like any great artist,
20:55she changed course,
20:57releasing Vogue,
20:58a radical musical and visual departure.
21:00The song is known just as much for its music video as the track itself.
21:04In it,
21:05Madonna furthered her reputation as a style icon,
21:08setting the tone for the years that would follow.
21:18It topped the charts in a wide range of countries
21:20and is now regarded as one of the greatest dance songs of all time.
21:25Number four,
21:26Juicy,
21:26the Notorious B.I.G.
21:28As soon as Big E uttered those famous opening lines to the first single off his debut album,
21:33Juicy,
21:33the game officially changed forever.
21:35It was all a dream.
21:37I used to read Word Up magazine.
21:39Salt and pepper and heavy D up in the limousine.
21:42The song introduced you to everything you needed to know about the Notorious B.I.G.
21:46and instantly became a popular staple on hip-hop radio,
21:49putting his name on the map.
21:50It hit number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100
21:53and paved the way for Big E's subsequent run of chart success.
21:56From the Mississippi down to the East Coast,
21:59condos and queens in dough for weeks,
22:01sold out seats to hear Big E small speak,
22:04living life without fear.
22:06Indeed,
22:06his life would be cut short by his murder in 1997.
22:09But while he was around,
22:11to say that he was a force to be reckoned with would be an apt description.
22:15Number three,
22:16Losing My Religion,
22:17R.E.M.
22:18There are very few bands that manage their transition from the 1980s to the 90s
22:22quite as well as R.E.M.
22:24Lie.
22:30The grittier music they preferred in the 80s
22:33eventually gave way to a taste of real superstardom the following decade.
22:37Right at the core of this switch was their iconic song,
22:40Losing My Religion,
22:41a masterful display of vulnerable lyrics about unrequited love
22:44and romantic anxiety from Michael Stipe.
22:46That's me in the spotlight,
22:50losing my religion.
22:53Add in that instantly recognizable mandolin riff from Peter Buck
22:56and you've got the makings of one of the best rock songs of the era.
23:00Number two,
23:01I Will Always Love You,
23:03Whitney Houston.
23:04When Dolly Parton put pen to paper and wrote I Will Always Love You,
23:07she probably never imagined that it would become a power anthem all those years later.
23:11When Whitney Houston brought her own version to the table for the soundtrack of the movie The Bodyguard,
23:16it was truly a revelation.
23:18If I should stay...
23:25Gone was the understated delivery that made Parton's original click,
23:29replaced by a huge vocal performance that took the core message of the song and turned it on its head.
23:34Sure, both Houston and Parton are essentially saying the same thing,
23:38but they could not have said it any differently.
23:40It quickly became Houston's most famous song and the one that she is remembered for most of all.
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24:09Number 1. Smells Like Teen Spirit. Nirvana.
24:13Rock music before and after Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit were two very different places.
24:18It was clear that the glitz, glam, and excess of the 1980s
24:22needed to be struck down by something a lot more real and visceral.
24:33From the opening seconds of this song's music video,
24:36it became clear that Kurt Cobain and Nirvana would have something to do with the upcoming purge.
24:41The song was a far bigger hit than this unassuming grunge band ever intended to write.
24:45The fame and expectation never truly sat well with Cobain,
24:49and he, of course, spiraled into a dark hole that he would never recover from.
25:01All in all, though, this song undeniably changed music history.
25:05What do you consider to be the ultimate 90s song?
25:08Let us know in the comments below.
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