Music of the 1990s

Genres

• Grunge: The new rock n' roll of the nineties, literally. The "big four" are Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden.
• Hip Hop Soul was a direct offshoot of New Jack Swing that was created in 1989 by R&B producer Teddy Riley, and quickly displaced its parent genre as the decade progressed.
• Nu Metal: The new (alternative) metal of the nineties. Coolly received by critics and traditionalists, but very successful with teens.

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• New Jack Swing continued to have popularity in the first half of the 90s, though it would be seen as outdated by 1995 and was gradually replaced by other forms of R&B like Neo-Soul.
• Alternative Hip Hop: Made hip-hop very chic among some white college kids.
• Boy Bands
• The "electronica" boom that crested in the mid-late '90s, including among others: Daft Punk and The Prodigy. On the other side, Trance also gained stride, with producers like Armin Van Buuren, Ferry Corsten and Markus Schulz starting out in this decade.
• Trip Hop: Originated in the early '90s in Bristol with bands Portishead and Massive Attack.
• Dancehall Reggae also crosses over during this decade .
• Britpop: Britain's response to Grunge, including acts such as Blur, Oasis, Pulp and Suede.
• Riot Grrrl: A punk movement that began in the early 90s that combined Hardcore Punk with feminist subject matter. It has particular association with third wave feminism which some have suggested had grown out from this movement.

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• Midwestern rap acts
• Gangsta Rap: The other new rock n' roll of the nineties.
• Third Wave Ska such as: Reel Big Fish and No Doubt.
• The Melodic Death Metal movement, which was started in 1996.
• Jungle/drum'n'bass, while we're at it: Goldie, Roni Size, UK Apachi, LTJ Bukem, Photek, Dillinja, DJ Krust, etc.
• Black Metal was codified in the early and mid-1990's in Northern Europe, both musically and aesthetically. This is also the time of the infamous "Black Circle" hijinks such as murders, suicides, and church-burnings that helped give the popular image of black metal today.
• Queercore began during the Nineties.
• Eurobeat: The Italian-made version's initial popularity was primarily experienced in this decade.

Musicians

• 2 Live Crew
• 311
• 8Ball & MJG
• Nine One One
• 10,000 Maniacs. Formed in the 80s, reached their mainstream peak in 1993.
  • Spun off: Natalie Merchant's solo career.
• Aaliyah
• Paula Abdul

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• Aborted
• Above the Law
• Accept
• AC/DC
• Ace of Base
• Acid Bath
• Adam Ant
  • 1990 - Manners & Physique
• Bryan Adams
• Aerosmith
  • 1993 - Get a Grip
• Aesop Rock
• The Afghan Whigs
• Christina Aguilera. Debuted in 1999.
• Alice in Chains
• GG Allin: Batshit insane and controversial rock musician. Better known for his outrageously offensive stage acts than his music.
• All Saints
• American Football
• Amon Amarth
• Amorphis
• Tori Amos
  • 1992 - Little Earthquakes
• And One. German EBM group, started in 1989 and still going today.
• Annihilator
• Anthrax
• Aphex Twin
  • 1994 - Selected Ambient Works Volume II
  • 1996 - Richard D. James Album
• ApologetiX
• Apollo 440
• Fiona Apple
• Aqua
• Arashi. Debuted in 1999.
• Ricardo Arjona
• A Tribe Called Quest
  • 1991 - The Low End Theory
• Al B. Sure!
• Arrested Development
• Ash
• At the Gates
• Autechre
• Emilie Autumn. Her debut album was released in 1997.
• Avantasia. Project started in 1999.
• Avenged Sevenfold. The band formed in 1999. Though their first album came out in 2001 and they would only achieve widespread recognition and success c. 2005.
• Axe Murder Boyz
• The B-52s, also from Athens Georgia, USA
• Babes in Toyland
• Bachelor Girl
• Backstreet Boys
• The Bangles: After breaking up in 1989, they reformed in 1998, recording a song for the soundtrack of Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (directed by Jay Roach, frontwoman Susanna Hoffs' husband). Though, longtime bassist Michael Steele would leave the group in 2005.
• Barenaked Ladies
• Wild Willy Barrett. Released a pair of albums which saw him return to his genres' roots.
• Basehead
• Bathory
• Beastie Boys were just as big in the eighties, but the nineties saw them reinvent themselves. They also started to mature, with their humor being genuine instead of a Stealth Parody. Their two biggest hits, "Sabotage" and "Intergalactic", were released in this period.
• The Beatles: The (then-)three surviving members released a new album trilogy in 1995 and 1996.
  • 1995-6: The Beatles Anthology
• Beat Happening. An influential indie pop band of the 1980s. Released some of their greatest hits in 1991 and 1992.
• The Beautiful South
• Beck
  • 1994 - Mellow Gold
  • 1996 - Odelay
• Behemoth
• Belle and Sebastian
• Belly
• Bi-2: A Russian Alternative Rock band that was originally formed in 1988 but only became popular in the late 1990s and throughout the 2000s.
• Big Big Train
• Big Pun
• Bikini Kill
• Billy Ray Cyrus
• The Black Crowes
• Björk
  • 1993 - Debut
  • 1995 - Post
  • 1997 - Homogenic
• The Black Eyed Peas
• Mary J. Blige
• Blind Melon
• Blink182
• Bloodhound Gang
• Blue October
• Blues Traveler
• Blur
  • 1994 - Parklife
• Boards of Canada
  • 1998 - Music Has the Right to Children
• Body Count
  • 1992 - Body Count
• Bon Jovi
• Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. One of the most influential, and iconic rap groups in Hip-Hop history. And one of the best selling, if not THE best selling rap groups of all time. Their influence and style can be heard all the way into The New '10s with dozens of rappers utilizing their style to various degrees of success. Though their respect was hard to earn
  • E. 1999 Eternal
• The Boo Radleys: their first record came out in 1990, their last in 1999.
• David Bowie: Experienced a major artistic renaissance during this decade, attributed to a combination of the formation of Tin Machine in the waning years of the previous decade, a shift in sound away from mainstream pop rock, and an inward shift in focus, writing music for himself instead of for a set target audience; consequently, fans and critics generally consider this decade and the following two a silver age— sometimes even a second golden age— for Bowie's work.
  • 1993 - Black Tie White Noise
  • 1993 - The Buddha of Suburbia
  • 1995 - 1. Outside
  • 1997 - Earthling
  • 1999 - 'hours...'
• Bowling for Soup: Formed in 1994.
• Boyz II Men, Kings of the prom anthem.
• Boyzone
• Brandy
• Toni Braxton
• Breaking Benjamin. Formed in 1998.
• The Breeders
• Bright Eyes: debuted in the 90s, had their breakthrough early in the next decade.
• Garth Brooks:
  • 1999 - In the Life of Chris Gaines
• Meredith Brooks
• Brotha Lynch Hung
• James Brown
  • 1991 - Star Time
• Bobby Brown
• Jeff Buckley
  • 1994 - Grace
  • 1998 - Sketches for My Sweetheart the Drunk
• Buena Vista Social Club
  • 1997 - Buena Vista Social Club
• Built To Spill
• Burzum
• Bush
• Busta Rhymes
• Butthole Surfers: Debuted in the 80s, made their commercial breakthrough in this decade.
• Armin Van Buuren first found success with his 1995 track "Blue Fear" (though he didn't release a studio album until 2003).
• David Byrne: Continued his solo career in this decade after the official breakup of Talking Heads in 1991; his music from this era was critically unpopular but is well-loved among Talking Heads fans.
• CAKE
• Candlebox
• Cardiacs
• The Cardigans. The most successful of a 90s wave of Swedish alternative pop acts.
• Cat Hairballs
• Mariah Carey. One of the best selling artists of the decade. Debuting in 1990, she achieved the impressive feat of scoring a Billboard #1 hit in every calendar year of the decade. Her musical contributions included her 5-octave vocal range showcase, helping popularize rerecorded dance remixes (starting with "Dreamlover"), as well as the singer/rapper collaboration ("Fantasy" remix featuring O.D.B.). With her 6th studio album Butterfly, she switched her sound from adult contemporary to a more urban sound and it became a fan favorite. She also released a Christmas album in 1994 which boasts the holiday classic "All I Want For Christmas Is You."
• Wendy Carlos
• Aaron Carter
• Johnny Cash. Made a significant comeback through his collaborations with Rick Rubin.
• Cat Power
• Nick Cave. A relatively successful lead singer of the 1980s. Reached the peak of his popularity by 1996.
  • 1994 - Let Love In
  • 1996 - Murder Ballads
• Catatonia
• C+ C Music Factory , and other Hi NRG dance groups
• Celtic Frost
• Choking Victim
• Chumbawamba
• Cibo Matto
• Gilby Clarke
  • 1994 - Pawnshop Guitars
• Eric Clapton
  • 1994 - From the Cradle
• cLOUDDEAD
• Coal Chamber, one of the earliest Nu Metal bands.
• Cocteau Twins. An influential Dream Pop band of the 1980s, they reached the peak of their popularity in the early to mid 1990s.
• Joe Cocker
• Leonard Cohen
• Cold187um
• Bootsy Collins
• Phil Collins: His solo career from the 1980s continued to thrive during this decade, though at the expense of his tenure with Genesis, and only several of his singles hit the Top 40 during this period. He also wrote music for Disney's Tarzan by the end of the decade.
  • 1989 - …But Seriously (listed under this decade because the singles there became hits in 1990)
• Collective Soul
• Color Me Badd (yeah you know you liked 'em)
• Sean Combs
• Compton's Most Wanted
• Cornershop
• Coroner
• The Corrs: An Irish band of siblings. While they achieved more mainstream success at the very beginning of the next decade, their run from the middle of this decade onwards is widely regarded as their best.
• Ferry Corsten
• Counting Crows
• Cradle of Filth
• The Cranberries
• Creed
• Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• Sheryl Crow
• Crowded House Started in the 80s but released two successful albums in the 90s.
  • 1993 - Together Alone
• Crowsdell
• The Cure
• Cypress Hill
  • 1993 - Black Sunday
• DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince: Continued releasing material until 1994. Will Smith would go solo in 1997
• DMX
• Da Brat
• Daddy Yankee
• Daft Punk
  • 1997 - Homework
• The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
• Darkthrone
• Dark Tranquillity
• Miles Davis: Finished recording Live In Montreux with Quincy Jones in 1991, but died during the recording sessions for his final studio album Doo-Bop. Doo Bop was posthumously released in 1992, and Monreux later in 1993.
  • Doo-Bop (1992)
• Dayton Family
• Dead Can Dance
• Deftones
• Deicide
• De La Soul
• Del Tha Funkee Homosapien
• Delirious. British Christian Rock band that debuted in 1992.
• Depeche Mode. A successful 1980's band, gained international stardom in 1990 and retained it by adopting elements of grunge from 1993 onwards.
  • 1990 - Violator
  • 1993 - Songs of Faith and Devotion
  • 1997 - Ultra
• Destiny's Child
• dEUS
• DJ Quik: After releasing a series of successful mixtapes, his debut album Quik Is The Name is released in 1991.
• Coolio
  • 1994 - Worst Case Scenario
  • 1996 - In a Bar, Under the Sea
  • 1999 - The Ideal Crash
• Devourment
• Dice
• Digable Planets
• Digital Underground
• Dinosaur Jr.. A 1980s band which had released albums through independent labels. Switched to a major label early in the decade, releasing most of their hits between 1991 and 1994.
• Céline Dion. Her career started in the 1980s. But the 1990s was the height of her career.
• Dire Straits reformed and put out one final album before breaking up for good in 1995, after which frontman Mark Knopfler shifted focus to a smaller-scale but constantly active solo career.
  • 1991 - On Every Street
• Disgorge
• The Dandy Warhols
• John Denver: Recorded his last studio albums this decade. Died in 1997.
• DJ Shadow
  • 1996 - Endtroducing.....
• Jason Donovan: His success kept going on in the early 1990's globaly (except for Italy, North America, and Australia), until the time in 1992 where he sued a magazine for acussing him of lying about his sexuality, thus making his singing career go into a downfall
• Down
• Dr. Alban
• Dr. Dre
• Dream Theater hit success in the early 1990s, cementing them as the leaders of Progressive Metal.
  • 1992 - Images and Words
  • 1999 - Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory
• Dropkick Murphys
• Duran Duran – Though most identified with the '80s, they came back into prominence in mid-decade with...
  • 1993 - Duran Duran – More often known as The Wedding Album to distinguish it from the group's 1981 debut album.
• Dying Fetus
• Bob Dylan
  • 1992 - Good as I Been to You
  • 1997 - Time Out of Mind
• Eagle-EyeCherry
• Echo & the Bunnymen broke up early into this decade, only to reform in the second half, remaining active into the present day since then.
• Eels
  • 1996 - Beautiful Freak
• Elastica
• Missy Elliott
• Eminem burst into the music scene with his commercial debut album, The Slim Shady LP, giving us all a reason to panic about rap again.
  • 1999 - The Slim Shady LP
• Emperor
• En Vogue
• Enslaved
• Entombed
• EPMD
• The Eraserheads
  • 1993 - Ultraelectromagneticpop
• Eric B. & Rakim
• Eric Levi, famed for his musical project, Era.
• Esham
• Gloria Estefan.
• Eurythmics. The 1980s duo reunited in 1999, releasing a new album.
• The Evaporators
• Everclear
• Excuse17
• Extreme
• Faith No More, a band that would inspire countless bands to come.
• Falco: Died in 1998.
• Fatboy Slim
• Fear Factory, an Industrial Metal band who served as one of the genre's Trope Codifiers.
• Feist
• Fields Of The Nephilim
• The Fireman, an experimental duo consisting of Paul McCartney and music producer Youth, released their first two albums in 1993 and 1998, respectively.
• Five
• Ben Folds Five
• Fishbone
• Five For Fighting
• Flaming Lips. Formed in 1983. Achieved their first taste of mainstream success with their 1993 single "She Don't Use Jelly".
  • 1999 - The Soft Bulletin
• Foo Fighters: Dave Grohl's band after Nirvana.
  • 1995 - Foo Fighters
  • 1997 - The Colour and the Shape
• Fountains of Wayne
• Fugazi: Frontmen Ian and Guy trope-named "Emo" and "Straight Edge" before starting this Post-Punk band; were offered and refused the same major-label ticket as Nirvana, and fired Butch Vig after the success of Nevermind. Went on hiatus right around 9/11, marking the end of an era that began with their hit "Waiting Room" in 1989.
  • 1990 - Repeater
• The Fugees
  • 1996 - The Score
  • Spun off: Wyclef Jean
  • Likewise: Lauryn Hill
    • 1998 - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
• Peter Gabriel
  • 1992 - Us
  • 1994 - Secret World Live
• Gang Starr
• Galaxie 500. An influential Dream Pop band of the 1980s. Continued enjoying success to 1991.
• Garbage
• Leif Garrett: Had a brief Career Resurrection towards the end of this period, bleeding into the Turn of the Millennium.
• Genesis: The progressive rock legends released one last hit album before withering away thereafter, not helped by Phil Collins leaving the group mid-decade. Their final album, 1997's Calling All Stations (with new lead vocalist Ray Wilson) was unpopular both commercially and critically, and the band members choose to ignore it nowadays.
  • 1991 - We Can't Dance
  • 1997 - ...Calling All Stations...
• Geto Boys, which spun off Scarface as a solo artist.
• Gin Blossoms
• Godspeed You! Black Emperor
• Die Goldenen Zitronen
• Goodie Mob
• Goo Goo Dolls
• Gorgoroth
• Gravediggaz
• Macy Gray
• Green Day: Achieved their first big burst of popularity in their original incarnation with Dookie.
  • 1994 - Dookie
  • 1995 - Insomniac
  • 1997 - nimrod.
• Green Jellÿ
• Guided By Voices. A rather obscure 1980s band, they gained critical acclaim and a notable fanbase in this decade.
• Guns N' Roses
  • 1991 - Use Your Illusion
  • 1994 - Pawnshop Guitars, guitarist Gilby Clarke's debut solo album.
• Guy: Split in 1992 after several tumultuous behind the scenes issues with management and associates, and wouldn't fully reunite until the turn of the millennium.
• Haddaway: "What is love, baby don't hurt me...". Add him together with Dr. Alban, and you get this.
• Daryl Hall & John Oates
• Johnny Hallyday
• Herbie Hancock
• Hanson
• Happy Mondays. A relatively successful 1980s band. Reached the peak of the popularity early in the decade and promptly crashed it into the ground shortly after, taking Factory Records with them.
• Hardline. A Hair Metal band that got a late start
• PJ Harvey
  • 1992 - Dry
  • 1993 - Rid of Me
  • 1995 - To Bring You My Love
  • 1998 - Is This Desire?
• Juliana Hatfield
• Sophie B. Hawkins
• Heavy D, though debuting in 1987, his wave of success really took off in this decade.
• Hed PE
• Helium
• Faith Hill
• His Name Is Alive
• Hole (Courtney Love's band)
  • 1991 - Pretty on the Inside
  • 1994 - Live Through This
  • 1998 - Celebrity Skin
• Hootie & the Blowfish
• House Of Krazees
• House of Pain
• Whitney Houston
• Ice-T
• Billy Idol: After the warmly-recieved Charmed Life in 1990, Idol followed it up with the critically-panned Cyberpunk three years later. His career never recovered.
• Enrique Iglesias debuted in '95 and hasn't stopped since.
• Natalie Imbrugalia
• Immature
• Immortal
• Indigo Girls
• Insane Clown Posse
  • 1992 - Carnival of Carnage
  • 1997 - The Great Milenko
• In Extremo
• In Flames
• J Dilla - Made his debut in 1995.
• Janet Jackson
  • 1989 - Rhythm Nation 1814 (like Phil Collins above, had singles that charted in 1990)
  • 1993 - janet.
  • 1997 - The Velvet Rope
• Michael Jackson: Still a million seller at the start of the decade, his reputation began to suffer from 1993 onwards due to allegations of child molestation.
  • 1991 - Dangerous
  • 1995 - HIStory: Past, Present And Future, Book I
• Jamiroquai
• Jane's Addiction. A relatively successful band of the 1980s. Reached the peak of their career early in the decade before breaking up acrimoniously in 1991.
• Jawbreaker
• Jay-Z also premiered with a classic album called Reasonable Doubt
• Jellyfish
  • Splinter acts: Imperial Drag, The Grays and Jason Falkner.
• The Jesus Lizard. An obscure 1980s band. Achieved cult status in this decade.
• Jewel
• Jodeci: Debuted in 1991, and introduced Hip Hop Soul to the world.
• Billy Joel (debuted in The '60s, became a successful solo artist in The '70s, remained popular through The '80s and into the first half of this decade)
• Elton John. Debuted in the 1960s, but managed to score major hits within this decade.
• Montell Jordan
• Juan Mutant
• Judas Priest: Released an album in 1990, then briefly went on hiatus upon Rob Halford's departure before finding a new lead vocal and releasing another in 1997.
  • 1990 - Painkiller
• The Kaisers
• Kamelot
• R. Kelly
• Kid 'N Play: Initially had some decent commercial success at the start of the decade, thanks to House Party, but their musical success came to an almost immediate halt in 1991, and they would eventually break up four years later.
• Kid Rock
  • 1993 - The Polyfuze Method
  • 1996 - Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp
  • 1998 - Devil Without A Cause
• Junior Kimbrough. Released first solo album in 1992. Died in 1998.
  • Sad Days Lonely Nights''
• B.B. King
• Carole King
• King's X
• The Kinks
• KISS
  • 1992 - Revenge
  • 1997 - Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions
  • 1998 - Psycho Circus
• Gladys Knight. First "official" solo album in 1991.
• Komar and Melamid
  • 1997 - "The Most Unwanted Song"
• Kool Keith
• Kool Moe Dee
• Korn - The creators of Nu Metal, a controversial genre that defined rock music later in the decade.
  • 1994 - Korn
  • 1998 - Follow the Leader
• Kottonmouth Kings
• The Kovenant: A Norwegian melodic black metal band that shifted to Industrial Metal in 1999 after being forced to change their name from Covenant.
  • 1997 - In Times Before the Light
• Lenny Kravitz
• Kriss Kross
• KRS-One
• Fela Kuti. Still active until his death in 1997.
• Kyuss. Influential in the "Stoner Rock"/"Stoner Metal" sub-genre, a fusion of Doom Metal and Psychedelic Rock.
• Patti LaBelle. String of hits in the early 90's.
• Larc En Ciel
• L7
• Annie Lennox, the Eurythmics' singer, began her solo career in 1992.
• LFO
• Lifter Puller, "The last band before the internet."
• Lightning Bolt. Released their first recordings in 1999.
• Lil' Kim
• Lighthouse Family
• The Lightning Seeds
• Limp Bizkit
  • 1997 - Three Dollar Bill, Y'all$
  • 1999 - Significant Other
• Lit
  • Miserable
• Live. A relatively obscure 1980s band. Released most of their hits in this decade.
• Living Colour
• LL Cool J
• Lisa Loeb
• Jennifer Lopez. Debuted in 1999.
• Los del Rio
• Courtney Love. Hole's debut, Pretty on the Inside, was released in 1991.
• Arjen Anthony Lucassen
  • 1995/1996/1998 - Ayreon (the first three albums of this eight part series)
• Lucybell
• Lucifer Luscious Violenoue
• Ludacris released his first album in 1999.
• Luna Sea
• Luscious Jackson
• Tim Maia. Died in 1998.
• Manic Street Preachers
• Mansun
• Madonna may have gotten her start in the 1980s, but her contribution to the 1990s music scene was also very important (explaining why she was one of the only pop artists to escape the genre's commercial nadir during this decade): she brought an underground dance craze to the forefront in 1990 with "Vogue," released one of the riskiest and most socially conscious albums of her career with Erotica, which dealt with topics including HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, sex and fetishes... and then near the end of the decade she reinvented her self yet again by releasing an album of electronica music that quickly cemented her status in the industry as an icon: Ray Of Light. The album touched on everything from death to rebirth to love to breakups to motherhood to religion and spirituality.
  • 1990 - I'm Breathless
  • 1990 - The Immaculate Collection
  • 1992 - Erotica
  • 1994 - Bedtime Stories
  • 1998 - Ray of Light
• Craig Mack started in the 1980s, but he made his mark in 1994 with the Platinum single "Flava In ya Ear".
• The Magnetic Fields
• Ricky Martin
• Malice Mizer
• Man or Astro-man?
• Marilyn Manson, the ultimate nemesis of the 1990's Moral Guardians
  • 1994 - Portrait of an American Family
  • 1995 - Smells Like Children
  • 1996 - Antichrist Superstar
  • 1998 - Mechanical Animals
• Massive Attack
  • 1998 - Mezzanine
• Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
• Master P
• Matchbox Twenty
• Matmos
• Hideto Matsumoto
• Dave Matthews Band
• Maxwell
• Brian May
• Curtis Mayfield. Still active until his death in 1999.
• Mayhem
• Mazzy Star. Formed in 1989, reached their commercial peak in 1993 with "Fade Into You".
• MC Hammer, though he started recording and making hits in the late 1980s.
• Paul McCartney
• Sarah McLachlan
• John McLaughlin
• Freddie Mercury: Died in 1991, but still had some posthumous hits.
• Merzbow
• Melt-Banana, Yasuko Onuki's musical project, formed in 1991-1992
• Melvins
• Menudo
• Mercury Rev. Formed in the late 1980s. Achieved cult status during this decade.
• Metallica reinvented themselves in the early 1990s with the proto-grunge Black Album, followed by cutting their hair.
  • 1991 - Metallica (Album)
  • 1996 and 1997 - Load and ReLoad
  • 1998 - Garage Inc.
• Michael Learns To Rock: Formed in 1988 and debut their first album in 1991. The danish band was notoriously popular among South East Asians to this very day.
  • 1991 - Michael Learns To Rock
  • 1993 - Colours
  • 1995 - Played on Pepper
  • 1997 - Nothing To Loose
• George Michael
  • 1990 - Listen Without Prejudice, Volume 1
  • 1996 - Older
• The Mighty Mighty Bosstones
• MilkCan from Um Jammer Lammy
  • 1999 - Make It Sweet!
• Mike + the Mechanics
• Milli Vanilli. The group's lip-syncing scandal in 1990 made pop music as a whole a dead genre for a good portion of the decade outside of the dance club scene.
• Kylie Minogue
  • 1997 - Impossible Princess
  • Miyavi
• Mr. Bungle
• Moby
  • 1999 - Play
• The Moffats
• Mogwai
• Monica
• John Michael Montgomery
• Mandy Moore
• Morcheeba
• Alanis Morissette
  • 1995 - Jagged Little Pill
• Morphine
• Morrissey. A popular 1980s singer and former frontman of The Smiths, he continued releasing hit albums until 1997.
• Mortiis. Debut album released in 1993.
• Motörhead
  • 1991 - 1916
• Mr. Bungle
• Mudhoney
• The Muppets:
  • 1993 - Muppet Beach Party
  • 1994 - Kermit Unpigged
  • 1995 - Sesame Street Platinum All Time Favorites
• Muse. Formed in 1994. Their first album came out in 1999.
• Mýa. First album released in April 1998.
• My Bloody Valentine. 1980s band, released their biggest album in 1991 and eventually went on hiatus in 1995.
  • 1991 - Loveless
• Myzery
• N.W.A. Formed in 1986.
  • Eazy-E
  • Dr. Dre solo
  • Ice Cube
• Napalm Death. Debuted in the 1980s, but became the kings of Grindcore in the 1990s.
• Nas debuted with his classic album Illmatic
  • Also introduced us to AZ
• Natas
• Natasja
• Naughty by Nature
• Nautilus Pompilius
• Necro
• Negativland
• Nerf Herder
• Neurosis. Debuted in the 1980s, but did their most important work pioneering post-metal in the 1990s.
• Neutral Milk Hotel
  • 1996 - On Avery Island
  • 1998 - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
• New Kids on the Block
• New Order: Started and were widely popular in the preceding decade, but continued to be active for the first few years of this decade, achieving their highest-charting hit in 1990 with "World in Motion". The band temporarily went on hiatus after releasing their one and only album in this decade due to Creative Differences and burnout from touring, before eventually reconvening in 1998.
  • 1993 - Republic
  • Electronic: Bernard Sumner's side project with Johnny Marr that was active and successful in the 90s Eurodance scene.
• New Radicals
• Nightwish
• Nine Inch Nails — Trent Reznor's one-man doomfest that John McCain famously pretended to like; started in the 80's, but achieved Reznor's biggest successes here.
  • 1994 - The Downward Spiral
  • 1999 - The Fragile
• Nirvana: Founded in the late 80s, they helped define the decade's sound in the early 90's before frontman Kurt Cobain committed suicide in 1994.
  • 1991 - Nevermind
  • 1992 - Incesticide
  • 1993 - In Utero
  • 1994 - MTV Unplugged in New York
  • Kurt Cobain: Didn't have a solo career of his own, but (unwillingly) became the face of Generation X (the demographic, not the band) during this decade, even after his 1994 suicide.
• NOFX
• No Doubt
• No Limit
• Nomeansno
• The Notorious B.I.G.
  • 1994 - Ready to Die
  • 1997 - Life After Death
• NOW That's What I Call Music! released albums throughout the 1990's.
• Nujabes
• *NSYNC
• Oasis: Hugely successful in their native Britain, they were to the UK music scene what Nirvana was to the US music scene. Their rise and fall during this decade directly coincided with the peak and downfall of Britpop in the 1990's.
  • 1994 - Definitely, Maybe
  • 1995 - (What's the Story) Morning Glory?
  • 1997 - Be Here Now
• Conor Oberst: started his career in 1993.
• Sinéad O'Connor
• The Offspring
• Old 97's
• Mike Oldfield: Broke free from his restrictive contract with Virgin Records and signed onto WEA and Reprise Records at the start of this decade, shifting to a more electronic sound that would define most of his later output.
  • 1992 - Tubular Bells II
  • 1998 - Tubular Bells III
• OLIVIA
• Oomph!
• Operation Re-Information
• The Orb
• Orbital
• Joan Osborne
• Our Lady Peace
• Outkast
• Jennifer Paige
• Pain
• Pantera
• 1998 - Panthalassa, an ambient album based on the work of Miles Davis
• Parokya ni Edgar
• Pansy Division
• Pavement
• Pearl Jam
  • 1991 - Ten (Pearl Jam Album)
• Liz Phair
  • 1993 - Exile in Guyville
• The Pharcyde
• Phish
• The Pillows
• Pink Floyd: Continued under the leadership of David Gilmour until their first break-up in 1995.
  • 1994 - The Division Bell
• Pixies: A popular 1980s band, released a number of hits in 1990 and 1991 before breaking up (they would later reform during the next decade).
• PM Dawn
• Poe
• Pokémon got its start within this decade, and quickly grew big enough to get soundtrack albums of its own.
  • 1999 - Pokémon 2.B.A. Master
• Iggy Pop
• Portishead
  • 1994 - Dummy
• The Posies: Power Pop revivalists from the land of grunge who put out a series of Alternative Rock hits through the decade.
• The Presidents of the United States of America
• Primal Scream. A relatively minor 1980s band, achieved first major hit in 1991.
  • 1991 - Screamadelica
  • 1997 - Vanishing Point
• Primus. A relatively obscure 1980s band, achieved first major hit in 1991.
  • 1990 - Frizzle Fry
  • 1991 - Sailing The Seas Of Cheese
  • 1995 - Tales From The Punchbowl
• Prince: Controversially changed his name to an unpronounceable "Love Symbol" in 1993 (to circumvent his contract with Warner (Bros.) Records, who owned the trademark to his given name) and would stick with it all the way until 2000. During this time, he was commonly referred to as "the artist formerly known as 'Prince'", a moniker so obtuse and prone to public mockery that it inspired its own trope.
• The Proclaimers: Popular in 1980s UK, achieved first major US hit in 1993.
• The Prodigy
  • 1992 - Experience
  • 1994 - Music For The Jilted Generation
  • 1997 - The Fat of the Land
• Prozzak - Debuted in 1998.
• Psychopathic Rydas
• Public Enemy
  • 1990 - Fear of a Black Planet
• Tito Puente
• Pulp: Formed in 1978. Achieved mainstream success in the mid-90s with the albums His n' Hers and Different Class.
• Queen: Went mostly dormant after their lead singer Freddie Mercury died in 1991, but achieved a still-ongoing second wave of mainstream popularity as a result of Mercury's death.
  • 1991 - Innuendo – The group's final album during Mercury's lifetime.
  • 1995 - Made in Heaven - Made from Mercury's final recordings
• Queen Latifah
• Radiohead: Formed in the middle of the previous decade as On a Friday, signed onto Parlophone Records and adopted the "Radiohead" moniker in 1991; started releasing music one year later, but didn't hit it big until the mid-to-late 1990's, as Britpop and electronica took over from grunge.
  • 1993 - Pablo Honey
  • 1995 - The Bends
  • 1997 - OK Computer
• Rage Against the Machine
• Gerry Rafferty
• Bonnie Raitt
• Les Rallizes Dénudés
• Rammstein
• The Ramones: Released several comeback albums, winning over some Generation X fans, before splitting up mid-decade.
• Rancid
• Ray J
• Red Hot Chili Peppers, Been around since The '80s but exploded in the 1990s.
  • 1991 - Blood Sugar Sex Magik (their breakout album)
  • 1999 - Californication (their comeback album)
• Red House Painters
  • 1996 - Songs for a Blue Guitar
• Red Peters
• Rednex
• Reel Big Fish
• R.E.M. — perennial musical innovator through the 1980's, kicked off the rise of Alternative Rock at the start of the 1990's. After suffering a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 1995, drummer Bill Berry left the group in 1997 for personal reasons, but urged bandmates Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, and Mike Mills to carry on as a 3-man ensemble. Split in 2011 on amicable terms.
  • 1991 - Out of Time
  • 1992 - Automatic for the People
  • 1994 - Monster
  • 1996 - New Adventures in Hi-Fi
  • 1999 - Man on the Moon
• The Residents: Still going strong since the 1970s.
• The Revolutionary Hydra
• Ride
• LeAnn Rimes
• The Rippingtons
• Right Said Fred
• Robyn
• ROC
• The Rolling Stones: Still going strong since the 1960s, with one line-up change (Bill Wyman quitting in 1993).
  • 1994 - Voodoo Lounge
  • 1997 - Bridges to Babylon
• The Roots. Released their debut studio album, Organix in 1993.
  • 1993 - Organix
• Roxette
  • 1991 - Joyride
• Santana — The veteran band experienced a resurgence of popularity and critical acclaim, scoring brand new hits by the end of the decade.
• Savage Garden
• Savatage
  • 1991 - Streets: A Rock Opera
  • 1994 - Handful of Rain
  • 1995 - Dead Winter Dead
  • 1998 - The Wake of Magellan
• Saves the Day
• Scarface
• Markus Schulz: First began DJing in 1990, with much of his early portfolio consisting of remixes of other artists on this page. Released his first singe, "You Won't See Me Cry", in 1998.
• S Club 7
• Seal
• Selena
• Sepultura
  • 1996 - Roots
• The Servotron Robot Allegiance
• Sesame Street
  • 1995 - Sesame Street Platinum All Time Favorites
• The77s
• Shaggy
• Shakira. Debuted in 1991. First hit album in 1996.
  • 1995 - Pies descalzos
  • 1996 - "Pies descalzos, sueños blancos"
  • 1998 - ¿Dónde están los ladrones?
• Tupac Shakur
  • 1991 - 2Pacalypse Now
  • 1993 - Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z...
  • 1995 - Me Against the World
  • 1996 - All Eyez on Me
• Shanice
• Ravi Shankar
• Sonny Sharrock. Died of a heart attack in 1994.
  • 1991 - Ask the Ages
• SHAZNA
• Sia has been active in the music industry since 1993, but she was effectively ignored in the mainstream until 2012.
• Sick Puppies
• Sigh
• Sigur Rós
  • 1999 - Ágætis byrjun
• Silverchair
• Jessica Simpson. Debuted in 1999.
• Siouxsie and the Banshees. 1970s group. Released some of their greatest hits in this decade.
• Simple Minds. Started in 1977 and peaked in the '80s. Still popular in Europe.
• Sir Mix-a-Lot liked Big Butts and could not lie.
• The Sisters of Mercy. An influential Goth Rock band of the 1980s. Released another well-received album in 1990.
• Sleater-Kinney
• Slint. Started and released their first album during the 1980's, and released their second, final, and most acclaimed album in 1991 before disbanding (an untitled EP consisting of two outtakes from their first album was released three years later). Their second album, alongside Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock by Talk Talk, is widely considered a Trope Maker for Post-Rock as defined today.
  • 1991 - Spiderland
• Slipknot
• Sloan
• Slowdive
• Smash Mouth
• The Smashing Pumpkins
  • 1993 - Siamese Dream
  • 1995 - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
  • 1998 - Adore
• Will Smith — Offically went solo in 1997 after the dissolution of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.
• Smoking Popes
• Sneaker Pimps
• Snoop Dogg
• Son Volt
• Sonic Youth. A relatively successful Alternative Rock band of the 1980s. Switched to a major record label in 1990, reaching a much larger audience than before.
• Jill Sobule
• Soul Asylum: Formed in 1983. Reached their commercial peak in 1992 and continued making music throughout the rest of the decade and beyond.
• Soulwax
• Soundgarden: 1994's Superunknown was their biggest album. They broke up in 1997 due to creative differences, and eventually reformed in 2011; however, frontman Chris Cornell would commit suicide in 2017.
• South Central Cartel
• Space
• Spawn of Possession
• Britney Spears
• Spice Girls. The explosive success of "Wannabe" helped revive pop music after half-a-decade of stagnation.
• Spin Doctors
• Squarepusher
• Ringo Starr
• Steps
• St Germain
• Sting. Continued the successful solo career he started in the 1980s.
• Stone Temple Pilots
• Sublime
• Suede
• Sugababes
• Sugar Ray
• The Sugarhill Gang
• Sun Ra
  • 1993 - Space Is The Place (soundtrack album)
• The Sundays
• Sunny Day Real Estate. Considered the Trope Codifier for Emo Music
  • 1994 - Diary
• Supergrass
• Swans: Released increasingly experimental music throughout this decade, culminating in Soundtracks for the Blind (1996). They broke up the following year, with Michael Gira forming the band Angels of Light and Jarboe continuing her solo career. Swans would later reform in 2010.
• Matthew Sweet. Released his biggest album in 1991, continued to release music throughout the decade.
• SWV
• System of a Down. Although most associated with the 2000s, this band formed in the middle of this decade and released their first album in 1998.
• John Tabacco
• Take That
• Takeo Ischi
• Talking Heads: Had already unofficially disbanded in 1988, but still put out one last single, "Sax and Violins", in 1991 before publicly confirming their dissolution that same year. Before that, they also completed some new tracks (based on old studio outtakes) for the 1992 Greatest Hits Album Sand in the Vaseline and its European counterpart Once in a Lifetime; of these, "Lifetime Piling Up" was released as a post-breakup single to promote the compilations.
• Talk Talk. Started and were most popular during the 1980's, released their final and most acclaimed album in 1991 before disbanding. Said album and its 1988 predecessors are now recognized as the starting point of Post-Rock as commonly defined today (alongside Spiderland by Slint, released the same year).
  • 1991 - Laughing Stock
  • Frontman Mark Hollis briefly reemerged in public to release a self-titled solo album in 1998, going back into retirement immediately afterwards.
• TechN9ne
• Teenage Fanclub. Formed in 1989, released their first album one year later.
• Tequilajazzz
• They Might Be Giants. A relatively successful 1980s band, achieved their greatest popularity early in the decade.
  • 1990 - Flood
  • 1992 - Apollo 18
  • 1994 - John Henry
  • 1996 - Factory Showroom
  • 1999 - Long Tall Weekend
• TISM
• Thievery Corporation
• Third Eye Blind
• This Mortal Coil
  • 1991 - Blood
• Three 6 Mafia (aka Triple 6 Mafia)
• Thrush Hermit
• Timbaland
• TLC debuted in this decade and would three albums, the third of which would be their last of a complete group.
  • 1994 - CrazySexyCool
• T.M.Revolution
• Toad the Wet Sprocket
• tool debuted in 1990, but took off in the early part of the decade with Undertow and Aenima
• Too $hort
• Devin Townsend
  • 1997 - Ocean Machine Biomech
• Traffic. Made a one-off touring appearance and had one more studio album in 1994.
• Travis formed in 1990 and released their first album in 1997.
• Tricky. Contributed rhymes and production to Massive Attack's first two records, Blue Lines and Protection. Released his debut single and album in 1995.
  • 1995 - Maxinquaye
• Shania Twain
• Twiztid
• Type O Negative
• U2 reinvented themselves into futuristic techno-alternative-rockers and continued in that direction for the rest of the decade.
  • 1991 - Achtung Baby
• UGK
  • Underworld
    • 1994 - dubnobasswithmyheadman
• Urban Dance Squad
• Utada Hikaru: Only made her debut in 1998, but her debut album First Love became the best-selling album of the decade (and of all time) in Japan.
  • 1999 - First Love
• Utah Saints
• Usher (The Justin Bieber of his time, particularly noticable with their friendship, and his mentoring of the latter)
• Vader. Formed in 1983, debut album released in 1992.
• Luther Vandross: Got started in the early '80s but continued to release albums until 2003.
• Vanilla Ice
• Venetian Snares
• Vengaboys
• Vertical Horizon
• Tom Waits
  • 1992 - Bone Machine
  • 1993 - The Black Rider
  • 1999 - Mule Variations
• Rick Wakeman
• The Wallflowers: Formed in 1989; reached their commercial peak in 1996.
• Johnny "Guitar" Watson. Died in 1996.
• Ween. A 1980s band, began releasing full-length albums and gained most of their fame in this decade.
  • 1990 - GodWeenSatan: The Oneness
  • 1991 - The Pod
  • 1992 - Pure Guava
  • 1997 - The Mollusk
• Weezer
  • 1994 - The Blue Album
  • 1996 - Pinkerton
• Westlife
• The Wiggles - Got their start in 1991 releasing cassettes and performing at preschools. By 1998 they were one of Australia's biggest exports.
• Wilco
• Wilson Phillips
• Wire. 1970s band, managed a comeback early in the decade.
• Wu-Tang Clan, the ultimate hip-hop supergroup.
• X Japan
• Xscape
• Xzibit - Released his debut album, At the Speed of Life, on October 15, 1996. Made guest appearances on other songs in 1995.
• "Weird Al" Yankovic: Experienced a creative and public resurgence during this decade following a brief personal slump between 1989 and 1991, and remained active well into The New '10s.
  • 1992 - Off the Deep End
  • 1993 - Alapalooza
  • 1996 - Bad Hair Day
  • 1999 - Running with Scissors
• Yellow Magic Orchestra: Regrouped and put out their most recent studio album this decade. Are still technically active, but have mainly focused on touring and side-projects.
• Yousei Teikoku
• Yo-Yo
• YUP
  • 1994 - Toppatakkeja Ja Toledon Terasta
• Frank Zappa: Was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in 1990 and devoted the rest of his life towards tying up loose ends and composing one final masterpiece; he died in 1993, but managed to finish the album before then— it was released the year after his passing. Releases during his final years consisted solely of live albums, two of which were taken from his final tour in 1988.
  • 1991 - The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life
  • 1991 - Make a Jazz Noise Here
  • 1993 - The Yellow Shark
  • 1994 - Civilization Phaze III
  • 1996 - Läther
• Rob Zombie- White Zombie started in 1985, made their major label debut in 1992.
• John Zorn: Highly eclectical and impossible to pigeonhole artist, mostly active in jazz, though his gigantic catalogue has tried out various genres and styles throughout the years.
  • 1993 - Radio
  • 1998 - Music for Children

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