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Criteria: Songs listed are from Rock Music and related sub-genres from the 1990s. These songs are ranked based upon their intitial and lasting popularity, as well as their influence and impact on the evolution of Rock and Roll and its sub-genres.

Edited By: Brian
Last Updated: 2024-11-07

Link: https://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_songs90s.html

1. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
2. Losing My Religion - R.E.M.
3. Nuthin’ But a “G” Thang – Dr. Dre
4. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
5. Wonderwall – Oasis
6. One - U2
7. Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio
8. Creep – Radiohead
9. Enter Sandman – Metallica
10. California Love – 2Pac
11. Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
12. Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor
13. Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
14. No Scrubs – TLC
15. Come As You Are – Nirvana
16. Juicy – Notorious B.I.G.
17. Killing In the Name - Rage Against The Machine
18. Say My Name – Destiny’s Child
19. Song 2 – Blur
20. My Name Is – Eminem
21. Everlong – Foo Fighters
22. Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
23. Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
24. No Diggity – BLACKstreet
25. 1979 – Smashing Pumpkins
26. Waterfalls – TLC
27. Loser – Beck
28. Killing Me Softly – The Fugees
29. I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys
30. It Was a Good Day – Ice Cube
31. Alive – Pearl Jam
32. Basket Case – Green Day
33. Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
34. Sabotage – Beastie Boys
35. Wannabe - Spice Girls
36. Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
37. Jump Around – House of Pain
38. Zombie - The Cranberries
39. Paranoid Android – Radiohead
40. Jeremy - Pearl Jam
41. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette
42. Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana
43. Hypnotize – Notorious B.I.G.
44. Don’t Speak – No Doubt
45. Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
46. C.R.E.A.M. – Wu Tang Clan
47. November Rain - Guns ‘N’ Roses
48. Friday I’m in Love – The Cure
49. Regulate – Warren G
50. Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
51. Vogue – Madonna
52. Karma Police – Radiohead
53. Still D.R.E. – Dr. Dre
54. Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day
55. Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
56. Smooth - Santana and Rob Thomas
57. Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers
58. Big Poppa – Notorious B.I.G.
59. Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
60. Lovefool – Cardigans
61. Believe – Cher
62. Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
63. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
64. Gin & Juice – Snoop Doggy Dogg
65. All the Small Things – Blink 182
66. Dear Mama – 2Pac
67. Buddy Holly – Weezer
68. Black or White – Michael Jackson
69. What’s Up – 4 Non Blondes
70. Mr. Jones - Counting Crows
71. I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith
72. (Everything I Do) I Do It for You – Bryan Adams
73. Say It Ain't So – Weezer
74. Shook Ones, Pt. 2 – Mobb Deep
75. Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
76. Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-a-Lot
77. Closer - Nine Inch Nails
78. Groove Is in the Heart – Deee-Lite
79. Ironic - Alanis Morissette
80. O.P.P – Naughty by Nature
81. Self Esteem - The Offspring
82. Insane in the Brain – Cypress Hill
83. I’ll Be Missing You – Puff Daddy
84. Thunderstruck - AC/DC
85. All Star – Smash Mouth
86. Linger - The Cranberries
87. Firestarter – Prodigy
88. What Is Love – Haddaway
89. Bullet with Butterfly Wings – Smashing Pumpkins
90. When I Come Around – Green Day
91. Kiss from a Rose – Seal
92. I Try – Macy Gray
93. Fantasy – Mariah Carey
94. Hard Knock Life – Jay Z
95. What I Got – Sublime
96. Tha Crossroads – Bone Thugs ‘n’ Harmony
97. Intergalactic – Beastie Boys
98. No Rain - Blind Melon
99. Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz
100. The Boy Is Mine – Brandy and Monica
101. Two Princes – Spin Doctors
102. Freak on a Leash – Korn
103. Lithium – Nirvana
104. Mo Money Mo Problems – Notorious B.I.G.
105. Give It Away – Red Hot Chili Peppers
106. Angels – Robbie Williams
107. Forgot About Dre – Dr. Dre featuring Eminem
108. That’s the Way Love Goes – Janet Jackson
109. Missing – Everything but the Girl
110. More Than Words – Extreme
111. Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack
112. End of the Road – Boyz II Men
113. Don’t Look Back in Anger – Oasis
114. Streets of Philadelphia – Bruce Springsteen
115. Black - Pearl Jam
116. No Surprises - Radiohead
117. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
118. Learn to Fly - Foo Fighters
119. Ready or Not - The Fugees
120. You Get What You Give - New Radicals
121. Around the World - Daft Punk
122. Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind
123. Kiss Me - Sixpence None the Richer
124. What's My Age Again - Blink 182
125. Creep - TLC
126. Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison
127. Champagne Supernova - Oasis
128. Remember the Time - Michael Jackson
129. Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots
130. Bulls on Parade - Rage Against The Machine
131. This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan
132. Don't Cry - Guns n' Roses
133. All That She Wants - Ace of Base
134. Man In the Box - Alice In Chains
135. Live Forever - Oasis
136. Vision of Love - Mariah Carey
137. Wind of Change - Scorpions
138. Poison - Bell Biv Devoe
139. Always - Bon Jovi
140. Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton
141. Truly Madly Deeply - Savage Garden
142. Changes - 2Pac
143. On and On - Erykah Badu
144. Runaway Train - Soul Asylum
145. I'll Make Love to You - Boyz II Men
146. Common People - Pulp
147. Big Pimpin' - Jay-Z
148. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest
149. Today - Smashing Pumpkins
150. Jump - Kris Kross
151. All I Wanna Do - Sheryl Crow
152. Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
153. Drive - Incubus
154. Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead
155. N.Y. State of Mind - Nas
156. Mind Playing Tricks on Me - Geto Boys
157. Even Flow - Pearl Jam
158. Closing Time - Semisonic
159. Keep Ya Head Up - 2Pac
160. Ordinary World - Duran Duran
161. Would? - Alice in Chains
162. Freedom '90 - George Michael
163. Real Love - Mary J. Blige
164. I'd Do Anything for Love - Meat Loaf
165. Santeria - Sublime
166. Music Sounds Better with You - Stardust
167. Livin' la Vida Loca - Ricky Martin
168. I Believe I Can Fly - R. Kelly
169. One Headlight - The Wallflowers
170. Girls and Boys - Blur
171. All My Life - K-Ci & JoJo
172. Plush - Stone Temple Pilots
173. Gonna Make You Sweat - C & C Music Factory
174. Porcelain - Moby
175. Protect Ya Neck - Wu-Tang Clan
176. All Apologies - Nirvana
177. Glory Box - Portishead
178. Tubthumping - Chumbawamba
179. Ray of Light - Madonna
180. Dreamlover - Mariah Carey
181. Fly Away - Lenny Kravitz
182. Crash into Me - Dave Matthews Band
183. Praise You - Fatboy Slim
184. Gettin' Jiggy Wit It - Will Smith
185. You Make Me Wanna... - Usher
186. Just a Girl - No Doubt
187. Come Out and Play - The Offspring
188. Mary Jane's Last Dance - Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
189. One Week - Barenaked Ladies
190. Ex-Factor - Lauryn Hill
191. Disarm - Smashing Pumpkins
192. Crazy - Seal
193. Man on the Moon - R.E.M.
194. Hero - Mariah Carey
195. Candle in the Wind 1997 - Elton John
196. Cryin' - Aerosmith
197. One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men
198. Are You That Somebody - Aaliyah
199. Alright - Supergrass
200. Push - Matchbox Twenty

201. Daughter - Pearl Jam
202. Hard to Handle - Black Crowes
203. In Bloom - Nirvana
204. Mysterious Ways - U2
205. Shiny Happy People - R.E.M.
206. Flava in Ya Ear - Craig Mack
207. Spoonman - Soundgarden
208. Born Slippy (NUXX) - Underworld
209. My Lovin' - En Vogue
210. Rooster - Alice In Chains
211. Together Again - Janet Jackson
212. Longview - Green Day
213. Breakfast at Tiffany's - Deep Blue Something
214. Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground
215. The World Is Yours - Nas
216. Santa Monica - Everclear
217. Whatta Man - Salt 'n' Pepa with En Vogue
218. Walk - Pantera
219. The Distance - Cake
220. Lightning Crashes - Live
221. 3 AM - Matchbox 20
222. Rosa Parks - Outkast
223. Frozen - Madonna
224. Bump 'n' Grind - R. Kelly
225. One of Us - Joan Osborne
226. Give Me One Reason - Tracy Chapman
227. Where It's At - Beck
228. Woo-Hah!! Got You All in Check - Busta Rhymes
229. Hey Boy Hey Girl - Chemical Brothers
230. Glycerine - Bush
231. Better Man - Pearl Jam
232. Unbelievable - EMF
233. Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction
234. I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By - Method Man
235. Higher - Creed
236. Hunger Strike - Temple of the Dog
237. Celebrity Skin - Hole
238. Walkin' on the Sun - Smash Mouth
239. Stay (I Missed You) - Lisa Loeb
240. Name - Goo Goo Dolls
241. Never Ever - All Saints
242. Only Wanna Be With You - Hootie & the Blowfish
243. Cannonball - The Breeders
244. Thong Song - Sisqó
245. Change the World - Eric Clapton and Babyface
246. Tennessee - Arrested Development
247. Shine - Collective Soul
248. Set Adrift on Memory Bliss - PM Dawn
249. Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms
250. Cream - Prince

Am I crazy to think that "My Heart Will Go On" should be on this list somewhere?

Not really a rock song though. Celine Dion has always been more in line with pure adult contemporary.

I Will Always Love You, My Heart Will Go On, and the like have generally been excluded from these lists it seems.

Fido wrote: Thu Apr 03, 2025 4:20 am Not really a rock song though. Celine Dion has always been more in line with pure adult contemporary.

Yes - but I feel you could say the exact same thing about Mariah Carey, but she is on this list.

Yeah, it's a tricky thing, knowing where to draw the line. I guess one might argue Mariah largely has one foot in R&B and the other in adult contemporary pop. But then again, a song like "Hero" is much more AC than R&B.

Mariah is clearly more rock than Dion, even though she definitely has a lot of AC influence in her music.

In terms of Jeremy's placement, two songs that seem fairly comparable with it are Black Hole Sun and It Was a Good Day, so I'd have it somewhere in that range. This would mean that Alive is now their highest ranked song, which is a move I'd be in support of anyway.

I also think the top 50 (which I believe was not revised with the 51-250 range a couple years back) may warrant another look. Black Or White, Baby Got Back, U Can't Touch This, Tears In Heaven, I Do It for You and Smooth all seem particularly high, while 51-56 could all probably be in the top 40, and I could even see No Scrubs and Baby One More Time in the top 20.

I started looking into Jeremy's placement yesterday, and kept working further and further down the list, so now I am planning to re-arrange the entire top 60, except that the top 5 may stay as it is.

For the top 5, I'd say that Nuthin But a 'G' Thang should be ahead of One. Acclaim would go to One, though NBaGT isn't far behind, popular seems close overall and influence would go to NBaGT quite easily.

I would give "One" popularity, because I think it wins lasting popularity while initial is close. I might be weighing lasting popularity a bit more heavily than you are.

I'd give Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang initial popularity, though I may be overrating the importance of US charts. One's advantage in lasting popularity also doesn't seem all that big, but maybe it has a ton of radio play or something.

"One" seems to have a fairly decisive lead on Spotify, last.fm, etc. And, yeah, I'd imagine it gets a bit more radio play.

Decisive, sure, but not nearly as huge as NBaGT's win in influence.

Another comparison I want to bring up is One vs Wonderwall. Initial popularity seems close, acclaim would probably go to One while lasting popularity would seem to easily go to Wonderwall.

I do think that "Wonderwall" will rise at least to #6.

A word of caution on the Spotify stats: they're useful, but I think they're a bit biased in favor of songs released late in the '90s when compared to songs released early in the '90s. I think Dr. Dre's listing there suggests that. According to it, three of his songs from 1999 are easily more popular than 1992's "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang". Even the one in 3rd place has about 80% more plays than "G Thang". That's just one example. I'm consulting Spotify anyway, but when using Spotfy's stats, I think that a bit of bias needs to be taken account. For example, if 2 songs have about the same number of listens, but one was released early in the decade but the other was released late in it, the one from early in the decade is the one making the stronger showing in their stats.

When discussing the influence of "G Thang", is the idea that Dre did something influential on that song that he didn't do elsewhere on The Chronic album, or is the idea more that the album was influential, and 'G Thang' was easily the biggest song from that album, so most of the album's influence can be credited to 'G Thang'?

Mostly the latter, it was also the first single released from the album, so, I think a good case could be made that G Thang, specifically, popularized the g-funk sound for the general public.