Title: The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
Headings: The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
Nirvana: 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' (1991)
Los Del Rio: 'Macarena' (1993)
Boyz II Men: 'End of the Road' (1992)
Elton John: 'Candle in the Wind 1997' (1997)
Tag Team: 'Whoomp! (There It Is)' (1993)
Whitney Houston: 'I Will Always Love You' (1992)
Coolio: 'Gangsta's Paradise' (1995)
Sinead O'Connor: 'Nothing Compares to You' (1990)
R.E.M.: 'Losing My Religion' (1991)
Alanis Morissette: 'You Oughta Know' (1995)
Jay-Z: 'Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)' (1998)
Celine Dion: 'My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From 'Titanic')' (1997)
LL Cool J: 'Mama Said Knock You Out' (1990)
Backstreet Boys: 'I Want It That Way' (1999)
TLC: 'No Scrubs' (1999)
Beck: 'Loser' (1994)
Fugees: 'Killing Me Softly' (1996)
Ricky Martin: 'Livin' La Vida Loca' (1999)
Mariah Carey: 'Vision of Love' (1990)
Santana Featuring Rob Thomas: 'Smooth' (1999)
John Mellencamp With Me'Shell NdegeOcello: 'Wild Night' (1994)
Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories: 'Do You Sleep?' (1995)
Billy Joel: 'River of Dreams' (1993)
Sugar Ray: 'Every Morning' (1999)
Heart: 'All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You' (1990)
Blind Melon: 'No Rain' (1992)
EMF: 'Unbelievable' (1991)
Whitney Houston: 'It's Not Right, But It's Okay' (1998)
Ben Folds Five: 'Brick' (1997)
Arrested Development: 'Tennessee' (1992)
Presidents of the United States of America: 'Lump' (1995)
Barenaked Ladies: 'One Week' (1998)
Marc Anthony: 'I Need to Know' (1999)
Shaggy: 'Boombastic' (1995)
Oasis: 'Wonderwall' (1996)
Dishwalla: 'Counting Blue Cars' (1995)
R.E.M.: 'Man on the Moon' (1992)
Eric Clapton: 'Tears in Heaven' (1992)
Alanis Morissette: 'Uninvited' (1998)
Spice Girls: 'Wannabe' (1996)
Cranberries: 'Linger' (1993)
No Doubt: 'Don't Speak' (1995)
Edwyn Collins: 'A Girl Like You' (1994)
Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch: 'Good Vibrations' (1996)
R. Kelly: 'Bump 'n Grind' (1993)
Us3: 'Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)' (1993)
Jesus Jones: 'Right Here Right Now' (1991)
Will Smith: 'Gettin' Jiggy Wit It' (1997)
Madonna: 'Secret' (1994)
Quad City DJs: 'C'mon 'n Ride It (The Train)' (1996)
Bell Biv Devoe: 'Poison' (1990)
Faith No More: 'Epic' (1990)
Martin Page: 'In the House of Stone and Light' (1994)
Tracy Chapman: 'Give Me One Reason' (1995)
House of Pain: 'Jump Around' (1992)
Digital Underground: 'The Humpty Dance' (1990)
Michael Jackson: 'Black or White' (1991)
DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince: 'Summertime' (1991)
Sarah McLachlan: 'Adia' (1997)
Janet Jackson: 'Escapade' (1990)
Wreckz N Effect: 'Rump Shaker' (1992)
Collective Soul: 'The World I Know' (1995)
Melissa Etheridge: 'Come to My Window' (1993)
Wallflowers: 'One Headlight' (1996)
Stereo MCs: 'Connected' (1992)
Amy Grant: 'Baby Baby' (1991)
Various Artists: 'ESPN Presents the Jock Jam' (1997)
TLC: 'Waterfalls' (1994)
Seal: 'Kiss From a Rose' (1991)
Deborah Cox: 'Nobody's Supposed to Be Here' (1998)
Counting Crows: 'Mr. Jones' (1993)
Dr. Dre: 'Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang' (1992)
Backstreet Boys: 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' (1997)
C&C Music Factory: 'Gonna Make You Sweat' (1990)
Bruce Springsteen: 'Streets of Philadelphia' (1993)
Dave Matthews Band: 'Crash Into Me' (1996)
MC Hammer: 'U Can't Touch This' (1990)
Ini Kamoze: 'Here Comes the Hotstepper' (1994)
Lauryn Hill: 'Doo Wop (That Thing)' (1998)
Puff Daddy and Faith Evans Featuring 112: 'I'll Be Missing You' (1997)
Gloria Estefan: 'Coming out of the Dark' (1991)
Shawn Colvin: 'Sunny Came Home' (1996)
Smashing Pumpkins: '1979' (1995)
Red Hot Chili Peppers: 'Under the Bridge' (1991)
Hanson: 'MMMBop' (1997)
Blackstreet: 'No Diggity' (1996)
U2: 'Mysterious Ways' (1991)
Soul Asylum: 'Runaway Train' (1992)
Deee-Lite: 'Groove Is in the Heart' (1990)
4 Non Blondes: 'What's Up?' (1992)
Madonna: 'Vogue' (1990)
Mariah Carey: 'Fantasy' (1995)
Cher: 'Believe' (1998)
Proclaimers: 'I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)' (1988/1993)
Boyz II Men: 'Motownphilly' (1991)
Sheryl Crow: 'All I Wanna Do' (1999)
Madonna: 'Ray of Light' (1998)
Smash Mouth: 'Walkin' on the Sun' (1997)
Everything But the Girl: 'Missing' (1994)
Britney Spears: '...Baby One More Time' (1998)

Content: The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
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The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
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By
Bill Lamb
Music Expert
M.L.S, Library Science, Indiana University
Bill Lamb is a music and arts writer with two decades of experience covering the world of entertainment and culture. our editorial process
Bill Lamb
Updated September 07, 2019
From a pop musical standpoint, the 1990s was one of the most eclectic, and the best songs of the decade still sound fresh today. New acts like Nirvana changed the way people listened to rock music, while established stars like Madonna had the biggest hits of their careers. Boy bands and divas dominated the pop and dance charts, while East and West Coast rappers gave hip-hop a fresh sense of urgency. So who were some of the biggest acts of the 1990s? Mariah Carey had more No. 1 hits than anyone else during that decade. Other artists who dominated the charts included Janet Jackson, Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, and TLC. At the beginning of the '90s, Seattle birthed the grunge movement, which melded punk and hard rock, producing such influential bands as Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. As the decade progressed, grunge was absorbed into the larger, radio-friendly "alternative rock" genre, then gave way to aggro-rock and nu-metal bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park at the end of the decade.