Top 10 Greatest Music Artists and Bands of the 90s

Nirvana didn't invent grunge, but the grunge sound probably existed way before Nirvana in some kid's garage maybe in Japan or maybe Seattle. However, it was Nirvana that changed the entire landscape of music, and defined an entire generation's apathy and inspire people like me who may not have been born in Gen X, but still resonate with me. Without Nirvana, bands like Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, and Alice in Chains wouldn't get the same acclaim they had for collectively making the alternative sound (maybe Pearl Jam in my opinion a close second), and bands like Weezer and Thirty Seconds to Mars wouldn't be heavily acclaimed for carrying on the alternative sound

No way in hell any artist from the nineties is anywhere near Nirvana. They inspired a revolution among teenagers. Had it not been for Kurt Cobain's tragic death in '94 Nirvana would've been one of the best if the 2000's too! Nirvana isn't just the best artist of the nineties. They're one of the best artists of all time.

Why Kurt Cobain would commit suicide at the height of his career is beyond Me! R.I.P Kurt! You'll be remembered forever! He was a great guitarist, and outstanding vocals as well! Overall one of the best musicians Ever! If not for his suicide, Nirvana would've still been a great band!

You have to be kidding this is number 2? Michael Jackson is number 1? I understand he's an amazing artist but he was better in the 80's not the 90's. Nirvana is one of the best bands out there. Smells like teen spirit is named to be the best song of the 90s. Nirvana is the best and will always be

Alice in Chains is one of the most underrated bands period. And that's talking about a band that sold millions of records. Layne Staley was one of the most amazing poets in music. His material was dark, and that does not appeal to everyone and perhaps that contributes to them not receiving the recognition they deserve, but I challenge anyone to read up a bit on Staley, his life and his struggles, and then read his lyrics. They are incredible.

Jerry Cantrell is a musical genius. He is an amazing songwriter and guitar player and the combination of he and Staley was like lightning in a bottle. Its unfortunate the way things went with the band, but I suppose that's rock and roll for you.

PS - If you are an Alice in Chains fans - specifically Layne Staley era - check out Mad Season's 'Above' album. You won't be disappointed.

I can't believe it. Why does it never occur to people that Alice In Chains is one of the greatest bands ever in metal? I know they dealt with darker and more mysterious things that people were not familiar with. But still, it was a very good try and this contributed to the music history greatly. They are still amazing and one of the few bands that I love wholeheartedly.

Not only the greatest band of the 90s but of all time. All their songs are amazing. Everything they wrote was with such quality and diversity.

This band had two musical geniuses. Layne Staley had the most amazing and unique voice you'll ever hear and Jerry Cantrell was one of the greatest guitar players in rock history. Together they wrote history.

This is easily one of the best bands of all time. Layne Staley's voice and lyrics are tremendous. Jerry Cantrell's riffs are dark and hard hitting. They only had 3 albums but each one was amazing. Dirt is their best album and probably the best album of the 90s.

Soundgarden didn't get the same attention that AIC, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana did because their songs tended to be more complex and often didn't have a "catch" that the mainstream desires. However Soundgarden musically is hands down the best band of the nineties and their music speaks on a whole different level. I don't understand why Nirvana was so popular,

Now this is a bit more realistic list!
Soundgarden for the best band in Rock 'N' Roll, PERIOD! Only Led Zeppelin can be on that throne with Soundgarden.

Impossible to see this top 90s band trailing so many unfit to be among the best decade in music history.

Listen to their songs. Listen to the lyrics. Honestly my favorite band of all time.

HAHAH! Can't stop laughing! 9th?! This must be a joke! They sold most albums 1991 with Metallica or "Black Album" and you don't see that great? God this world is getting more weird by the days!

This is one of my favourite bands of all time!

A-ha encompasses the entire rock from the past until now, not only the 90's. Hear the guitarist compositions from 1980 in its first album before A-ha (a timeless LP with psychedelic, rock and melancholic vibes. The songs exist in a magical place between 70's rock and the 80's new wave explosion. A brilliant album completely on it's own merit). The guitarist also runs an other band since 1995 (Savoy). A-ha is still going on nowadays. A-ha doesn't make rock. A-ha IS rock.

Ok, so you only know "take on me".
What a shame! The real a-ha are so much more than catchy eighties synth-pop-tunes - deeper - darker - better - 90s! Go and get their extraordinary 1993 album "memorial beach" and be surprised! a-ha rock!

A-ha the best band of all time. Best Lyrics, best compositions, best songwriters, best sound, best male vocalist... And the most beautiful frontman of all time

A-ha has proved that they can make awesome rock-music in the 90s!

He's my idol. Everything he ever did he gave it 100%. He didn't just film a bunch of half naked women on a yacht dancing to his music and call it a video! He employed some of the most talented people in the WORLD to help create something larger than life! He didn't just find any woman with a sexy voice to talk/sing on his track. He hired the Princess of Monaco to record the voice overs for "In The Closet." EVERYTHING he did - it was larger than life and I love and respect and admire and thank him for every bit of it. Ever since I was a little kid, I've been captivated by his moves and his music. He is and will forever be my IDOL.

Michael Jackson's music and influence encompasses the whole Earth. In Every square mile of Earth, you would find a man who knows Michael Jackson. His Legacy and Transcendence is eternal and immortal. I hope no one has forgotten his fabulous and larger than life DANGEROUS WORLD TOUR, AND THE HISTORY WORLD TOUR. At a time when artists wrote about girls, money and sex, he came up with essestial contributions to music with songs like " Heal The World", " Earth Song", "They don't care about us ". He not only entertained us, He Sustained us. They is no one like him, there will be no one like him.

MJ is what a entertainer is, he sings, he dances, he greets his fans with love and thoughtfulness, some singers now you have to dam near grab them to get autograph, Michael just gave it to U. Some say Michael was weird and crazy, but if you sang in front of people for all your childhood, you would be weird to. I miss him and loved him.

He was probably 2nd to Elvis in the 1970's. Then he utterly dominated the 80's. He dominated the 1990's. And was actually still very successful with Invincible in the 2000's. He is Number 1 of the 80's and 90's, and now that he's given all he can, we can say with ease that he is the number 1 of all time

Definitely the best rapper of the 90's.

Goat should be top 2

My favorite band of all time is The Clash. Green Day is probably the closest thing we have ever gotten to a second coming of The Clash (well at least early Clash). Also, I don't get all of the hate for this band, sure they sold out but they made some of the best punk albums since the early days of punk; Dookie, American Idiot, Insomniac, Warning, Nimrod, all great albums. Honerable Mentions: Weezer, Nirvana, Pearl Jam

Green Day is an amazing band to listen to at any time, no matter the emotion because their songs range from depressed, enraged and bursting with glee. No one can experience the band the same way as their musical style, both now and then, was and still is highly unique. I love Green Day

Green Day should be much further up the list then 7! They inspired people! Please vote!

Do you have the time to listen to whine about why you should vote for Green Day?

With awesome songs like Californiacation, Breaking the Girl, Under the Bridge, Scar Tissue and Give it Away this band truly is diverse with their music. Not one of those songs I listed sound alike in any way.

With songs like Californication, Otherside, and Can't Stop, these guys deserve to be #2, with exactly 5 votes less then Pearl Jam.

I can't think of another band that are on the same level as RHCP. Their Top 3 albums all came out in the 90's and it was their prime. Nirvana is not #1 because they weren't around long enough. In the top 5 should be RHCP>SP>Nirvana>Radiohead>Janes Addiction

Blood Sugar Sex Magik is the best album of all time, what the hell are the backstreet boys doing at number 1?!?!

Seriously Oasis is the 40? I don't think so... Just look for some records they made and listen the fisrt and second album (Definitely Maybe & Morning glory). This two albums are in the top 20 of the bests albums in history, so oasis CAN'T be the 40. They are in the top 5 for sure.

Oasis probably where they are because they didn't get the exposure in America. Note most of the bands topping this band are American. But these guys were like coldplay on the juice, noel gallagher is a god like genius

Musically I'd say Oasis &. Nirvana. Green day probably comes after that. Most of the voters in this list are probably typical Americans. If we'd more British voters, Oasis would've been at number 1

How is Oasis not in the top 10? They have one of the greatest debut and second album of all time. Even their b-sides are better than most bands a-sides.

I'd usually vote for the RHCP because overall, I know and enjoy them more than Radiohead. (I need to be in the right mindset to listen to Radiohead, which isn't necessarily a bad thing)

However, I'll vote for Radiohead, because they deserve a way better spot than #14, they make unique, diverse, complex and beautiful music the like of which I haven't really heard since Pink Floyd.
Their 90's album "OK Computer" is one of the most highly rated album of all time (and for good reasons). And in my opinion, "The Bends" is just as good

Plus I have a huge amount of respect for bands like them who never sell out, they just do what they enjoy doing and don't care whether it'll be popular or not. This also means they have one of the most supportive fan base I've seen in rock's history

Pop bands, more pop bands, those ain't music folks. I don't mean to sound edgy but those music is pretty disposable. We've had enough of it lol (with all due respect to MJ) With the exception of Green Day, Metallica and Pearl Jam the other bands are not the great deal. At least not to Radiohead level. Search your feelings you know it to be true. Radiohead is quite possibly the band of the century just behind Pink Floyd and Zeppelin. Music as original, trance inducing, and mesmerizing is hardly to be created again, Id call ever.

The musical depth of albums such as Kid A, OK Computer, and In Rainbows is the reason that these guys should be higher on the list. They were a huge influence to acts in the 2000s. I understand that it is hard to grasp the complexity of some of their work, but when the time is taken to do so, a true masterpiece of a band will be found.

Seriously? Westlife above Radiohed? Wow. Which band is manufactured so 12 year old girls like them and which band made Paranoid Android, one of the best songs of all time? Radiohead changed music and the emotion they give off is just amazing. Listen to No Surprises, Let Down or Fake Plastic Trees to see what I mean. Awesome band!

Underrated, most likely due to lack of recognition as a Canadian band in the United States. "Somewhere Out There" had some popularity, but the entire Gravity album just sounded like a marketing ploy. The true gems came from Clumsy/Happiness/Spiritual Machines. Naveed was amazing, but still sounded like a garage band trying to find their niche. Gravity wasn't a horrible album, but really didn't flow with the progression that OLP had developed. Still, one of the most amazing bands and one I'll never forget.

Way better than Pearl Jam and Nirvana, should be top ten at least.

I was surprised to find them so low! They should be in the top 5!

They evolved more than any of the bands that came out in that time. Best and last great frontman in Scott Weiland

Should be in the top ten

One of the most heavy and influential metal bands ever!

Pantera was metal in the 90's. CFH, VDOP and FBD were all classics. And southern trend kill was dope. They were amazing and did all of their amazing stuff in the 90's. Nobody else did quite what Pantera did in the 90's

A lot of people praise Mariah Carey as a great singer and they are right but I want to add that she also just has some generally great pop songs from the 1990s such as Emotions (joy incarnate in sound), Fantasy, The Roof etc. I would definitely call her one of the best pop artists of the decade even if the 1990's weren't great for the genre.

She won an award for most successful female artist of the mellinium by only singing in the 1990s. The most commercially successful and has the most #1s. Her song One Sweet Day still holds the record for the song with most weeks at number 1 which is also the most played song of the decade. Hero is an inspiration for people, Vision of Love influenced a whole generation, and All I Want for Christmas is You still is the best selling holiday song.

Come On Mimi dominated the 90's from 1990-1999 with number one hits and albums. She also won grammy's, American music awards, and billboard music awards including artist of the DECADE!

Mariah has a number one song every single year of the 90s and she wrote all of the songs herself. She won artist of the decade and song of the decade. Come on, She has to be number one

I have never liked boy bands or pop bands that seem like the only reason they're popular are how they look. For example, One Direction never did it for me... they were cute but too soulless. Most of my music preferences are in beautiful movie soundtracks and intensely heartbreaking musical theatre songs like I Dreamed A Dream, I'd Give My Life For You, and Down Once More/Track Down This Murderer from Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, and The Phantom of the Opera. I also never thought I would ever like any popular band, in whatever popular genre, since it all felt so cheap.

Now I've never listened to Nirvana or any of those grunge bands or genres surrounding that one, since it just isn't my or most of the people my ages style. And no, I am not, at the very oldest, in my forties or fifties; I am a later millennial. I'm sure that they were amazing and original and unique, but it doesn't appeal to my interests. Neither do common pop or hip hop or rap or popular music usually, as a ...more

The best band, more than 120 million albums selled, the voice is perfect, they can perform POP DANCE, soft music too, they are polyvalent, they dance very well - nothing bad - they are the best of the bests.. Their albums Millenium, Backstreet Boys and Black and Blue were amazing - we love them and they've inspirated all the next groups ( black eyed peas, one direction, jonas brothers... ) we love them

It's the Backstreet Boys! Best selling band of the 90s obviously they should be #1! They're still around too! Go Backstreet Boys! I've been a fan since 95 and still going strong. There is just something amazing about their music and vocals that can soothe the soul and get a smile on my fce even onthe crappiest day! Amazing guys, amazing talent! The Boys are here to stay!

What?! I can't believe these guys are 4th, they should definitely be second (as no one defeats the king), backstreet boys are legends in music history, and they're as good as Michael jackson, they play a very unique kind of music different from today's music, they created a new kind of rare pop which ruled music history, I bet if you can find someone who could create something like "incomplete", I will be a fan of this guys forever, because I like good music

Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness are masterpieces! These albums alone should make the Smashing Pumpkins above Backstreet Boys (who, while having catchy songs, haven't really brought influence to music) and A-Ha (weren't A-Ha an 80s band? Plus I never heard of a well known 90s song from them)

Wow. The Smashing Pumpkins, aside from Nirvana, is the best band to come out of the 90s. Why? Just listen to 1979. Or Soma. Or Today. The Smashing Pumpkins are incredible at their high points.

One of the best groups of the 90s that had multiple hits and top charting albums throughout the decade.

Go listen "Bullet with butterfly wings", "Mayonaise" and come back here to vote.

How are these guys not first? They're one of the greatest bands of all time, and single-handedly changed the music scene in the 1990s. They were able to stop grunge and give people something different to listen to. Zack's vocals were both poetic and angry, while Tom's guitar playing was from another planet. This, combined with Brad and Tim and the messages they conveyed, made them a force to be reckoned with. They deserve to be higher.

Fathers of the whole nu-metal genre. Without them there will be no System of A Down and Muse. Also note strong political (leftist) message!

One of the most transcendent bands in history.

Still awesome in the 90s, better than Michael Jackson for sure, get back together.

He won the American music awards artist of the decade for all music and sold more albums in this decade than anyone. Shouldn't be a contest

She has a sweet voice

May not be as great as they were in the 80s, but they still had it. Mainly Power Ballads like Bed of Roses, Always, and This Ain't a love song.

Bon Jovi may have mostly been popular in the 80s, but they've got a lot of hits in the 90s, like Bed of Roses, Always, This Ain't a Love Song, etc..

A guy who started out in the 80's (if not in the 70's) and is still Vibrating those vocal chords!

I have every album they ever came out with, never been to a concert cause I wasn't old enough then they went on this Hiatus which I'm still not sure if they're back together, till then I bought Serj Tankian's solo album that he made completely by himself playing every instrument (impressive) I'm not saying I'm a more hardcore fan than you I'm saying this band oozes so much talent that every song they wrote is amazing. seriously other bands albums might have one or two hits and the rest of the music I skip through but with System of a Down? Nah man I listen to every song over and over to the point I memorized every single lyric of every single song. Chop Suey was a little hard to catch at first, haha. War I is my favorite song from the group though I love Sugar as well for its absolutely psychopathic sound. The first Album I listened to was "steal this album" which was the third I think. I Love this group

System of a down offers so much, beautiful vocals, thought provoking satire, and some of the craziest yet most intriguing songs known to man! "chop suey" and "lost in Hollywood" will melt your heart.

Amazing band. Serj Tankian and his vocals are something else.

Not really a 90s band. sure, their debut albums was in the 90s, but they didn't get big until 2001