Top 10 Best Hard Rock Bands of the '90s

While Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam, as much as I respect them, spawned dozens of imitators, nobody could replicate Nirvana, mostly because of the unique talents of Cobain. This is truly the sign of an all-time great rock band.

While Kurt obviously melded influences of The Pixies, The Melvins, and others, no subsequent band sounds quite like Nirvana.

Nirvana was truly an idol in the world of rock for many reasons. Their songs had meaning. They experimented with what you could do with music.

Kurt was a legend and will be remembered for years to come. His music was truly inspirational to many people and bands.

Metallica are the true gods of metal! These guys defined and perfected what metal is. They are a true inspiration to all things rock and are the best that ever was.

They are not only the best metal band of the '90s but also the '80s, 2000s, and now! The best album ever, the "Black Album," is the number one album ever sold in the rock industry. My personal favorite is "ReLoad"!

"Oooh, my favorite band is the best!" Let's not be too subjective, people. I don't care if you like Metallica or not. They rock. They sold a lot of albums. They deserve a top spot.

The sheer mass amount of A+ songs pushes the Red Hot Chili Peppers to the Greatest Band Ever spot for me, let alone in the '90s. Blood Sugar Sex Magik had some of the most memorable and awesome songs ever to be played. It had a perfect mix of fast and slow, plus punk and funk, which morphed into this orgasm of an album.

When someone can play an album from song one to the last without pause, it indicates its greatness. And hell, I'm only talking about just one out of the three albums they had in the '90s, mainly because that's all they need to be #1. Other albums are amazing as well!

This may be the most stacked-for-talent four-man band of all time. Mike Starr had some of the most hair-raising basslines of the era. Sean Kinney was one of the tightest drummers of the time. Jerry Cantrell, in my humble opinion, should go down as one of the best songwriters of all time. Not to mention, the guy could take one finger and write a riff that would blow your socks off.

And then there's Layne freaking Staley. The guy was a freak of nature. Arguably one of the loudest and most powerful singers of all time, wielding a voice that could move mountains as well as tear them down. And yet, he never had to scream or growl to create intensity, and they could do all this without ever really playing that fast.

To me, their tempo is one of the things that makes them so influential. It made their music hit so much harder and heavier. In my opinion, they should be talked about as one of the all-time greats.

Pearl Jam is the second most influential hard rock band of the 1990s, right behind Nirvana. They rank third if you want to make an argument for Alice in Chains. They were the biggest band in the world for at least half of the decade. The first three albums were mega-huge, selling in the range of 25 million copies. Pearl Jam's last album, released in 2009, went to number one on the charts. They are excellent live and still continue to sell out arenas worldwide.

P.S. This is supposed to be a list of the top hard rock bands of the 1990s?! Get Bon Jovi off of here! They are an '80s band through and through. I would rather see Seven Mary Three make the list because at least they were a '90s band!

The AFD album is one of the greatest. Slash had an unprecedented tone during those sessions. Use Your Illusion were good albums as well, but in a way, they had the potential to become maybe the best ever.

A good frontman, a true guitar god, a steady bass player, and a drummer with excellent backing vocals and songwriting ability from their rhythm guitarist. But the days they did have were stunning. They were the biggest and most followed band in the world the day AFD released and up until the day they split. Their original stuff has stood the test of time. The entire AFD album and acoustic takes like Patience and Used to Love Her are still on every rock radio show on the planet.

The '90s produced some of the most original new sounds that forever changed the rock and metal scene. Among the most original is Soundgarden. There is no mistaking Chris Cornell's vocals. Vocalists alone, he is the best, with no comparison. Anyone with an ear for music would have to agree.

Added to the rough and raw sound of the band, Chris' vocals are a perfect match. Soundgarden really should be the number one rock band of the '90s. The world of music truly would not be the same without Soundgarden and without Chris Cornell. Oh, and let's not forget Temple of the Dog and "Hunger Strike". Thank God for Soundgarden and Chris Cornell!

STP is #1 in my heart because they had diversity in their musical styles throughout each album. You never knew exactly what you were going to get from a new STP album - all you knew was that it was going to sound amazing. Most of these other bands can be boiled down to three or four general sounds that repeat through their entire discographies (if you're lucky).

That is not the case with STP - they were so talented that they could allow themselves to explore a wide range of styles and sound damn good doing it.

Maybe a few spots too high. Smashing Pumpkins had some great tunes, but as unique as they were, they were always just behind in about every aspect of a band.

Vocals? Staley, Cobain, and Cornell were all better. Guitar? Cantrell, Morello, and Slash were more talented, and their tones shone through. The songwriting is just a touch behind the likes of other bands. But take nothing away. Smashing Pumpkins are a part of American rock history and rightfully so. They were a very good band.

I have so much love for this band. There is no other band that can even come close to having a sound like The Smashing Pumpkins.

When I think back to the '90s, I think about bands like this one and songs like "Today," "1979," "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," "Tonight, Tonight," "Landslide," "Cherub Rock," and so on. I could talk about this band all day. But those of us who know and love this band know that they should be at least in the top 5!

Very talented and underrated band.

If they hadn't become such a huge meme on the internet, people would actually be able to realize that.

This band is AMAZING!

I don't understand why it's this low. It should be in the top 20 at least.

Creativity has never been so delicately assembled in a band like this one before. Adam Jones and his hard, haunting, and unique riffs complement Maynard's voice and vocal delivery in a way no other band has achieved. The bass line can hardly be called "rhythm" or "background" because, along with Danny Carey's ingenious syncopated and dissonant drum lines and bass lines that lead as much as guitar, this band can easily be named one of the greatest masterpieces of music and art on the planet.

Literally the most technically and lyrically advanced band. Danny Carey is legendary on drums and is considered by many to be up there with Neil Peart. Justin Chancellor redefined how to play bass.

Adam Jones's creativity on guitar is incomparable to any other guitarist, and Maynard's very complex lyrics, pure emotion, soul, and energy on stage make listening to Tool's music a very intense experience.

One of the most innovative and underrated mainstream acts of the '90s. "The Downward Spiral" and "The Fragile" were way ahead of their time. I would argue that Trent Reznor's contributions to music are as important as Nirvana's.

Plus, he's the reason anyone gives a damn about Marilyn Manson, which is a huge contribution in and of itself.

Nine Inch Nails dropped two amazing albums and an amazing EP in the '90s. Who else did that in the '90s? Metallica? Load, Reload? What? Their self-titled album was good, though, but better than The Downward Spiral, The Fragile, and Broken? No.

The Colour and the Shape was their best album ever (other than maybe Wasting Light). The first album was not great, but Dave was the only one doing anything, so that's 1/4 of the creativity.

There Is Nothing Left to Lose had great songs too (Learn to Fly, Stacked Actors, Breakout).

Hard to believe Nirvana spawned such an awesome band.

They are still one of my favorites of all time, while Nirvana is one of my most hated. Is that weird?

But they were definitely better in the 2000s. Aurora, Generator, Breakout, For All the Cows: all quality songs from the '90s!

Much like Guns N' Roses, they left the rock world a bit short and unfulfilled. Unlike Guns N' Roses, they don't have quite the extensive catalog in depth.

But the tunes they did record are stunning and shook the world. Ahead of their time, no doubt. I just wish they'd have done more.

The hard rock sound of Morello and Commerford, along with the great rapping skills of De La Rocha, complemented by the simple yet awesome drumming, makes Rage the best '90s band ever and, in my opinion, one of the best ever.

Zack de la Rocha. Text and spirit. So much underrated!

Pantera had the best guitarist, best drummer, a great singer, and a good bassist. You get the best band of all time.

The band got me through so many times in my life, from anger to having my children. Number 1 for me all the way!

Pantera, without a shadow of a doubt, the best damn metal band ever. I drove 200 miles to Nashville, Tennessee, to buy Great Southern Trendkill when it was released, as all the music shops near me wouldn't have it for another week.

Mind you, gas was only 80¢ a gallon back then. Well worth it!

Best by far.

When you sell millions of albums without radio or MTV, you are a musical phenomenon. Literally, every album is gold, all but one platinum. Some of the most consistent album sales in music history show how impressive they were live, as that was their only real promotion.

Yeah, this is WAY too low for Korn! Are you kidding me? When MTV played music, Korn beat out the ridiculous Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and Britney Spears for the number one song/video, and the Got the Life video had to be retired because it was on top for so long!

Korn put hard music on the mainstream map and kicked Pop in the face! They are easily top ten, if not higher.

Huge in the '90s. Like the biggest band by the end of the '90s. They released very good music right up to the end of the '90s.

Freak on a Leash and Blind defined the 1990s! Way underrated band. Should be much higher than this!

For me, AC/DC is a top 5 band in the '70s and '80s. The tone of Malcolm and Angus is downright scary good. They have stood the test of time, and there isn't a band in the world whose riffs are being played more in commercials, ads, movies, Super Bowls, etc., than AC/DC. They didn't call it quits after losing a singer or after a few good albums. They produced massively inspiring albums like High Voltage and Highway to Hell with the great Bon Scott and developed themselves even further with the great Brian. Absolute legends.

And they may even be a top 10 in the '90s, but definitely top 5 in the '70s and '80s.

Every time I listen to them, I'm surprised they weren't more popular. Easily one of my top five favorite bands of all time.

100? Is this a joke, or is this list based solely on radio Top 40 play?

Kyuss should be way higher than 100.

My top three personally. 111 is laughable.

While most of the other bands are alternative or grunge, Bon Jovi truly is a Rock Band. They were definitely at their height in the '90s, and yet they still continue today.

So many 'classic' hits, namely Livin' on a Prayer, You Give Love a Bad Name, Wanted Dead or Alive, Runaway, Keep the Faith, Lay Your Hands on Me, Bed of Roses, In These Arms, and many more.

Bon Jovi released three albums in the '90s: Keep the Faith, Cross Road, and These Days. All were absolutely amazing!

Songs like Keep the Faith, Dry County, Always, In These Arms, This Ain't a Love Song, etc., were all super hits. The best band ever!

Aerosmith. One hit every year since 1973. Biggest band ever.

Best metal band ever that I've heard.

The Deftones are able to blend hardcore heavy riffing with amazingly soft vocals. They are heavy when they feel like it, and softer when they feel like it, but never stray too far from the road of badass!

Will listen to them forever.

Perfect blend of quiet and meaningful lyrics to relax to, and hardcore screams and heavy riffs to get you pumped up for a big game or a workout set.

Even the new albums that they release are amazing. To this day, still the best live band I've ever seen!

They actually formed in 1992. They changed the band name in 1997, but they started in 1992 as Groundswell.

To be this low is ridiculous. Dave Mustaine is probably one of the best ever.