The Best Rock Song of Every Year of the 1990s

Rock and roll peaked in the 1990s. Dropped in the middle of the boring hairbands of the 1980s and the slow death caused by the internet in the 2000s, the subgenre continued to dominate during the days of Bill Clinton and Michael Jordan. At the end of the 20th century, rock music was filled with raw energy, the bland commercialization of it stripped away. The decade began with years of the grunge takeover reigning the scene, before Brit rock and bands forged in tragedy carried the torch. From ballads to high energy chaos and everything in between, these 10 songs represent the 1990s better than any other.

“Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains (1990)

A year before everyone and their mother knew what grunge was, there stood Alice in Chains, who hit it big with their debut album, Facelift. The second single, “Man in the Box,” was the album’s best song, and three decades plus later, remains the greatest song of the band’s career. It kicks you in the teeth from the very first second, as Layne Staley‘s unmistakable voice croons over Jerry Cantrell‘s guitar riff. Although the lyrics are meant to be about censorship, there is a sad double meaning lurking under the surface. The band’s initial run would be cut short due to Staley’s battle with drug addiction. To listen to “Man in the Box” now is to hear a plea from a man begging to be saved.

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana (1991)

1991 was one of rock’s best years ever. In the same 12-month span, classic albums were released by the likes of Metallica, Soundgarden, Guns N’ Roses, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. However, none of them could match what the then little known Nirvana accomplished with their second album, Nevermind. The first single changed the course of music. “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was an anthem for Generation X, waking them up from the boredom playing on the radio. Although Kurt Cobain‘s lyrics were not always easy to understand, the message was clear: a new type of music was here, and its energy wouldn’t be denied. With a mixture of punk and pop, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” started a revolution.

“Creep” by Radiohead (1992)

In a few short years, Radiohead would evolve from traditional rock music to an experimental sound that seemed to come from the unknown future. They started off, however, with a song which continues to define them as their biggest hit with the masses, whether they like it or not. In September 1992, months ahead of the 1993 release of their debut album, Pablo Honey, the world was introduced to Radiohead with “Creep.” It’s a song that sneaks up on you, with a soft singing Thom Yorke tapping into romantic hopelessness before Jonny Greenwood‘s guitar kicks in and flips the switch in the chorus. The sad lyrics, which we’ve all felt at some point, reach out and beg you to sing along.

“Heart Shaped Box” by Nirvana (1993)

How do you top one of the most successful albums of all time? That’s the question Nirvana had to answer in 1993, with their follow-up to Nevermind, In Utero. The answer is that they couldn’t, so the band went back to the basics on album number three and removed the post-production gloss. The first single, “Heart Shaped Box,” showed that Kurt Cobain and company were more than a one-year wonder. The versus-chorus-verse approach they’d perfected continued here, as nonsensical lyrics about cancer and orchids give way to Cobain’s screams about a new complaint. It’s off-kilter, uncomfortable genius from a voice which would be forever silenced just months later.

“Black Hole Sun” by Soundgarden (1994)

In 1994, after the death of Kurt Cobain, the grunge fad quickly went with it. The style refused to go quietly though, hanging on with Soundgarden‘s most commercial album, Superunknown. With it came their most iconic song, the third single, “Black Hole Sun.” The chart-topper blended the lines between hard rock, grunge, and pop acceptance without going soft. The entire band flows together seamlessly, but like always, it’s Chris Cornell‘s voice that pulls the listener into a hypnotic trance. His lyrics and their meanings are ambiguous. How Cornell could twist his vocal cords, singing like an angel one minute and screaming from the depths near the end, is still jaw-dropping to hear all these years later.

“Wonderwall” by Oasis (1995)

After the death of grunge, rock and roll went retro with a new Brit rock invasion, led by Oasis. In 1995, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher took over radio airwaves with “Wonderwall,” the fourth single on their second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? The siblings have later said they hated the song. Everyone else didn’t. It’s pure Beatles pop rock catchiness, with the edge of a guitar and the sadness of a cello meeting Liam’s emotionally exposed lyrics. It’s the song that saved rock for a time and had everyone singing along, even if we had no idea what’s a wonderwall anyway.

“1979” by The Smashing Pumpkins (1996)

The Smashing Pumpkins were there for the grunge invasion, yet survived by finding a way to escape the restraints of such a label. The Chicago band’s third album, the double-sided Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness, is their magnum opus. With one big hit after another, the best is the second single, “1979,” released in January 1996. The song captures the melancholy of the album title, giving up the hard rock sound for something more dream-like as Billy Corgan reminisces about a time gone by from his youth. He can’t get this time back, but the listener can. Thirty years later, the song is our version of what Corgan dreamed of.

“Everlong” by Foo Fighters (1997)

Foo Fighters were born out of immense tragedy. After Kurt Cobain’s death in April 1994, it was an uncertain time for Nirvana’s drummer, Dave Grohl. He turned to music, forming his own band, Foo Fighters. After a successful self-titled debut, where Grohl played all the instruments himself, Foo Fighters became a full-fledged group. However, with drummer William Goldsmith leaving, Grohl returned to the drums on album number two, The Colour and the Shape. The best song, “Everlong,” is one about falling in love. With lyrics about the harmony of a relationship and Grohl’s pop punk flavor, it’s no wonder this is David Letterman‘s all-time favorite song and the one he requested the band to play multiple times on his show.

“Fly Away” by Lenny Kravitz (1998)

Lenny Kravitz had already been around for a decade in 1998, but this was the year he reached his peak of popularity with his fifth album, 5. Its fourth single, “Fly Away,” became a staple of Top 40 radio and MTV. A year later, the song won the Grammy for Best Male Rock Performance. It was a deserved honor for a tune that made the most out of funk rock basics, creating an earworm everyone was humming along to. Kravitz’s grungy guitar riffs and his lyrics about breaking flee and flying away from everything holding him back combined to create an all-timer. Who would want to get away from this one?

“Scar Tissue” by Red Hot Chili Peppers (1999)

In the early 1990s, the Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the biggest rock bands out there, propelled to the top with 1991’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik. The mid-90s were rough, with changes that included guitarist John Frusciante leaving. In 1999, they made their huge comeback with the best album of their career, Californication. It’s rock and roll perfection, led by the first single, “Scar Tissue.” The song gets away from the high energy funk of the past, instead slowing it down with a mellow three-and-a-half minutes of bliss. Frusciante’s beautiful guitar leads the way into Anthony Kiedis’ melodic lyrics about the loneliness of healing and the scar tissue left behind.