90s alternative rock offered some of the finest rock songs ever recorded by some of the greatest bands in history. The 80s saw the invention of melodic Modern Rock and a host of one hit wonder bands and pop groups but it was 90s alternative rock that took the genre to a whole new level. When exactly did modern rock become alternative rock? No one really knows but it lies somewhere between REM and U2 and their phenomenal rise to the top of the charts and their ability to crossover into other genres and radio play.
Green Day burst onto the music scene in 1994 with their hit album “Dookie” that featured such monster 90s alternative rock hits as “Basketcase” and “Welcome to Paradise”. Green Day continues to wow audiences around the world to this day and their last album “21st Century Breakdown” was a huge success, both critically and financially.
U2 of course continues churning out huge hits and in the 90s they had their biggest and some would say best album ever with 1991’s “Achtung Baby” which featured one of the greatest rock ballads of all time “One” as well as “The Sweetest Thing” and “Mysterious Ways.”
The Red Hot Chili Peppers were one of the huge breakout bands of 90s alternative rock and their smash hit album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” went on to sell over 7 million copies in the U.S. alone. The big hit off the album was “Give it Away” and the video helped to secure their place in the total rock scene. They released “Californication” in 1998 and this became another in a long line of commercial successes for the Los Angeles based band.
In 1991 a Seattle grunge group named Nirvana burst onto the scene with the release of their album “Nevermind”. The band enjoyed a huge international hit with the song “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and continued to enjoy success until the suicide of lead singer Curt Cobain. Drummer Dave Grohl went on to multi-platinum success as the lead singer and leader of The Foo Fighters.
Another huge 90s alternative rock music band was Pearl Jam and they also hailed from the Seattle grunge scene. Their debut album in 1991, “Ten” was an instant smash hit around the world. Songs like “Jeremy” and “I’m Still Alive” still get lots of airplay to this day and are considered rock icons. The band went on to record more albums in the 90s such as “Vs”, “Vitalogy”, “Yield”, and “No Code”, all of which were huge hits. Pearl Jam has proven time after time to be one of the most enduring and loved bands ever to hit the stage.
Other great bands of 90s alternative rock fame were R.E.M. with their big hit “Losing My Religion” and Oasis with “Wonderwall”. Radiohead gave us the self-loathing “Creep” while Guns ‘N Roses rocked on with “November Rain”. Who can forget Soundgarden, another Seattle based grunge band with their alt hit “Black Hole Sun” or the Goo Goo Dolls with their hit song “Slide”. Some bands were one hit wonders like Blind Melon with “Rain” or Crash Test Dummies with “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”. Soul Asylum burst onto the scene with “Runaway Train” in 1993 while Collective Soul churned out hit after hit starting with “Shine”.