Go ahead — build your ultimate 90s pop band list in your head. Got it? Good. Now, how many boy bands are on your list? The answer is too many! Truth is, there really were pop band from the 1990s who didn’t fit the “boy” category, but it’s just about impossible to build a list of 90s pop bands without a little junior high school flavor. So hold on tight, and let’s step through the bubble gum field.
Spice Girls
The Spice Girls were an all-girl British group who hit it big in 1996 with their debut album “Spice.” The five girls — Melanie Brown (Scary Spice), Emma Bunton (Baby Spice), Victoria Adams (Posh Spice) and Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) — had a vision for an “all-girl group 90s style” and set forth to create it. They found their fifth member in Melanie Chisholm (Sporty Spice), who was the original lead singer of the band. The Spice Girls became one of 90s biggest pop bands, with about 30 million albums sold worldwide and a slew of 90s hits like “Wannabe,” “Say You’ll Be There” and their debut single “Spice Up Your Life.”
R.E.M.
The rock band R.E.M. was formed in 1980, with its most recent lineup consisting of guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, drummer Bill Berry and singer Michael Stipe. The group has released 16 studio albums to date, including 1984’s “Reckoning” and 1987’s “Document.”
R.E.M.’s 90s songs include “Losing My Religion,” which was their most popular and commercially successful song, as well as other hits like “Everybody Hurts” and “Man on the Moon.”
Aerosmith
Continuing a run of success that stretched back into the 1970s, 90s grunge-soaked hits like “Crazy,” “Janie’s Got a Gun” and the theme from “Armageddon” helped cement Aerosmith as 90s pop icons, too.
Aerosmith was formed in 1970 by Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer with original drummer Ray Tabano being replaced by Joey Kramer in 1974. Their 90s success was largely due to the contributions of Tyler and Perry, who wrote most of their 90s songs together.
Oasis
Formed in 1991, 90s pop band Oasis is known for its 90s songs like “Wonderwall,” which was a hit single and became one of the best-selling singles in UK chart history. Other 90s hits from “Oasis” include tunes like “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Champagne Supernova.”
Ace of Base
Formed in 1987, 90s pop band Ace of Base released 90s songs like “The Sign” and “Don’t Turn Around.” Together with “All that She Wants,” those songs helped Ace of Base’s first album, “Happy Nation” (1992), become the first debut LP or CD to produce three top-40 hits.
The Cranberries
Formed as the “The Cranberry Saw Us” in 1989, Irish rock band The Cranberries had 90s hits like “Linger” and “Zombie.” Fronted by lead singer Dolores O’Riordan, the band sold over 40 million copies of their albums and singles combined.
Hootie & The Blowfish
Hootie & The Blowfish was formed in 1986, with 90s hits like “Only Wanna Be With You” and “Hold My Hand.”
The group’s sound is a mix of rock, folk and blues-rock that personified 90s music. Hootie’s lead singer, Darius Rucker, has since embarked on a successful solo country career.
*NSYNC
Formed in 1995, NSYNC was comprised of Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick. The group’s discography includes albums such as “No Strings Attached” (2000) which features memorable 90s pop songs like “Bye Bye Bye.”
Backstreet Boys
Formed in 1993, the Backstreet Boys are comprised of AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. Hits from 90s pop bands include “I Want It That Way” (1999) which was a top song on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 13 consecutive weeks.
Boyz II Men
Formed in 1988 in Philadelphia, Boyz II Men consisted of Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman and Michael McCary. Though an R & B group at its core, Boyz II Men enjoyed great pop success with hits like “End of the Road” (1992) and “I’ll Make Love to You” (1994).
(Like 90s Pop Bands? Then you might like our article on Female Icons of the 90s, click here. Or how about 70s Pop Band List, click here.)
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