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Get ready to rewind to a decade of bangers, ballads, and pure nostalgia! Join us as we count down our picks for the most culturally resonant, popular, and game-changing hits of the 1990s! Which track defined your decade? Let us know in the comments below!
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00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most culturally resonant,
00:09popular, and or game-changing hits from the 1990s.
00:17Number 20. The Sign. Ace of Bass.
00:20As a case of fun Scandinavian exports, Ace of Bass seemed equipped to bring a wave of European pop to
00:26the 1990s.
00:32The Sign encompasses their temporary hold on some dance-worthy hit singles.
00:37Coming from the land of ABBA, this quartet felt like the natural progression from 1970s and 1980s influences.
00:48This production and the album of the same name became the group's big introduction to an international audience.
00:54Along with being a notable player on the Billboard charts, the track carried a techno sound many associate with the
01:00decade.
01:07All That She Wants and Don't Turn Around were follow-ups that expanded upon their cultural foothold.
01:17Number 19. Gangsta's Paradise. Coolio featuring LV.
01:21With inspiration from Stevie Wonder, Coolio and LV released the ultimate ode to gangsters everywhere.
01:27As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realize
01:32it's not enough.
01:33It might have been on a movie soundtrack, but it had a life of its own on the charts.
01:37Gangsta's Paradise comes in the middle of a decade that made rap a chart-topping and cultural touchstone.
01:43The rapper paraphrases verses from the Bible, delivers a career-defining performance,
01:53and later inspired a Weird Al Yankovic parody entitled Amish Paradise.
01:58Reaching the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and other worldwide charts,
02:01the artist created his signature song while making a global impact.
02:11If you're eager for more nostalgic moments from the 1990s,
02:15head over to WatchMojo's 24-7 livestream for more pop culture excavations.
02:19Scan the QR code on screen to join us for the latest in all things past, present, and future.
02:24Think you're really righteous? Think you're pure in heart?
02:27Well, I know I'm a million times as humble as thou art.
02:30Number 18. Mambo No. 5. A Little Bit Of.
02:34Lubega.
02:34With this electric single, Mambo No. 5 finds Lubega at the prime of his career.
02:40One, two, three, four, five.
02:42Everybody in the car, so come on, let's ride.
02:45The German artist names all of his favorite women set to music.
02:48As the singer rattles off his list, he also sets himself up for late 1990s music glory.
02:54A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of Erica by my side.
02:59We all remember this track, whether or not all of us even know his name.
03:03As a staple of many parties,
03:06Vega's voice and the bouncy beats call to mind the club life of yesteryear.
03:09The bold horns also call to mind the swing revival of the same era.
03:13Mashing up various elements and popular influences,
03:16this single feels like a summary of the decade's wildest impulses.
03:20You and me gonna touch the sky.
03:23Did that entry make you feel a little bit of nostalgia for the 90s?
03:26We'd argue that there are few honors greater than sharing a name with one of the ladies Lubega lists in
03:32the chorus.
03:32Let's see if our resident Mambo No. 5 expert can rattle them all off in a hilarious game of fast
03:37-paced trivia.
03:38Okay, High School Musical, the musical, the series.
03:41All right, Tori, let's play Random Cats.
03:44Three rounds, one prompt per round, 15 seconds per prompt.
03:47Let's play Meow.
03:50I'm gonna need five women's names called out in Lubega's Mambo No. 5.
03:56Your 15 seconds starts now.
03:59I like Angela, Sandra, Aria, and they're only getting sweeter.
04:06A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of Erica by my side.
04:11A little bit of Tina is all I need.
04:14A little bit of...
04:14Is that five?
04:1515 seconds are over, and I think you got the five.
04:18Wow.
04:19All right?
04:19Thank God.
04:21Five double-duty SNL guests.
04:25Your 15 seconds starts now.
04:28Okay, Jack Black, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, who else did it recently?
04:38I want to say Will Ferrell because I'm thinking about him as the guitarist, but I know he was not
04:43the...
04:4415 seconds are up.
04:48TV shows set in a high school.
04:51Your 15 seconds starts now.
04:54Okay, high school musical, the musical, the series.
04:58I don't know.
04:59Is Scream Queens in a school?
05:01They're screaming.
05:02Bowhouse is in a house.
05:04Let's see.
05:05Is there anything else that I can think of?
05:07I can't.
05:0815 seconds are up.
05:11Corey, Corey, this was Random Cats.
05:14Thank you for playing.
05:15We'll see you later.
05:15House, school, close enough.
05:18Now let's mambo over to our next 90s jam.
05:21Number 17.
05:22Live in La Vida Loca, Ricky Martin.
05:24Finishing up the decade in flamboyant style, Ricky Martin sang this party hit about the good life.
05:29She's into superstitions.
05:32Black cats and voodoo dolls.
05:34It might have been a little hokey at the time, but few people could have denied the star power on
05:39display.
05:40Upside, inside out.
05:42She's living la vida loca.
05:45The singer sang Live in La Vida Loca like his life and career depended on it.
05:49Martin's pop stardom was one in another line of stars, bridging the gap between Spanish and English listeners.
05:55The artist drew in huge audiences with this megaton hit.
05:58She will wear you out.
06:01Live in La Vida Loca.
06:04His work here clearly had an influence on listening attitudes heading into the 2000s,
06:08with Marc Anthony and Enrique Iglesias among his Latin pop contemporaries.
06:12Bye, Lamo.
06:15Let the rhythm take you over.
06:17Bye, Lamo.
06:19Number 16.
06:20Mbop.
06:21Hanson.
06:22The power and influence of these three brothers cannot be overstated.
06:26Yes, I made a relationship in this life.
06:29Well, you want to realize.
06:31Hanson delivered Mbop to a large audience, giving millions of people something to smile about.
06:36The trio took their sunshine pop and gibberish lyrics all the way to the bank.
06:40There is some amount of rock influence here that seems to be the opposite of the darker grunge era.
06:50You could also associate them with the boy band craze or as one of many passing fads in the 1990s.
06:57Like many tracks during that time, this one seemed to evoke the nostalgic days of so many young Gen Xers
07:02and older millennials.
07:04These three musicians eventually grew up.
07:06But we always feel like a kid again when we listen to the single.
07:15Number 15.
07:16Bittersweet Symphony.
07:18The Verve.
07:19Built on a foundation laid by the Rolling Stones,
07:21the orchestral rock track provoked widespread coverage and radio play.
07:33It's the hit that blends rock, pop, and more Baroque inspirations.
07:37Bittersweet Symphony also served as a landmark in terms of how to deal with greedy record companies and legal gray
07:43areas.
07:43But I'm a million different people from one day to the next.
07:49The Verve carved out their own career, despite some people only remembering them for this particular song.
07:55While a resulting lawsuit threatened to plague the legacy of this single,
07:58it didn't completely distract from the enthralling sound.
08:01The track should rank among a list of hits with far-reaching influence on the latter decade.
08:11Number 14.
08:12My Heart Will Go On.
08:15Let's not forget the massive success of Titanic.
08:18While any song could have been a hit on that soundtrack,
08:20Celine Dion came uniquely qualified to hit this out of the park.
08:25Every night in my dreams, I see you.
08:30My Heart Will Go On was the soaring ballad we all needed,
08:33capturing the swirling romance of the associated film and all of its incredible production techniques.
08:39Near, far, wherever you are.
08:47Dion was already on a string of success that would carry her into the 21st century.
08:51As the diva delivered on her part,
08:53she also gave audiences a sincere track full of bombastic flourishes.
09:01It's unlikely that you would hear the same kind of towering ballad outside of the 1990s.
09:06My heart will go on and learn.
09:14Number 13.
09:15I Want It That Way.
09:16Backstreet Boys.
09:17We could sit here and argue all day about which boy band was the best.
09:21You are my fire.
09:26When you want to talk about pure pop excellence,
09:29you need to reference the Backstreet Boys and I Want It That Way.
09:32The group competed with heavy hitters like 98 Degrees and NSYNC,
09:36while setting their own trends with a mix of colorful ballads like this one.
09:40Tell me why it ain't nothing but a part.
09:44Tell me why.
09:45It's the kind of heartfelt composition that big-time producer and songwriter Max Martin released into the world.
09:51Mentoring a variety of artists from the late 1990s and early 2000s,
09:55Martin came to create a particular sound people associate with this kind of pop production.
10:00Cause I want it that way.
10:06Number 12.
10:07You Oughta Know.
10:08Alanis Morissette.
10:10I want you to know.
10:13With her record Jagged Little Pill,
10:15Alanis Morissette broke through into the mainstream with her songwriting talents.
10:19The album showcased her ability to channel self-referential,
10:22emotional, and ironic lyrics into one compelling package.
10:26It's like rain.
10:30Are you ready?
10:31This powerful track symbolizes the start of her pop rock domination.
10:36I'm here to remind you
10:44Using her strong vocal abilities,
10:46the artist knew how to utilize her voice for some indelible and relatable compositions.
10:51You Oughta Know might be her most fiery masterpiece among so many other awesome tracks.
10:55It's not fair to deny me
10:59In an era of female songwriters and musicians having a bigger moment,
11:04Morissette arrived at the perfect time to unleash her talents.
11:06The hit being associated with a full house actor only makes it that much more nostalgic.
11:15Number 11.
11:16Creep.
11:17Radiohead.
11:18This band might have created their own sub-jar of rock.
11:21Coming out in the early 1990s,
11:24Radiohead was too odd for grunge and too early for Britpop.
11:27When you were in the fall
11:32Couldn't look you in the eye
11:34Their ever-evolving sound began with a debut album that featured this angsty single.
11:39It seems to represent the kind of self-loathing slacker that came to represent the worst sides of Gen X.
11:44I'm a creep
11:49I'm a weirdo
11:52The band was ahead of their time and set to revolutionize the line between rock and art.
11:57Even if this might be their most straightforward song, it is a fantastic piece of foreshadowing.
12:02Later, contending with the single's popularity, the group seemed to ignore and then learn to accept its cultural influence.
12:14Number 10.
12:16Ice Ice Baby.
12:17Vanilla Ice.
12:18Controversy or not, Vanilla Ice and his defining hit remain inescapable to this day.
12:23It is chock full of some early 90s production values and a much-discussed sample from Queen.
12:29Ice and his contemporaries pushed hip-hop further into a pop space and brought it to a larger audience.
12:39The larger issue of the artist's side projects, follow-ups, and movie roles might seem like distractions in retrospect.
12:45Now that the party is jumping
12:47With the bass kicked in
12:48And the figures all parkin'
12:50Ice Ice Baby finds a way to filter so much of the 1980s into a burgeoning decade of promising advancements.
12:56Even if some people don't love the man, they have to admit that this song altered the sound and culture
13:02around rap in the early 1990s.
13:04Ice Ice Baby.
13:06It's all to go.
13:08Hey!
13:08Number 9.
13:09Wonderwall.
13:10Oasis.
13:11When you talk about the genre of Britpop, this group from Manchester often takes a key role in popularizing the
13:17movement.
13:18Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you.
13:23Oasis and this single definitely helped to turn the tide back towards British rock in the 1990s.
13:28Noel Gallagher's writing skills and his brother Liam's singing became an essential part of Wonderwall and its success.
13:33I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now.
13:40All these years later, even a drunken karaoke night might feature this melancholic ballad.
13:45It's still the song most associated with the band and their rapid rise.
13:49Even with an acoustic guitar, the sound becomes gigantic and symbolizes the changing attitudes in rock.
13:55You're my wonderwall.
14:01Number 8.
14:02Macarena.
14:03Bayside Boys Mix.
14:04Los Del Rio.
14:06Courtesy of a remix by the Bayside Boys, the Macarena was one of the biggest dance crazes of its time.
14:11When I dance, they call me Macarena.
14:14And my boys, they say you're so good.
14:16They all want me.
14:17They can't have me.
14:18Los Del Rio came ready to play with a track that earned a major remodeling job.
14:23In the 1990s, several artists like them broke down language barriers.
14:27The artists helped to bring a mix of Latin and dance genres together.
14:35Pretty soon after the release, it seemed like everyone from young kids to grandparents learned to bust out the memorable
14:41moves.
14:42It became a staple of weddings, school functions, and parties of all kinds.
14:46The electronic production sounds super 90s, with the dated effects helping to send listeners right back to the era of
14:53novelty tunes.
14:56Number 7.
14:57You Can't Touch This.
14:58MC Hammer.
14:59While hip-hop went mainstream in the 1980s, it became even more popular in the 1990s.
15:04MC Hammer was among the artists that turned it into an even larger success with this crossover hit.
15:15The bass line and its infectious groove powers the most well-known and liked track in Hammer's catalog.
15:24Even if the artist himself didn't have the same longevity as the single, he certainly helped to turn the tide
15:30towards rap music in the 1990s.
15:32His later decline might seem like an easy punchline, but it's easy to forget his brief foothold on pop culture.
15:38The rapper and a Rick James sample likely influenced more than a few people in the ensuing years.
15:43You can't touch this.
15:45Yeah.
15:47You can't touch this.
15:48Yeah.
15:48Number 6.
15:49Wannabe.
15:49Spice Girls.
15:51Helping to start a trend of girl power, the Spice Girls emerged during an era of cool Britannia and pop
15:56dominance.
15:56Yo, I'll tell you what I want, what I really, really want.
15:59So tell me what you want, what you really, really want.
16:02Their diverse personalities and talents are never better than on the mega-hit Wannabe.
16:06It's a song that captured the style and ethos of the band, transcending any corporate mandates to become a favorite
16:12among audiences around the world.
16:14If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends.
16:19It's a song full of quirky personalities that encompasses the more positive and forward-thinking views of the 1990s.
16:25Baby, Ginger, Posh, Scary, and Sporty arrived more than ready to create a brand all their own with this hit
16:31single.
16:40Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me.
16:44Several years before the film Shrek came out, All Star developed its own reputation as a fun-loving rock track.
16:50The band had a series of hit albums, big hits, and this memorable toe-tapper to make them unlikely icons.
16:56It's a cool place, and they say it gets colder. You're bundled up now, wait till you get older.
17:01It's an exciting and relentlessly positive song that's an essential text of the late 1990s.
17:06Like many singles that leaked into the early 2000s, this achieved popularity in the previous decade,
17:11and helped to inspire some of the pop culture of the next few years.
17:15The mix between rock and pop also sounds of its time.
17:23Many people likely imagine the music video with its throwback hairstyles, baggy clothes,
17:28and clips from the cult classic Mystery Men.
17:37Number 4. California Love.
17:40Tupac featuring Dr. Dre and Roger Troutman.
17:42With the rise of the East and West Coast wars, gangster rap came to dominate much of the 1990s.
17:53Some influential groups paved the way to even more popular solo artists like Tupac Shakur.
17:58Producers like Dr. Dre built up upon their own reputation,
18:02later championing younger artists like this one on hits like California Love.
18:10In the end, these collaborators inspired audiences together beyond the immediate sphere of hip-hop devotees.
18:23Shakur and this track feel like another massive hit for the G-Funk subgenre.
18:26Before the rapper's untimely death, he dished out this anthemic ode to the Golden State.
18:31For a moment, it seemed like California won the war over so many hip-hop rivals back in New York.
18:37California love.
18:38California love.
18:41California love.
18:41California love.
18:41Number 3.
18:42Waterfalls.
18:43TLC.
18:44When you think about 1990s R&B, you need to mention the trio known as TLC.
18:49T-Voz, Chili, and Left Eye were hitmakers far ahead of their time.
18:53A lonely mother gazing out of her window, staring at a sign that she just can't touch.
19:01Waterfalls features a catchy hook that's still beloved today.
19:05Referencing disease and drug use, the lyrics paint a brutal picture of life in the mid-1990s.
19:16There's also a bouncy rhythm throughout this track that finds these artists at the peak of their biggest decade.
19:22They managed to serve people a solid R&B production,
19:25but that didn't stop them from giving people an honest snapshot of society.
19:29Don't go chasing waterfalls.
19:33Audiences came back for other singles like No Scrubs and continue to love this three-woman wrecking crew.
19:39But I think you're moving too fast.
19:43Number 2.
19:44Baby One More Time.
19:45Britney Spears.
19:46In a decade full of pop stars, this one might have been the best to usher audiences through the millennium.
19:57Britney Spears' debut came out during another massive surge in pop.
20:01While rivals like Christina Aguilera also did well, few could compete with the cultural footprint of this artist.
20:07Show me how you want it to be.
20:12Baby One More Time elevated her to teen idol success, with Oops I Did It Again not too far behind.
20:18The performer's ability to walk between edgy vocalist and America's Sweetheart drew major attention.
20:23My loneliness is killing me.
20:28Despite all the media chaos and turmoil that followed, Spears arguably kickstarted another revelatory period of pop with the single.
20:36Give me a sign.
20:39Hit me baby one more time.
20:42Number 1.
20:44Smells Like Teen Spirit.
20:45Nirvana.
20:46Few rock songs from the 1990s were more influential.
20:50As a breakout single for the band Nirvana, Smells Like Teen Spirit came super charged and ready to conquer the
20:56world.
21:05It contains the ferocious vocals and lyrics of generational artist Kurt Cobain.
21:10With help from Dave Grohl and bassist Chris Novoselic, the singer helps to showcase one of the defining musical movements
21:16of the era.
21:16Well, the lights are out.
21:19It's so dangerous.
21:21You're in a hunt now.
21:23It's so dangerous.
21:24This earth-shattering track encompasses all the highs of the grunge movement at its commercial peak.
21:30Inspiring hordes of imitators and fans, this Nevermind single felt like the light switch that turned off the 1980s for
21:36good.
21:37I deny ya! I deny ya!
21:44Did we forget another defining track from the 1990s?
21:47Let us know in the comments.
21:48Let us know in the comments.eras
21:49-like Hudson