Inspired by Zelek2's thread for the 2000s. I know fewer of us remember the 90s as they happened, but there are still a lot of songs that can be heavily associated with the period.

Early 90s:
* "Smells Like Teen Spirit" / Nirvana
* "Gonna Make You Sweat" / C+C Music Factory
* "Baby Got Back" / Sir Mix-a-Lot
* "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" / Dr. Dre & Snoop Doggy Dogg
* "A Whole New World" / Regina Belle & Peabo Bryson or Lea Salonga and Brad Kane

Mid-90s:
* "The Sign" / Ace of Base
* "Macarena" / Los Del Rio
* "Gangsta's Paradise" / Coolio feat. L.V.
* "Whoomp! (There It Is)" / Tag Team
* "Waterfalls" / TLC
* "California Love" / 2Pac feat. Dr. Dre & Roger Troutman
* "I'll Be There for You" / The Rembrandts

Late 90s:
* "Wannabe" / Spice Girls
* "MMMBop" / Hanson
* "Barbie Girl" / Aqua
* "My Heart Will Go On" / Celine Dion
* "Baby One More Time" / Britney Spears
* "Livin' La Vida Loca" / Ricky Martin

Early 90s:

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana
"Even Flow" by Pearl Jam
Any song from Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power
"Sensitivity" by Ralph Tresvant
"Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-A-Lot
"Everybody, Everybody" by Black Box
"What is Love" by Haddaway

Mid 90s:

"Macarena" by Los Del Rio
Any song from Biggie Smalls' Ready to Die
Any song from Tupac's Me Against the World

Late 90s:

"Hit Me Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears
"Barbie Girl" by Aqua
Any song from NSYNC's self-titled album

Early 90s
Nirvana - Pretty much every single off of Nevermind (but I'd go with Teen Spirit as the most definitive one)
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
MC Hammer - Can't Touch This
Richard Marx - Keep Coming Back
Rick Astley - Cry For Help
Alice in Chains - Man in the Box, Sea of Sorrow
Slayer - War Ensemble, Seasons in the Abyss
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Megadeth - Go To Hell, Holy Wars, Hangar 18, Symphony of Destruction
R.E.M. - Shiny Happy People, Losing my Religion, Drive
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U
Beastie Boys - Gratitude, Pass the Mic, So Whatcha Want
NWA - Appetite For Destruction, 100 Miles and Runnin

Mid 90s
Megadeth - Sweating Bullets
Green Day - Longview, Basket Case, When I Come Around, Brain Stew, Geek Stink Breath, J.A.R.
Offspring - Self Esteem, Come Out and Play, Gotta Get Away
Might Mighty Bosstones - Someday I Suppose
Sloan - Good in Everyone
Beck - Loser
NoFX - Leave it Alone
Bad Religion - Stranger than Fiction, 21st Century Digital Boy
Weezer - The Sweater Song, Buddy Holly, Say It Ain't So
Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box, All Apologizes
RHCP - Aeroplane, Love Rollercoaster
The Beavis and Butthead theme song
Alanis Morisette - You Oughta Know, Ironic, Head Over Feet
The Smashing Pumpkins - 1979, Today, Cherub Rock, Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Morrissey - Boy Racer, The More You Ignore Me the Closer I Get
Snoop Doggy Dogg - What's My Name, Gin and Juice, Doggy Dogg World
Eazy-E - Real Muthaphuckkin G's
Ice Cube - No Vaseline, It Was a Good Day, Check Yo Self
Dr. Dre - Dre Day, Let Me Ride
Skee-Lo - I Wish
Big L - Put It On, M.V.P.
DJ Quik - Dollaz + Sense
Beasite Boys - Sabotage

Late 90s
blink-182 - Dammit, All The Small Things, What's My Age Again, Josie
The Offspring - Pretty Fly For a White Guy, The Kids Aren't Alright, She's Got Issues
Zebrahead - Get Back
Home Grown - She's Anti
Unwritten Law - Cailin, Holiday
Lit - My Own Worst Enemy
Green Day - Nice Guys Finish Last, Good Riddance
Riverfenix - Speechless
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Impression That I Get
Reel Big Fish - Sell Out, Take Me On
Less Than Jake - History of a Boring Town, All My Best Friends are Metalheads
Eminem - My Name is
Sugar Ray - Fly
Smash Mouth - All Star (and all their other songs...)
Semisonic - Closing Time
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris, Slide, Celebrity Skin, Black Balloon
Matchbox 20 - Push
Creed - My Own Prison, What's This Life For, Higher
KoRn - Got The Life, Freak on a Leash
Limp Bizkit - Nookie, Re-Arranged
Kid Rock - Bawitdaba, Cowboy, Only God Knows Why

Overall...
Very Early 90s- U can't Touch This- MC Hammer

Early 90s: Smells Like Teen Spirit-Nirvana

Mid 90s: Macerena

Late 90s: Wannabe-Spice Girls

Very Late 90s: Hit me baby one more time- Brittney Spears

Early 90s
Nirvana - Pretty much every single off of Nevermind (but I'd go with Teen Spirit as the most definitive one)
Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby
MC Hammer - Can't Touch This
Richard Marx - Keep Coming Back
Rick Astley - Cry For Help
Alice in Chains - Man in the Box, Sea of Sorrow
Slayer - War Ensemble, Seasons in the Abyss
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Megadeth - Go To Hell, Holy Wars, Hangar 18, Symphony of Destruction
R.E.M. - Shiny Happy People, Losing my Religion, Drive
Sinead O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U

Mid 90s
Megadeth - Sweating Bullets
Green Day - Longview, Basket Case, When I Come Around, Brain Stew, Geek Stink Breath, J.A.R.
Offspring - Self Esteem, Come Out and Play, Gotta Get Away
Might Mighty Bosstones - Someday I Suppose
Sloan - Good in Everyone
Beck - Loser
NoFX - Leave it Alone
Bad Religion - Stranger than Fiction, 21st Century Digital Boy
Weezer - The Sweater Song, Buddy Holly, Say It Ain't So
Nirvana - Heart Shaped Box, All Apologizes
RHCP - Aeroplane, Love Rollercoaster
The Beavis and Butthead theme song
Alanis Morisette - You Oughta Know, Ironic, Head Over Feet
The Smashing Pumpkins - 1979, Today, Cherub Rock, Bullet with Butterfly Wings
Morrissey - Boy Racer, The More You Ignore Me the Closer I Get

Late 90s
blink-182 - Dammit, All The Small Things, What's My Age Again, Josie
The Offspring - Pretty Fly For a White Guy, The Kids Aren't Alright, She's Got Issues
Zebrahead - Get Back
Home Grown - She's Anti
Unwritten Law - Cailin, Holiday
Lit - My Own Worst Enemy
Green Day - Nice Guys Finish Last, Good Riddance
Riverfenix - Speechless
Mighty Mighty Bosstones - The Impression That I Get
Reel Big Fish - Sell Out, Take Me On
Less Than Jake - History of a Boring Town, All My Best Friends are Metalheads
Eminem - My Name is
Sugar Ray - Fly
Smash Mouth - All Star (and all their other songs...)
Semisonic - Closing Time
Goo Goo Dolls - Iris, Slide, Celebrity Skin, Black Balloon
Matchbox 20 - Push
Creed - My Own Prison, What's This Life For, Higher
KoRn - Got The Life, Freak on a Leash
Limp Bizkit - Nookie, Re-Arranged
Kid Rock - Bawitdaba, Cowboy, Only God Knows Why



SMDH! >:(  No Hip Hop/ R&B songs, they probably defined the decade besides grunge... :o

SMDH! >:(  No Hip Hop/ R&B songs, they probably defined the decade besides grunge...


Hey, I had Eminem! ;D ;D ;D I did miss a coupla good Hip Hop songs. I'll edit some in. ;)

Ok, man, I gots some of the hip hop goods I thought were best. ;D

I remember when a kid admitted to having a crush on one of our teachers who was obese. The other kids blasted Baby Got Back ringtone loud on phones whenever he was around.

I remember when a kid admitted to having a crush on one of our teachers who was obese. The other kids blasted Baby Got Back ringtone loud on phones whenever he was around.


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I don't remember if these songs came from the early, mid, or late 90's, but I do remember that there was a time when you would inevitably be exposed to at least a snippet of these songs:

Get Ready for this by 2 Unlimited - this song was played a lot usually at sports events and at every pep rally at school

Ready to Go by Republica

My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion -  I liked it when it first came out but it was on ALL the time until many people got sick of it.  All the radio stations were playing it, even stations that normally would not play Celine Dion.  It was on at all the stores, malls.  It was on t.v. all the time.  Geez it got sickening to say the least.  I remember some of my classmates hated the song, but heard it so much that they liked it, but then went back to hating it because they kept hearing it constantly. 

Motown Philly by Boyz II Men

Everything I Do by Bryan Adams

All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow

Mr. Jones by The Counting Crows

I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston

Semi-Charmed Life by Third Eye Blind

Don't Speak by No Doubt

Whoomp! There it is by Tag Team

Early 1990's
I Touch Myself - DiVinyls
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers
I Love Your Smile - Shanice
Rhythm is a Dancer - Snap!
What About Your Friends - TLC

Mid 1990's
Buddy Holly - Weezer
Back & Forth - Aaliyah
Creep - TLC
Candy Rain - Soul for Real
This Is How We Do It - Montell Jordan
Ironic - Alanis Morissette
California Love - 2Pac
Spiderwebs - No Doubt
Un-Break My Heart - Toni Braxton

Late 1990's
Hypnotize - Biggie Smalls
One Headight - The Wallflowers
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
Freshman - The Verve Pipe
Barbie Girl - Aqua
Backstreet's Back - Backstreet Boys
Tearin' Up My Heart - NSYNC*

How did Mambo No. 5 not get a mention? ;D

Since most of the well known '90s songs have already been mentioned, I decided to post something a little outside the box.

As somebody who experienced the '90s from a child's point of view I would say that this is probably my own personal "theme song" for the decade:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY_3uxzkoV4

It's not even like Pete & Pete was my favorite Nickelodeon show growing up, but that song just gives me an incredible nostalgia rush every time I hear it. To me, the sound of "Hey Sandy" immediately evokes the images of warm summer days, the taste of a tall box of Dunkaroos, and the memories of childhood friends not seen in years. Man, it's getting a little dusty in here. :\'(

Damn, that clip looks very 90s :o

Did you eat the new Dunkaroos? There's just three giant biscuits now instead of many little ones. >:(

Did you eat the new Dunkaroos? There's just three giant biscuits now instead of many little ones. >:(


Wait, they brought back Dunkaroos?! :o :o

When did this happen? Where can I get some? I need information!

They never died from what I know.

Wait, they brought back Dunkaroos?! :o :o

When did this happen? Where can I get some? I need information!


Yeah, I don't think they ever went away :o They changed the shape of the cookies though.

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/betty-crocker-vanilla-rainbow-dunkaroos-snack/6000188246659

There were better cookies that Dunkaroos don't compete with, since they were more delicious. Kebbler and Nabisco's cookies were the greatest, IMO.

Yeah, I don't think they ever went away :o They changed the shape of the cookies though.

http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/betty-crocker-vanilla-rainbow-dunkaroos-snack/6000188246659


I'm legitimately surprised to see this. I haven't actually seen a box of Dunkaroos anywhere around here in about 15 years, so I just assumed they weren't being produced anymore.

I was carpooling home with my co-worker today and he's a bit older than me (b. 1984) so we don't have much in common in terms of nostalgia, but when this song came on the radio we were both singing along like mad men ;D

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I was carpooling home with my co-worker today and he's a bit older than me (b. 1984) so we don't have much in common in terms of nostalgia, but when this song came on the radio we were both singing along like mad men ;D

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Makes sense. The Lion King is like the ultimate '90s kid unifier. It doesn't matter if you were 2 in 1994 or 12, every kid loved that movie.

I've still yet to come across a Millennial that doesn't get a little misty eyed every time they see this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GibiNy4d4gc

TLC - Creep
Usher - You Make Me Wanna
Will Smite - Men In Black
Backstreet Boys - Rock Your Body
TLC - No Scrubs

I have no idea for Early 90s theme songs if not What's love.

Makes sense. The Lion King is like the ultimate '90s kid unifier. It doesn't matter if you were 2 in 1994 or 12, every kid loved that movie.

I've still yet to come across a Millennial that doesn't get a little misty eyed every time they see this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GibiNy4d4gc


I thought you were going to link the death of Mufasa. Now that would bring back dark memories.  :\'(

TLC - Creep
Usher - You Make Me Wanna
Will Smite - Men In Black
Backstreet Boys - Rock Your Body
TLC - No Scrubs

Except for "Creep," those are all from the late 90s.

I have no idea for Early 90s theme songs if not What's love.

I see that song as more mid-90s, even though it came out at a time that was culturally caught squarely in-between the early and mid-90s. But actually, it got popular again in the late 90s when it was featured in A Night at the Roxbury.

Early 90's

Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Killing In The Name Of - Rage Against The Machine
What Is Love - Haddaway
Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice
U Can't Touch This - MC Hammer
Alive - Pearl Jam
Losing My Religion - R.E.M
Enter Sandman - Metallica
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) - C+C Music Factory
Good Vibrations - Marky Mark & The Funky Bunch

Mid 90s

Only Happy When It Rains - Garbage
Today - The Smashing Pumpkins
Wonderwall - Oasis
Self Esteem - Offspring
When I Come Around - Green Day
Zombie - The Cranberries
Shine - Collective Soul
Calypso - Spiderbait
Macarena - Los Del Rio
Just A Girl - No Doubt
Lump - The Presidents of the United States of America
Wannabe - Spice Girls

Late 90's

Blue - Eiffel 65
Baby One More Time - Britney Spears
Song 2 - Blur
Everybody - Backstreet Boys
Barbie Girl - Aqua
MMMBop - Hanson
Bittersweet Symphony - The Verve
Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) - Offspring
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing - Aerosmith
Ray Of Light - Madonna