15 Rock Bands That Prove The 90s Was Messed Up In The Best Way

The 90s was a hell of a decade for rock music. We had the dawn of Grunge, the advent of alt-rock, and even the beginnings of rap-rock and nu-metal. There were TONS of bands we loved back then, but these 15 still have a special place in our hearts.

Nirvana

Does anybody even know what the lyrics to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" are actually about? Yeah, me neither.

Faith No More

One of the singularly weirdest rock bands to ever get huge, somehow we all looked past that to realize that Faith No More are awesome.

Alice In Chains

One of the darker, moodier bands of the grunge era, Alice In Chains were more or less the King Midas of rock music.

Primus

Much like Faith No More, these guys were known for their eclectic, weird sound, and we loved them for it.

Rage Against The Machine

The idea of combining rap with aggressive rock music was still pretty new when Rage exploded onto the scene, and they're still legends despite not having lasted much past the 90s.

Soundgarden

Moody, melancholy, and epic. We'll never see their kind again. Rest in peace, Chris Cornell.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

One of the absolute masters of combining rock, pop and funk, the Chili Peppers are absolute legends.

There's more iconic bands coming up...

Pearl Jam

Less rough around the edges than their grunge peers, Eddie Vedder's smooth voice is the highlight here.

Nine Inch Nails

No band epitomized the late-90s alt-rock scene quite like Trent Reznor and company, and they're still going strong today.

Green Day

These slackers from California hit it big with anthems about being a loser, and it's been wild to see their career and music change over the years.

Weezer

They don't look like rock stars, but the boys in Weezer could write infectiously-catchy jams as well as anybody else.

Oasis

The musical Brits were hailed as the second-coming of The Beatles, and while they never quite made good on that promise, they still gave us plenty of hits. Let's just forget about "Wonderwall" though.

Korn

One of the pioneers of the "Nu-Metal" genre, their stripped-down, groovy but sloppy sound was pretty different at the time.

The Verve

They weren't around the longest, but how often do you hear a rock band trying to incorporate classical elements nowadays?

Matchbox 20

Before Rob Thomas was singing duets with Carlos Santana, Matchbox 20 was a fun alt-rock band.

What was your favorite 90s rock band?