Last Updated on 27 March 2024

I searched the Internet for lists of the best songs from the 1990s. Criteria included the songs being ranked, not just listed, not just one genre, and generally created by groups, whether teams or committees or based on general public voting (like Ranker.com).

I was able to find 13 lists. I took the 13 lists and added all their content into a spreadsheet, noting the rank of every song. I ended up averaging the rankings each song got (there were 387 that were on at least 2 lists) and dividing that average by a factor of the number of lists that song was on. The lowest score meant a high ranking average on many lists. The complete spreadsheet is attached at the bottom.

The songs that were on the most lists (out of 13) were:

  • Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana – 11 lists
  • Wonderwall – Oasis – 10 lists
  • Baby One More Time – Britney Spears – 9 lists
  • Say My Name – Destiny’s Child – 8 lists
  • You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette – 8 lists
  • No Scrubs – TLC – 8 lists
  • Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill – 8 lists
  • Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang – Dr. Dre – 8 lists
  • Torn – Natalie Imbruglia – 8 lists
  • Losing My Religion – R.E.M. – 8 lists
  • Wannabe – Spice Girls – 8 lists
  • Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden – 8 lists
  • Enter Sandman – Metallica – 8 lists

Here are links to the lists I used along with dates the lists were created:

Best 90s Songs RankedDownload

Loading