Best Songs from the 1990s

Last Updated on 9 February 2025

The following list is a snapshot of society’s current opinions of the 400 best songs from in the 1990s.

I found 13 different ranked lists online of “best 90s songs” and pulled them all into Excel and merged them all to get this definitive compilation. See my Methodology page for the research process that was used, including links to all 13 lists that were averaged.

Smells Like Teen Spirit – Nirvana
Waterfalls – TLC
Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
Say My Name – Destiny’s Child
You Oughta Know – Alanis Morissette
No Scrubs – TLC
Wonderwall – Oasis
Paranoid Android – Radiohead
Under the Bridge – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Stop – Spice Girls
Tonight, Tonight – Smashing Pumpkins
Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
Sabotage – Beastie Boys
Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang – Dr. Dre
Creep – Radiohead
Don’t Speak – No Doubt
One – U2
I Want It That Way – Backstreet Boys
Baby Got Back – Sir Mix-a-Lot
Vogue – Madonna
Juicy – The Notorious B.I.G.
Da Funk – Daft Punk
Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinead O’Connor
Torn – Natalie Imbruglia
Losing My Religion – R.E.M.
Fuck and Run – Liz Phair
Common People – Pulp
1979 – Smashing Pumpkins
My Heart Will Go On – Celine Dion
Loser – Beck
California Love – Tupac Shakur
I Will Always Love You – Whitney Houston
Wannabe – Spice Girls
Alive – Pearl Jam
Rebel Girl – Bikini Kill
Bittersweet Symphony – The Verve
Everlong – Foo Fighters
Black Hole Sun – Soundgarden
Killing in the Name – Rage Against the Machine
Enter Sandman – Metallica
U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
Motorcycle Emptiness – Manic Street Preachers
Let’s Get Loud – Jennifer Lopez
Basket Case – Green Day
The Boy Is Mine – Brandy and Monica
The Sign – Ace of Base
Jeremy – Pearl Jam
Fantasy – Mariah Carey
Buddy Holly – Weezer
Criminal – Fiona Apple
Kiss Me – Sixpence None the Richer
S Club Party – S Club 7
Believe – Cher
Zombie – The Cranberries
Iris – Goo Goo Dolls
Genie in a Bottle – Christina Aguilera
Killing Me Softly – The Fugees
MMMbop – Hanson
Closer – Nine Inch Nails
The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) – Missy Elliott
Semi-Charmed Life – Third Eye Blind
Livin’ La Vida Loca – Ricky Martin
Mo Money Mo Problems – The Notorious B.I.G.
Lovefool – The Cardigans
Smooth – Santana
Ironic – Alanis Morissette
Sure Shot – Beastie Boys
No Diggity – Blackstreet
Always Be My Baby – Mariah Carey
Stay Together – Suede
November Rain – Guns N’ Roses
Song 2 – Blur
Fade Into You – Mazzy Star
Glory Box – Portishead
Bitch – Meredith Brooks
Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
Windowlicker – Aphex Twin
Rid of Me – PJ Harvey
All Star – Smash Mouth
Jump Around – House of Pain
Cannonball – The Breeders
Groove Is in the Heart – Dee-Lite
Around the World – Daft Punk
Pony – Ginuwine
Thunderstruck – AC/DC
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now) – C+C Music Factory
Mambo No. 5 – Lou Bega
Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio
Live Forever – Oasis
My Name Is – Eminem
Mind Playing Tricks on Me – Geto Boys
Barbie Girl – Aqua
Two Princes – Spin Doctors
Mr. Jones – Counting Crows
One Week – Barenaked Ladies
Are You That Somebody – Aaliyah
Undone: The Sweater Song – Weezer
Tearin’ Up My Heart – NSYNC
Rosa Parks – Outkast
Unfinished Sympathy – Massive Attack
Gold Soundz – Pavement
Regulate – Warren G
You Get What You Give – New Radicals
Good Vibrations – Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch
What Is Love? – Haddaway
All I Wanna Do – Sheryl Crow
Self Esteem – The Offspring
I’ll Be There for You (The FRIENDS Theme Song) – The Rembrandts
Can I Kick It? – A Tribe Called Quest
Good Riddance – Green Day
Closing Time – Semisonic
Into My Arms – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Shook Ones, Pt. II – Mobb Deep
Born Slippy (Nuxx) – Underworld
Kiss from a Rose – Seal
Loaded – Primal Scream
End of the Road – Boyz II Men
Everybody – Backstreet Boys
Down by the Water – PJ Harvey
Supersonic – J.J. Fad
Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton
Jump – Kris Kross
Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It – Will Smith
Deceptacon – Le Tigre
Vision of Love – Mariah Carey
Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover – Sophie B. Hawkins
Paper Bag – Fiona Apple
Say You’ll Be There – Spice Girls
Gin & Juice – Snoop Doggy Dogg
Just a Girl – No Doubt
If You Had My Love – Jennifer Lopez
Intergalactic – Beastie Boys
Man! I Feel Like a Woman! – Shania Twain
I Swear – All-4-One
Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
Beetlebum – Blur
Hyperballad – Björk
Truly Madly Deeply – Savage Garden
Stay (I Missed You) – Lisa Loeb
Bidi Bidi Bom Bom – Selena
Are You Gonna Go My Way – Lenny Kravitz
Innuendo – Queen
If it Makes You Happy – Sheryl Crow
My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It) – En Vogue
Interstate Love Song – Stone Temple Pilots
Say It Ain’t So – Weezer
You Gotta Be – Des’ree
Creep – TLC
Range Life – Pavement
Scenario – A Tribe Called Quest
Soon – My Bloody Valentine
Yes – McAlmont & Butler
C.R.E.A.M. – Wu Tang Clan
I Alone – Live
Summer Girls – LFO
C’est La Vie – B-Witched
You Make Me Wanna… – Usher
It Was a Good Day – Ice Cube
Step By Step – New Kids on the Block
There She Goes – The La’s
Hell Is Round the Corner – Tricky
Friday I’m in Love – The Cure
Candy – Mandy Moore
High Hopes – Pink Floyd
Kinky Afro – Happy Mondays
Ready or Not – The Fugees
Sex and Candy – Marcy Playground
No Rain – Blind Melon
Only Wanna Be With You – Hootie & The Blowfish
Waiting for Tonight – Jennifer Lopez
Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe
What’s Up? – 4 Non Blondes
Together Again – Janet Jackson
I’ll Be Missing You – Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
Celebrity Skin – Hole
Nightswimming – R.E.M.
A Design for Life – Manic Street Preachers
Brooklyn Zoo – Ol’ Dirty Bastard
O.P.P. – Naughty by Nature
Motownphilly – Boyz II Men
Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
What I Got – Sublime
This Is How We Do It – Montell Jordan
Midnight in a Perfect World – DJ Shadow
Still D.R.E. – Dr. Dre
Karma Police – Radiohead
Animal Nitrate – Suede
Unbelievable – EMF
Would? – Alice in Chains
Freak on a Leash – Korn
Shoop – Salt-N-Pepa
Street Spirit (Fade Out) – Radiohead
Lithium – Nirvana
Girls & Boys – Blur
Learn to Fly – Foo Fighters
Get Up – Sleater-Kinney
None of Your Business – Salt-N-Pepa
Runaway Train – Soul Asylum
Always – Bon Jovi
Insane in the Brain – Cypress Hill
Tha Crossroads – Bone Thugs ‘n’ Harmony
Got Your Money – Ol’ Dirty Bastard
Man In the Box – Alice In Chains
Linger – The Cranberries
What’s My Age Again – Blink-182
Big Time Sensuality – Björk
Fear of the Dark – Iron Maiden
Sour Times – Portishead
Hunger Strike – Temple of the Dog
Missing – Everything but the Girl
Stupid Girl – Garbage
Freedom! ’90 – George Michael
Queer – Garbage
Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead
Caught Out There – Kelis
Crash into Me – Dave Matthews Band
Mama Said Knock You Out – LL Cool J
Even Flow – Pearl Jam
On & On – Erykah Badu
Come As You Are – Nirvana
Girl From Mars – Ash
Heartbreak Hotel – Whitney Houston
Ray of Light – Madonna
Hypnotize – The Notorious B.I.G.
How Bizarre – OMC
Real Love – Mary J. Blige
Still Not a Player – Big Pun
Constant Craving – k.d. lang
I Want You Back – NSYNC
Doll Parts – Hole
Longview – Green Day
Santeria – Sublime
Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion
The World I Know – Collective Soul
Breakfast at Tiffany’s – Deep Blue Something
Glycerine – Bush
Whatta Man – Salt ‘N’ Pepa
Last Goodbye – Jeff Buckley
Music Sounds Better with You – Stardust
Where It’s At – Beck
Candle in the Wind – Elton John
Crucify – Tori Amos
Quit Playing Games – Backstreet Boys
It’s All Coming Back to Me Now – Celine Dion
Been Caught Stealing – Jane’s Addiction
Protect Ya Neck – Wu-Tang Clan
Better Man – Pearl Jam
Flagpole Sitta – Harvey Danger
History – The Verve
It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over – Lenny Kravitz
That’s the Way Love Goes – Janet Jackson
Hold On – Wilson Phillips
Lightning Crashes – Live
Santa Monica – Everclear
3AM – Matchbox Twenty
Cherish the Day – Sade
Poison – The Prodigy
Firestarter – The Prodigy
One Hand In My Pocket – Rolf Harris
Remedy – The Black Crowes
Alright – Supergrass
One of Us – Joan Osborne
(You Drive Me) Crazy – Britney Spears
Let’s Get Rocked – Def Leppard
Pink Triangle – Weezer
This Kiss – Faith Hill
Shine – Collective Soul
Walk – Pantera
Hey Boy Hey Girl – Chemical Brothers
Keep Ya Head Up – 2Pac
C’est la Vie – B*Witched
Teardrop – Massive Attack
Never Ever – All Saints
Tennessee – Arrested Development
A Whole New World – Peabo Bryson & Regina Belle
Painkiller – Judas Priest
Brimful of Asha – Cornershop
Show Me Love – Robyn
29 Palms – Robert Plant
All Apologies – Nirvana
Amused to Death – Roger Waters
Breathe Again – Toni Braxton
I’ll Be – Foxy Brown with Jay Z
Run Around – Blues Traveler
Flava in Ya Ear – Craig Mack
No Good (Start the Dance) – The Prodigy
XXX – Helium
You’re Makin’ Me High – Toni Braxton
Crazy – Aerosmith
Don’t Let Go (Love) – En Vogue
SpottieOttieDopaliscious – OutKast
These Are Days – 10,000 Maniacs
Ex-Factor – Lauryn Hill
Roll the Bones – Rush
Where The Wild Roses Grow – Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
One In a Million – Aaliyah
The Private Psychedelic Reel – The Chemical Brothers
Time Bomb – Rancid
Black or White – Michael Jackson
Chumbawamba – Tubthumping
Spice Up Your Life – Spice Girls
Time of Your Life (Good Riddance) – Green Day
Whoomp! (There It Is) – Tag Team
(Everything I Do) I Do It for You – Bryan Adams
Be My Lover – La Bouche
Falling – Julee Cruise
Brand New Love – Sebadoh
Lazarus – The Boo Radleys
Holy Wars… The Punishment Due – Megadeth
I Wanna Sex U Up – Color Me Badd
If You Don’t Want Me to Destroy You – Super Furry Animals
Rhythm Is a Dancer – Snap!
Doin’ It – LL Cool J
The Only One I Know – The Charlatans
Bed of Roses – Bon Jovi
No Ordinary Love – Sade
Where’s It At – Beck
Crawling Back to You – Tom Petty
Dreams – The Cranberries
Brown Sugar – D’Angelo
Cybele’s Reverie – Stereolab
Killing Me Softly – Fugees
Crush on You (Remix) – Lil Kim with Lil Cease
Follow You Down – Gin Blossoms
Give Me One Reason – Tracy Chapman
Halcyon + On + On – Orbital
Only Love Can Break Your Heart – Neil Young
Random Rules – Silver Jews
You’re Still the One – Shania Twain
Computer God – Black Sabbath
Fotos y Recuerdos – Selena
What A Girl Wants – Christina Aguilera
Hey Jealousy – Gin Blossoms
For Tomorrow – Blur
From out of Nowhere – Faith No More
Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) – Digable Planets
Heart-Shaped Box – Nirvana
Pure Morning – Pacebo
Sometimes – Britney Spears
Who Will Save Your Soul – Jewel
6 Underground – Sneaker Pimps
Caught by the Fuzz – Supergrass
Everybody Hurts – R.E.M.
Flashlight – Fuzzy
Foolish Games – Jewel
If – Janet Jackson
Wait and Bleed – Slipknot
One Love – Nas
Back That Azz Up – Juvenile
Fly – Sugar Ray
Macarena – Los Del Rio
Stutter – Elastica
The Whistle Song – Frankie Knuckles
Californication – Red Hot Chili Peppers
I Touch Myself – Divinyls
Blue (Da Ba Dee) – Eiffel 65
Can I Get a – – Jay-Z
Needle in the Hay – Elliott Smith
Some Things Last a Long Time – Daniel Johnston
Baby I Love Your Way – Peter Frampton
Slide – Goo Goo Dolls
Shades of Jae – Moodymann
All the Small Things – Blink 182
Carry the Zero – Built to Spill
It’s a Shame About Ray – The Lemonheads
Every Morning – Sugar Ray
Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space – Spiritualized
Scar Tissue – Red Hot Chili Peppers
This Is How We Walk on the Moon – Arthur Russell
Peaches – The Presidents of the United States of America
Who Do You Think You Are? – Spice Girls
Between the Bars – Elliott Smith
The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground
Uninvited – Alanis Morissette
Back for Good – Gary Barlow
I’ll Be – Edwin McCain
Ruff Ryders’ Anthem – DMX
Dear Mama – 2Pac
Angel – Sarah McLachlan
Violet – Hole
Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley
We Like to Party – Vengaboys
Big Poppa – The Notorious B.I.G.
Here Comes the Hotstepper – Ini Kamoze
Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai
They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) – Pete Rock / C.L. Smooth
I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing – Aerosmith
Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are) – Pras
Sex & Candy – Marcy Playground
My Boo (Hitman’s Club Mix) – Ghost Town DJ’s
Regret – New Order
It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday – Boyz II Men
Walking on Broken Glass – Annie Lennox
Come Together – Primal Scream
Where Do You Go – No Mercy
Check the Rhime – A Tribe Called Quest
I Will Remember You – Sarah McLachlan
Sexy Boy – Air
Only Shallow – My Bloody Valentine
What Time Is Love? – The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu