Decade consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 89 year-end countdowns + 9 decade countdowns

The best alternative rock songs of the 1990s

This ranking of the 1990s combines 89 year-end countdowns from 1990 through 1999 with nine “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by CRNC 90.1, KROQ, WHFS, Y100, Live 105, 107.7 The End and CFNY 102.1 The Edge. The top song of the '90s is “What It's Like” by Everlast, which charted on 24 countdowns. The decade’s most-charted artists are Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

3,066songs charted

89year-end countdowns

9decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '90s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	What It's Like Everlast	1,709	24	#2	–	1999
2	Everlong Foo Fighters	1,692	21	#1	1	1997
3	Scar Tissue Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,692	20	#2	–	1999
4	1979 The Smashing Pumpkins	1,638	20	#2	–	1996
5	Intergalactic Beastie Boys	1,615	18	#1	6	1998
6	Song 2 Blur	1,581	19	#2	–	1997
7	Loser Beck	1,551	20	#2	–	1994
8	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	1,543	16	#1	12	1991
9	Wonderwall Oasis	1,522	20	#1	3	1995
10	Fly Away Lenny Kravitz	1,517	23	#6	–	1999
11	Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,506	16	#1	4	1992
12	Sex and Candy Marcy Playground	1,495	22	#3	–	1997
13	What's My Age Again? blink-182	1,451	17	#1	2	1999
14	Celebrity Skin Hole	1,449	20	#4	–	1998
15	What I Got Sublime	1,445	18	#1	1	1996
16	Creep Radiohead	1,444	16	#1	1	1993
17	Never There Cake	1,428	20	#3	–	1998
18	Closer Nine Inch Nails	1,394	15	#1	1	1994
19	Freak on a Leash Korn	1,357	16	#2	–	1999
20	Nookie Limp Bizkit	1,354	16	#1	2	1999
21	Got the Life Korn	1,350	19	#1	1	1998
22	Lightning Crashes Live	1,345	16	#1	3	1995
23	Self-Esteem The Offspring	1,328	15	#1	1	1994
24	Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) The Offspring	1,314	18	#1	1	1998
25	Dammit blink-182	1,312	20	#3	–	1998
26	Karma Police Radiohead	1,303	20	#2	–	1998
27	Santeria Sublime	1,289	17	#5	–	1997
28	Black Hole Sun Soundgarden	1,284	15	#2	–	1994
29	When I Come Around Green Day	1,282	18	#2	–	1995
30	Bullet With Butterfly Wings The Smashing Pumpkins	1,280	16	#1	1	1995
31	Jeremy Pearl Jam	1,273	14	#2	–	1992
32	Basket Case Green Day	1,267	15	#1	1	1994
33	Praise You Fatboy Slim	1,266	18	#1	1	1999
34	Come Out and Play The Offspring	1,256	14	#2	–	1994
35	Give It Away Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,255	16	#3	–	1991
36	My Own Worst Enemy Lit	1,235	16	#1	3	1999
37	Plush Stone Temple Pilots	1,231	14	#1	2	1993
38	Just A Girl No Doubt	1,224	18	#2	–	1996
39	Longview Green Day	1,223	15	#1	2	1994
40	Flagpole Sitta Harvey Danger	1,220	16	#1	1	1998
41	Come As You Are Nirvana	1,215	15	#2	–	1992
42	Last Kiss Pearl Jam	1,188	16	#9	–	1999
43	Mysterious Ways U2	1,172	17	#2	–	1991
44	One U2	1,165	16	#1	1	1992
45	The Kids Aren't Alright The Offspring	1,163	16	#3	–	1999
46	Everything to Everyone Everclear	1,160	18	#8	–	1997
47	Buddy Holly Weezer	1,158	17	#8	–	1994
48	Lump The Presidents of the United States of America	1,146	14	#2	–	1995
49	Better Man Pearl Jam	1,146	19	#5	–	1995
50	Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day	1,132	14	#2	–	1998
51	Machinehead Bush	1,122	16	#1	1	1996
52	Down 311	1,114	13	#1	2	1996
53	Interstate Love Song Stone Temple Pilots	1,113	14	#5	–	1994
54	No Rain Blind Melon	1,090	14	#2	–	1993
55	Where It's At Beck	1,087	14	#2	–	1996
56	Sabotage Beastie Boys	1,074	15	#11	–	1994
57	Alive Pearl Jam	1,073	15	#2	–	1992
58	Losing My Religion R.E.M.	1,065	13	#1	2	1991
59	Disarm The Smashing Pumpkins	1,060	14	#3	–	1993
60	Semi-Charmed Life Third Eye Blind	1,058	14	#1	1	1997
61	The Distance Cake	1,049	16	#1	1	1996
62	Inside Out Eve 6	1,045	15	#2	–	1998
63	All Apologies Nirvana	1,045	14	#2	–	1994
64	All the Small Things blink-182	1,043	15	#3	–	1999
65	Today The Smashing Pumpkins	1,030	12	#2	–	1993
66	Wrong Way Sublime	1,023	14	#1	1	1997
67	Why Don't You Get a Job? The Offspring	1,021	15	#8	–	1999
68	Every Morning Sugar Ray	1,016	17	#2	–	1999
69	You Oughta Know Alanis Morissette	1,013	14	#2	–	1995
70	Around the World Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,010	16	#10	–	1999
71	The Impression That I Get The Mighty Mighty Bosstones	1,005	13	#1	2	1997
72	Even Flow Pearl Jam	1,004	13	#8	–	1992
73	Daughter Pearl Jam	999	13	#1	1	1993
74	Learn to Fly Foo Fighters	986	15	#6	–	1999
75	Pepper Butthole Surfers	985	13	#1	1	1996
76	Blue Monday Orgy	980	19	#6	–	1999
77	Bawitdaba Kid Rock	980	12	#1	1	1999
78	Bulls on Parade Rage Against the Machine	975	14	#5	–	1996
79	Lithium Nirvana	960	14	#11	–	1992
80	Tonight, Tonight The Smashing Pumpkins	957	15	#5	–	1996
81	Spiderwebs No Doubt	937	11	#3	–	1996
82	Comedown Bush	925	12	#4	–	1995
83	Malibu Hole	916	17	#16	–	1999
84	Glycerine Bush	915	16	#3	–	1995
85	Iris Goo Goo Dolls	915	12	#8	–	1998
86	All-Star Smash Mouth	910	13	#9	–	1999
87	Fly Sugar Ray	907	11	#1	1	1997
88	Battle Flag Lo Fidelity All-Stars	903	13	#3	–	1999
89	Friday I'm in Love The Cure	901	13	#1	1	1992
90	Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction	900	14	#1	1	1990
91	Zombie The Cranberries	898	13	#1	1	1994
92	Heart-Shaped Box Nirvana	897	12	#6	–	1993
93	Brain Stew Green Day	893	13	#16	–	1996
94	Special Garbage	888	17	#11	–	1999
95	Father of Mine Everclear	887	14	#11	–	1998
96	Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve	886	13	#1	1	1998
97	Soul to Squeeze Red Hot Chili Peppers	885	12	#9	–	1993
98	My Hero Foo Fighters	884	15	#14	–	1998
99	Tubthumping Chumbawamba	884	13	#3	–	1997
100	I Alone Live	878	13	#4	–	1994

Station countdowns of the '90s

Listener-voted “best of the decade” countdowns as broadcast.

About this ranking

The 1990s ranking adds together two kinds of evidence: the year-end countdowns from each year of the decade, and the retrospective “songs of the decade” countdowns that stations aired afterwards. Year-end lists capture what listeners loved at the time; decade countdowns capture what lasted. Every appearance earns percentile-based points, and the totals are ranked. See the methodology for details.