Decade consensus · All Rock Formats · 110 year-end countdowns + 17 decade countdowns

The best rock songs of the 1990s

This ranking of the 1990s combines 110 year-end countdowns from 1990 through 1999 with 17 “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by CRNC 90.1, KROQ, WHFS, Y100, DC101, Live 105, 96.5 The Buzz, 107.7 The End, CFNY 102.1 The Edge, X96, 90.9 The Bridge, The Colorado Sound, The Current and WFPK. The top song of the '90s is “Everlong” by Foo Fighters, which charted on 36 countdowns and reached number one three times. The decade’s most-charted artists are Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

4,226songs charted

110year-end countdowns

17decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '90s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Everlong Foo Fighters	3,009	36	#1	3	1997
2	Song 2 Blur	2,813	35	#1	1	1997
3	1979 The Smashing Pumpkins	2,515	31	#2	–	1996
4	Wonderwall Oasis	2,428	31	#1	3	1995
5	What I Got Sublime	2,396	31	#1	1	1996
6	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	2,358	25	#1	19	1991
7	Intergalactic Beastie Boys	2,349	28	#1	7	1998
8	Loser Beck	2,345	30	#2	–	1994
9	Sex and Candy Marcy Playground	2,305	36	#3	–	1997
10	Closer Nine Inch Nails	2,266	26	#1	1	1994
11	Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers	2,242	24	#1	4	1992
12	Scar Tissue Red Hot Chili Peppers	2,229	28	#2	–	1999
13	Creep Radiohead	2,197	24	#1	1	1993
14	Lightning Crashes Live	2,172	28	#1	4	1995
15	Black Hole Sun Soundgarden	2,110	25	#1	1	1994
16	Karma Police Radiohead	2,052	31	#2	–	1998
17	Santeria Sublime	2,050	27	#5	–	1997
18	What It's Like Everlast	2,037	33	#2	–	1998
19	Fly Away Lenny Kravitz	2,011	30	#6	–	1998
20	Just A Girl No Doubt	2,000	27	#2	–	1996
21	Jeremy Pearl Jam	1,999	22	#2	–	1992
22	Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve	1,916	28	#1	1	1997
23	Semi-Charmed Life Third Eye Blind	1,911	25	#1	1	1997
24	Bullet With Butterfly Wings The Smashing Pumpkins	1,901	26	#1	2	1995
25	What's My Age Again? blink-182	1,892	24	#1	3	1999
26	Come Out and Play The Offspring	1,890	24	#2	–	1994
27	Celebrity Skin Hole	1,878	28	#4	–	1998
28	Come As You Are Nirvana	1,862	23	#2	–	1992
29	Better Man Pearl Jam	1,858	30	#2	–	1995
30	Buddy Holly Weezer	1,854	27	#8	–	1994
31	Plush Stone Temple Pilots	1,852	23	#1	2	1993
32	Dammit blink-182	1,832	29	#3	–	1997
33	When I Come Around Green Day	1,827	26	#2	–	1994
34	The Impression That I Get The Mighty Mighty Bosstones	1,822	25	#1	3	1997
35	Flagpole Sitta Harvey Danger	1,786	25	#1	1	1998
36	Never There Cake	1,769	28	#3	–	1998
37	Walkin' On The Sun Smash Mouth	1,766	25	#1	1	1997
38	You Oughta Know Alanis Morissette	1,756	22	#2	–	1995
39	Basket Case Green Day	1,754	21	#1	1	1994
40	Down 311	1,752	24	#1	2	1996
41	Bulls on Parade Rage Against the Machine	1,748	24	#5	–	1996
42	Sabotage Beastie Boys	1,735	23	#3	–	1994
43	Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day	1,728	22	#2	–	1998
44	Interstate Love Song Stone Temple Pilots	1,724	22	#5	–	1994
45	Self-Esteem The Offspring	1,713	23	#1	1	1994
46	Where It's At Beck	1,708	22	#2	–	1996
47	Praise You Fatboy Slim	1,684	24	#1	1	1999
48	The Distance Cake	1,677	26	#1	1	1996
49	Mysterious Ways U2	1,671	23	#2	–	1991
50	Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) The Offspring	1,669	24	#1	1	1998
51	Everything to Everyone Everclear	1,664	26	#8	–	1997
52	Santa Monica Everclear	1,660	27	#3	–	1996
53	No Rain Blind Melon	1,651	21	#2	–	1993
54	Give It Away Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,646	22	#3	–	1991
55	Alive Pearl Jam	1,644	23	#2	–	1992
56	Losing My Religion R.E.M.	1,624	19	#1	2	1991
57	Today The Smashing Pumpkins	1,624	19	#2	–	1993
58	Glycerine Bush	1,622	28	#1	1	1995
59	Lump The Presidents of the United States of America	1,606	24	#2	–	1995
60	Freak on a Leash Korn	1,606	20	#2	–	1999
61	Longview Green Day	1,585	21	#1	2	1994
62	All the Small Things blink-182	1,569	22	#2	–	1999
63	One U2	1,566	21	#1	1	1992
64	Tubthumping Chumbawamba	1,550	23	#3	–	1997
65	Nookie Limp Bizkit	1,548	18	#1	2	1999
66	One Headlight The Wallflowers	1,522	20	#4	–	1997
67	Got the Life Korn	1,519	21	#1	1	1998
68	Fly Sugar Ray	1,494	19	#1	2	1997
69	All Apologies Nirvana	1,490	21	#2	–	1994
70	Iris Goo Goo Dolls	1,489	19	#1	1	1998
71	Inside Out Eve 6	1,472	23	#2	–	1998
72	Wrong Way Sublime	1,471	20	#1	1	1997
73	My Own Worst Enemy Lit	1,462	21	#1	3	1999
74	Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine	1,453	18	#3	–	1993
75	Pepper Butthole Surfers	1,439	22	#1	1	1996
76	Learn to Fly Foo Fighters	1,439	24	#6	–	1999
77	Machinehead Bush	1,426	21	#1	1	1996
78	Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction	1,420	21	#1	1	1990
79	My Hero Foo Fighters	1,419	25	#9	–	1998
80	One Week Barenaked Ladies	1,418	20	#3	–	1998
81	Tonight, Tonight The Smashing Pumpkins	1,413	23	#5	–	1996
82	Comedown Bush	1,363	18	#2	–	1995
83	The Rockafeller Skank Fatboy Slim	1,346	22	#10	–	1998
84	Even Flow Pearl Jam	1,344	18	#2	–	1992
85	The Freshmen The Verve Pipe	1,325	21	#6	–	1997
86	Closing Time Semisonic	1,324	20	#4	–	1998
87	All Mixed Up 311	1,321	22	#10	–	1996
88	Disarm The Smashing Pumpkins	1,320	20	#3	–	1993
89	Say It Ain't So Weezer	1,319	20	#12	–	1995
90	Crash Into Me Dave Matthews Band	1,306	19	#4	–	1997
91	Zombie The Cranberries	1,285	19	#1	1	1994
92	Daughter Pearl Jam	1,285	18	#1	1	1993
93	Lithium Nirvana	1,285	20	#11	–	1992
94	How's It Going To Be Third Eye Blind	1,284	24	#17	–	1998
95	Spiderwebs No Doubt	1,281	16	#3	–	1996
96	Last Kiss Pearl Jam	1,276	18	#9	–	1999
97	6 Underground Sneaker Pimps	1,267	22	#2	–	1997
98	Champagne Supernova Oasis	1,261	21	#11	–	1996
99	Cannonball The Breeders	1,255	17	#1	1	1993
100	Black Pearl Jam	1,255	18	#3	–	1992

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.