Decade consensus · All Rock Formats · 90 year-end countdowns + 10 decade countdowns

The best rock songs of the 1990s

This ranking of the 1990s combines 90 year-end countdowns from 1990 through 1999 with ten “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by CRNC 90.1, KROQ, WHFS, Y100, Live 105, 107.7 The End, CFNY 102.1 The Edge and The Current. The top song of the '90s is “Everlong” by Foo Fighters, which charted on 23 countdowns and reached number one one times. The decade’s most-charted artists are Pearl Jam, The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

3,481songs charted

90year-end countdowns

10decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '90s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Everlong Foo Fighters	1,926	23	#1	1	1997
2	Scar Tissue Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,772	21	#2	–	1999
3	1979 The Smashing Pumpkins	1,735	21	#2	–	1996
4	What It's Like Everlast	1,709	24	#2	–	1999
5	Intergalactic Beastie Boys	1,709	19	#1	6	1998
6	Song 2 Blur	1,673	20	#2	–	1997
7	Loser Beck	1,651	21	#2	–	1994
8	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	1,643	17	#1	13	1991
9	Wonderwall Oasis	1,621	21	#1	3	1995
10	Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,601	17	#1	4	1992
11	Sex and Candy Marcy Playground	1,556	24	#3	–	1997
12	Creep Radiohead	1,543	17	#1	1	1993
13	What I Got Sublime	1,528	19	#1	1	1996
14	Celebrity Skin Hole	1,519	21	#4	–	1998
15	Fly Away Lenny Kravitz	1,517	23	#6	–	1999
16	Closer Nine Inch Nails	1,492	16	#1	1	1994
17	What's My Age Again? blink-182	1,480	18	#1	2	1999
18	Never There Cake	1,472	21	#3	–	1998
19	Lightning Crashes Live	1,436	17	#1	3	1995
20	Karma Police Radiohead	1,396	21	#2	–	1998
21	Black Hole Sun Soundgarden	1,380	16	#2	–	1994
22	Santeria Sublime	1,377	18	#5	–	1997
23	Jeremy Pearl Jam	1,370	15	#2	–	1992
24	When I Come Around Green Day	1,366	19	#2	–	1995
25	Bullet With Butterfly Wings The Smashing Pumpkins	1,364	17	#1	1	1995
26	Basket Case Green Day	1,363	16	#1	1	1994
27	Freak on a Leash Korn	1,357	16	#2	–	1999
28	Nookie Limp Bizkit	1,354	16	#1	2	1999
29	Got the Life Korn	1,350	19	#1	1	1998
30	Give It Away Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,346	17	#3	–	1991
31	Praise You Fatboy Slim	1,339	19	#1	1	1999
32	Come Out and Play The Offspring	1,335	15	#2	–	1994
33	Self-Esteem The Offspring	1,328	15	#1	1	1994
34	Just A Girl No Doubt	1,322	19	#2	–	1996
35	Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) The Offspring	1,314	18	#1	1	1998
36	Dammit blink-182	1,312	20	#3	–	1998
37	Flagpole Sitta Harvey Danger	1,310	17	#1	1	1998
38	Come As You Are Nirvana	1,306	16	#2	–	1992
39	Longview Green Day	1,298	16	#1	2	1994
40	Plush Stone Temple Pilots	1,289	15	#1	2	1993
41	One U2	1,264	17	#1	1	1992
42	Mysterious Ways U2	1,258	18	#2	–	1991
43	Buddy Holly Weezer	1,247	18	#8	–	1994
44	My Own Worst Enemy Lit	1,244	17	#1	3	1999
45	Better Man Pearl Jam	1,233	20	#5	–	1995
46	Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day	1,222	15	#2	–	1998
47	Lump The Presidents of the United States of America	1,213	15	#2	–	1995
48	Everything to Everyone Everclear	1,210	19	#8	–	1997
49	Interstate Love Song Stone Temple Pilots	1,198	15	#5	–	1994
50	No Rain Blind Melon	1,188	15	#2	–	1993
51	Last Kiss Pearl Jam	1,188	16	#9	–	1999
52	Where It's At Beck	1,185	15	#2	–	1996
53	Machinehead Bush	1,184	17	#1	1	1996
54	Sabotage Beastie Boys	1,174	16	#3	–	1994
55	Alive Pearl Jam	1,171	16	#2	–	1992
56	Losing My Religion R.E.M.	1,165	14	#1	2	1991
57	The Kids Aren't Alright The Offspring	1,163	16	#3	–	1999
58	Down 311	1,146	14	#1	2	1996
59	The Distance Cake	1,145	17	#1	1	1996
60	Disarm The Smashing Pumpkins	1,140	15	#3	–	1993
61	All the Small Things blink-182	1,138	16	#3	–	1999
62	All Apologies Nirvana	1,135	15	#2	–	1994
63	Semi-Charmed Life Third Eye Blind	1,134	15	#1	1	1997
64	The Impression That I Get The Mighty Mighty Bosstones	1,129	15	#1	2	1997
65	Today The Smashing Pumpkins	1,121	13	#2	–	1993
66	You Oughta Know Alanis Morissette	1,112	15	#2	–	1995
67	Inside Out Eve 6	1,104	16	#2	–	1998
68	Even Flow Pearl Jam	1,096	14	#8	–	1992
69	Learn to Fly Foo Fighters	1,065	16	#6	–	1999
70	Bulls on Parade Rage Against the Machine	1,062	15	#5	–	1996
71	Daughter Pearl Jam	1,050	14	#1	1	1993
72	Tonight, Tonight The Smashing Pumpkins	1,048	16	#5	–	1996
73	Lithium Nirvana	1,048	15	#11	–	1992
74	Pepper Butthole Surfers	1,046	14	#1	1	1996
75	Wrong Way Sublime	1,023	14	#1	1	1997
76	Why Don't You Get a Job? The Offspring	1,021	15	#8	–	1999
77	Every Morning Sugar Ray	1,016	17	#2	–	1999
78	Spiderwebs No Doubt	1,014	12	#3	–	1996
79	Around the World Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,010	16	#10	–	1999
80	Zombie The Cranberries	997	14	#1	1	1994
81	Friday I'm in Love The Cure	997	14	#1	1	1992
82	Iris Goo Goo Dolls	996	13	#8	–	1998
83	Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve	985	14	#1	1	1998
84	Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction	984	15	#1	1	1990
85	Blue Monday Orgy	980	19	#6	–	1999
86	Bawitdaba Kid Rock	980	12	#1	1	1999
87	Heart-Shaped Box Nirvana	979	13	#6	–	1993
88	Tubthumping Chumbawamba	978	14	#3	–	1997
89	My Hero Foo Fighters	967	17	#14	–	1998
90	Champagne Supernova Oasis	965	16	#11	–	1996
91	Cannonball The Breeders	965	13	#1	1	1993
92	Black Pearl Jam	965	15	#18	–	1992
93	Glycerine Bush	959	17	#3	–	1995
94	Special Garbage	951	18	#11	–	1999
95	One Week Barenaked Ladies	944	12	#3	–	1998
96	All-Star Smash Mouth	936	14	#9	–	1999
97	One Headlight The Wallflowers	927	12	#7	–	1997
98	Comedown Bush	925	12	#4	–	1995
99	Enjoy the Silence Depeche Mode	916	11	#2	–	1990
100	Malibu Hole	916	17	#16	–	1999

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.