Decade consensus · Indie & Adult Alternative · 1 year-end countdowns + 4 decade countdowns

The best indie rock songs of the 1990s

This ranking of the 1990s combines 1 year-end countdowns from 1990 through 1999 with four “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by 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 4 countdowns. The decade’s most-charted artists are Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Radiohead, R.E.M. and The Smashing Pumpkins.

1,779songs charted

1year-end countdowns

4decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '90s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Everlong Foo Fighters	443	4	#4	–	1997
2	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	400	4	#1	4	1991
3	You Oughta Know Alanis Morissette	398	4	#2	–	1995
4	Losing My Religion R.E.M.	396	4	#4	–	1991
5	Wonderwall Oasis	395	4	#7	–	1995
6	Loser Beck	395	4	#4	–	1994
7	Creep Radiohead	395	4	#2	–	1993
8	1979 The Smashing Pumpkins	388	4	#7	–	1996
9	Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve	388	4	#3	–	1997
10	Sabotage Beastie Boys	388	4	#3	–	1994
11	Black Pearl Jam	386	4	#3	–	1992
12	Jeremy Pearl Jam	385	4	#3	–	1992
13	Black Hole Sun Soundgarden	384	4	#15	–	1994
14	Criminal Fiona Apple	384	4	#9	–	1997
15	Closer Nine Inch Nails	382	4	#25	–	1994
16	Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers	382	4	#25	–	1992
17	Waterfall TLC	380	4	#6	–	1995
18	Cannonball The Breeders	379	4	#20	–	1993
19	Paranoid Android Radiohead	378	4	#24	–	1997
20	No Rain Blind Melon	377	4	#13	–	1993
21	Nothing Compares 2 U Sinéad O'Connor	374	4	#18	–	1990
22	Come As You Are Nirvana	374	4	#28	–	1992
23	Hallelujah Jeff Buckley	372	4	#25	–	–
24	Can I Kick It? A Tribe Called Quest	372	4	#8	–	–
25	Enter Sandman Metallica	371	4	#45	–	1991
26	Linger The Cranberries	369	4	#9	–	1993
27	Just A Girl No Doubt	368	4	#16	–	1996
28	One U2	363	4	#14	–	1992
29	Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine	362	4	#35	–	1993
30	Crash Into Me Dave Matthews Band	359	4	#45	–	1997
31	Smooth Santana	358	4	#1	1	1999
32	Karma Police Radiohead	356	4	#19	–	1998
33	Hunger Strike Temple of the Dog	352	4	#47	–	1992
34	Glorybox Portishead	352	4	#15	–	1995
35	Groove Is In The Heart Dee-Lite	351	4	#26	–	1990
36	Mr. Jones Counting Crows	350	4	#8	–	1994
37	Basket Case Green Day	349	4	#10	–	1994
38	Teardrop Massive Attack	347	4	#26	–	1998
39	Cornflake Girl Tori Amos	347	4	#43	–	1994
40	Where It's At Beck	346	4	#21	–	1996
41	Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction	345	4	#53	–	1990
42	Buddy Holly Weezer	345	4	#65	–	1994
43	Killing Me Softly With His Song The Fugees	345	4	#2	–	1996
44	The Distance Cake	344	4	#29	–	1996
45	Feed The Tree Belly	342	4	#70	–	1993
46	Better Man Pearl Jam	339	4	#83	–	1995
47	Mysterious Ways U2	339	4	#54	–	1991
48	Fight The Power Public Enemy	338	4	#53	–	–
49	Human Behaviour Björk	338	4	#34	–	1993
50	Girlfriend Matthew Sweet	337	4	#93	–	1992
51	Down by the Water PJ Harvey	336	4	#23	–	1995
52	Interstate Love Song Stone Temple Pilots	335	4	#29	–	1994
53	Alive Pearl Jam	330	4	#18	–	1992
54	All I Wanna Do Sheryl Crow	328	4	#59	–	1994
55	Bulls on Parade Rage Against the Machine	324	4	#44	–	1996
56	Miss Misery Elliott Smith	322	4	#22	–	–
57	Torn Natalie Imbruglia	321	4	#110	–	1998
58	Hey Jealousy Gin Blossoms	321	4	#81	–	1993
59	Kiss from a Rose Seal	321	4	#26	–	1995
60	Fade Into You Mazzy Star	321	4	#4	–	1994
61	7 Prince	320	4	#40	–	–
62	What's The Frequency Kenneth? R.E.M.	317	4	#84	–	1994
63	No Diggity Blackstreet	314	4	#37	–	–
64	Possession Sarah McLachlan	313	4	#48	–	1994
65	Harvest Moon Neil Young	312	4	#30	–	–
66	Give Me One Reason Tracy Chapman	311	4	#22	–	–
67	Doo-Wop (That Thing) Lauryn Hill	309	4	#2	–	–
68	Waltz #2 (Xo) Elliott Smith	303	4	#93	–	1998
69	Lightning Crashes Live	303	4	#76	–	1995
70	Dreams The Cranberries	303	4	#9	–	1993
71	Last Goodbye Jeff Buckley	302	4	#92	–	1995
72	Ants Marching Dave Matthews Band	301	4	#67	–	1995
73	Man on the Moon R.E.M.	301	4	#40	–	1993
74	No Scrubs TLC	300	4	#29	–	–
75	Shadowboxer Fiona Apple	299	4	#112	–	1996
76	High and Dry Radiohead	298	4	#105	–	1996
77	Car Wheels On A Gravel Road Lucinda Williams	298	4	#16	–	–
78	Give It Away Red Hot Chili Peppers	297	4	#44	–	1991
79	Birdhouse In Your Soul They Might Be Giants	295	4	#50	–	1990
80	Rosa Parks Outkast	294	4	#14	–	–
81	Silent All These Years Tori Amos	293	4	#27	–	1992
82	Learn to Fly Foo Fighters	290	5	#12	–	1999
83	Hurt Nine Inch Nails	289	4	#12	–	1995
84	Zombie The Cranberries	288	4	#5	–	1994
85	Undone (The Sweater Song) Weezer	288	3	#27	–	1994
86	Nuthin' But A "G" Thang Dr. Dre	286	3	#24	–	–
87	The Impression That I Get The Mighty Mighty Bosstones	286	4	#95	–	1997
88	Heart-Shaped Box Nirvana	285	4	#54	–	1993
89	Porcelain Moby	284	4	#95	–	2000
90	Never Said Liz Phair	283	4	#56	–	–
91	Ironic Alanis Morissette	282	3	#30	–	1996
92	Common People Pulp	281	3	#24	–	1995
93	Say It Ain't So Weezer	281	4	#46	–	1995
94	Plush Stone Temple Pilots	280	4	#72	–	1993
95	Intergalactic Beastie Boys	279	4	#58	–	1998
96	Insane in the Brain Cypress Hill	278	4	#103	–	1993
97	Supernova Liz Phair	277	4	#100	–	1994
98	Doll Parts Hole	276	4	#82	–	1994
99	The Way Fastball	275	4	#161	–	1998
100	Tonight, Tonight The Smashing Pumpkins	275	4	#42	–	1996

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.