Decades: '90s Rock

One of the most important and popular developments in rock history, the alternative sounds of grunge and Britpop ruled the airwaves in the 1990s. Get out your flannel shirt and listen to these essential '90s alt-rock songs.

Kick back with these easygoing tunes from popular late-1990s pop/rock artists who favor earnest lyrics and jangly guitars. Take a chill pill!

The sound of an unhinged party in a dingy basement, this collection of restless and aggressive grunge showcases the awesomely heavy side of '90s alt-rock.

Tap into your teenage angst with classic songs from the '90s era of pop punk.

Before grunge entered mainstream consciousness in the early 1990s, it was a vibrant, restless rock scene rooted in the Pacific Northwest. Get on your flannels, ripped jeans and Docs and head back.

Hard-edged, grungy, and melancholy -- while also thoughtful, sentimental and melodic -- these cuts from alternative bands in the '90s and '00s reveal the shared sonic influences (and penchants for loud outbursts) of their creators.

Remember those CD compilations of popular '90s alt-rock radio hits that used to be advertised on late-night cable TV? Relive those days with this playlist of popular '90s mid-tempo hits.

Sometimes more memorable than the films themselves, these alt rock soundtrack songs captured the 1990s in all its flannel-clad glory.

A sunny, nostalgia-drenched playlist packed with memorable hits from the ska-punk of Sublime and Reel Big Fish to the pop-rock of No Doubt and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Born of the '90s DIY scene in the Pacific Northwest, the riot grrrl movement features bands that combine aggressive vocals and empowering lyrics with thrashing punk instrumentals.

During the 1990s, the unconventional indie side of the alt-rock boom thrived even as the fortunes of more accessible acts waxed and waned. Guitar-heavy, smart, and often slightly strange, this sound is exemplified by Pavement and its peers.

In the 1990s, these bands revitalized and re-imagined the British tradition of tuneful, guitar driven pop. Listen to the best songs from the bands that inspired and pioneered the scene.

Unleash your inner daredevil with these songs from MTV's Jackass television series and films.

Rock's greatest in-concert moments, from the grunge gods of the '90s to the indie icons of the '00s and beyond.

The mid-1990s brought about the end of the grunge heyday, but many of its key players have continued performing in various incarnations. This selection of songs presents many of them, along with a number of their notable followers.

Post-rock tracks ranging from the abstract (Godspeed You! Black Emperor) to the melodic (Stereolab) and everything in between.

These precision-mounted industrial tracks from the style's late 1980s/early '90s peak era set the scene for the industrial metal hybrid to follow.

The fiercest, most bludgeoning tracks from the thrash/speed-metal heyday of the 1980s and early '90s. Kick it up!!!

The heavier side of the alternative boom of the late 1980s and early '90s.

Whether they're jamming on extended improvisational solos, combining unlikely genres, or playing songs backwards, jam bands make innovative, risky, and unclassifiable music that'll never sound the same way twice.

Developed in the 1980s, Math rock is a guitar-based genre influenced by progressive and experimental rock known for using odd time signatures, interlocking rhythms and complex arrangements.

Contemporary pop-rock ('90s to today), focusing on female vocalists and sensitive guys. Contemplative and emotional yet SFW (Safe for Work).

During the 1980s and '90s, D.C. was the place to be for hardcore. Enjoy the finest bands from that time and place, as well as their latter-day incarnations that branched out in different sonic directions.

As the '80s became the '90s, Manchester's lively, drug-fueled music scene smashed together dance music and psychedelia with wild-eyed glee. Recall the acts that peaked during 1989's New Summer of Love, as well as the bands that book-ended the era.

From the stylish East Coast multi-piece bands to the more playful, slacker-style SoCal scene, here are all your third-wave ska favorites that made the '90s so much fun.

Sink into the gently serrated sound of shoegaze, that amorphous strain of British indie pop of the late '80s and early '90s. All the original shoegazer hits are here, from all the key figures in the scene that celebrated itself.

With the rise of alternative rock and the artistic maturity of hip-hop, MTV found itself at the dawn of its second golden age. Relive the '90s without all the commercials.