3 of the Best 90s Bands That Gen Alpha Might Not Listen to but Really Should

Some of the best music in the 1990s came from bands. In fact, there were so many great bands putting out great music in the 1990s, it’s nearly impossible to keep track of all of them. With that in mind, these are three of the best bands from the 90s that Gen Alpha might not have discovered yet.

Soundgarden

Grunge fans know this band very well after all these years, but more pop-leaning music fans might have missed them.

Although Soundgarden released their first single, “Hands All Over”, in 1990, it took a few years for them to have a radio hit. Fortunately, they did in 1994 with “Spoonman”, the first of several hits Soundgarden had on the radio over the next several years.

After “Spoonman”, Soundgarden released “The Day I Tried To Live”, followed by “Black Hole Sun”, Soundgarden’s first No.1 single.

Other hit singles by Soundgarden in the 1990s include “Burden In My Hand” and “Blow Up The Outside World”, both No. 1 singles.

In 1997, Soundgarden released “Bleed Together”, which reached the Top 20. It was their final single for 13 years, until “Black Rain” came out in 2010. In 2012, Soundgarden returned with “Live To Rise”, the first of three consecutive No. 1 hits. In 2013, they released “By Crooked Steps”, Soundgarden’s final single.

Nine Inch Nails

Industrial rock fans know Nine Inch Nails well, but those not involved in that scene or those who are very young could easily only know Trent Reznor from his soundtrack work alone.

In 1989, Nine Inch Nails released their debut single, “Down In It”. On Pretty Hate Machine, their freshman record, it wasn’t until their sophomore record, The Downward Spiral, that Nine Inch Nails began having a series of hits on the radio.

Throughout the decade, Nine Inch Nails had numerous other hits. Although Nine Inch Nails released music sporadically in the 90s, they had success with songs like “Closer”, “The Perfect Drug”, and others.

In 1995, Nine Inch Nails released “Hurt”, one of their most notable songs. In 2003, Johnny Cash released a cover of “Hurt”, marking the final single Cash released while he was still alive.

Fortunately for Nine Inch Nails, their success did continue into the 2000s. Still, Nine Inch Nails will always mostly be remembered for their unforgettable songs in the 1990s.

The Black Crowes

The Black Crowes released their debut single, “Jealous Again”, in 1990. On their debut Shake Your Money Maker record, “Jealous Again” became the first of many hit singles by The Black Crowes.

After “Jealous Angels”, The Black Crowes found success on the charts with songs like “She Talks To Angels”, “Remedy”, “Only A Fool”, and more.

Although they continued to release music, by 2000, the popularity of The Black Crowes began to wane. In 2001, “Lickin’” became their final single for seven years, until 2008, when they released “Goodbye Daughters Of The Revolution”, a Top 40 single.

(Photo by Paul Natkin/WireImage)