The Greatest Ten 90s Rock Albums

10. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Californication

The Peppers were already living in the upper echelon of the rock music when this classic album launched in 1999, but with Californication everybody seems to have become a fan of The Peppers. With hitsingles like ‘Around the World’, ‘Scar Tissue’, ‘Otherside’, ‘Road Trippin’ and of course ‘Californication’ itself this albums could not be missed and deserves a spot in this list of the greatest ten rock albums of the nineties.

9. Metallica – The Black Album

For die hard Metallica fans, this album is definitely not their best album, but looking at the greatest ten 90s rock albums there is just no way this album could be overstepped. With so many hitsongs and rock classics this Metallica “the black” album claims it position at 9. Just listen again to “Enter Sandman”, “Sad But True”, “The Unforgiven” and of course “Nothing Else Matters”.

8. Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion I & II

Okay, so these are two separate albums, but we thought it would be right to rate them equally in this list of the greatest ten 90s rock albums. The list of hits of these two albums is impressive. These classics are all on these albums: “Knocking On Heavens Door”, “Estranged”, “You Could be Mine”, “Don’t Cry”, “Yesterdays”, “14 Years”, “Live and Let Die” and not to forget their all time biggest hitsingle, the iconic song “November Rain”.
Actually the biggest question is: What’s so civil about war anyway, W. Axl Rose (W.A.R.)?

7. The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie & The Infinite Sadness

A 90s rock album with one of the best titles ever! This actually is a double album with 28 songs and extremely varied. The albums lead single “Bullet with Butterfly Wings” made it a huge success and the album debuted at te number one position on the US Billboard 200. This top 10 90s rock album contains singles like “1979”, “Zero”, “Tonight, Tonight”, “Love” and Thirty-Three, but not only the hitsingles of this rock album makes it one of the greatest rock albums in the nineties. All the other less known songs – only the fans know – are fantastic. I bet you can’t wait to listen to The Pumpkins right now! 

6. Therapy? – Troublegum

The Year 1994 was an amazing year for rock music and Therapy? bulldozed their way into the charts. This melodically dark, metal album contains hitsingles like “Knives”, “Screamager”, “Stop It You’re Killing Me”, “Die Laughing” and the insanely good cover of “Isolation” by Joy Division.

5. The Offsping – Smash

Another 1994-album. Was it hard to choose between The Offspring (Smash) and Green Day (Dookie, yes 1994!). You bet! But because so many great rock albums were produced in the nineties we just had to pick one. We absolutely needed a spot for a band responsible for bringing punk rock into the mainstream. Both The Offspring and Green Day helped pave the way for the emerging pop punk scene of the 90s, with bands like Rancid, Lagwagon, NOFX, Bad Religion and Pennywise.
Picking Smash was like flipping a coin, heads of tails. Smash just happened to have one more hitsong. The best known hit singles are “Come Out and Play”, “Self Esteem” and “Gotta Get Away”. But also the ska influenced “What Happened to You?” enjoyed a lot of popularity. A fun trivia question is “From which song is this the intro?”: Lalalala lalalala…

4. Rage Against The Machine

If they say jump, you say how high! Such a legendary debut album with killer songs, in your face lyrics and perfect music to start a riot. The album from Rage Against The Machine starts with a bombtrack and ends with freedom. In between there is no reason to skip one song. The iconic cover completed the power of this evergreen album.

3. Radiohead – OK Computer

OK Computer knocked everyone off their feet. What an amazing album! Can you even choose your favorite song on this evergreen? With hitsingles like “Paranoid Android”, “Karma Police” and “No Surprises” made this one of the greatest rock albums of the 90s, but the album is worth listening to over and over again.

2. Pearl Jam – Ten

Did you know Pearl Jam played their hitsingle ‘Alive’ already on their sixth performance? The formation was already in place, the only thing which was missing was a lead singer. Eddy Vedder flew in and the rest is history. Their amazingly composed songs, the vocals and the energy are the things why Pearl Jam rose to the top of the music charts. I consider it the best debut album of all time.

1. Nirvana – Nevermind

Just as the Sex Pistols rocked the world of music in the 1970s with their album “Never Mind The Bollocks”, Nirvana ushered in the 1990s with her second album: Nevermind. With Nirvana leading the troops this album started the grunge movement, with bands like Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots and many others. 

Copyrights from the album covers are from each specific band.