Last Updated on February 3, 2026 by Black Sunshine Media
For many of us, the 1990s were dominated by the rise (and fall) of grunge and alternative rock, and the emergence of rap and hip hop as the beacon of popular music and culture. There are dozens of rock bands from the 1990s you might have missed. Honestly, I missed some of these bands, too!
Rock Bands from the 1990s (You Might Have Missed)
Shudder to Think
| Origin: | Washington, D.C. |
| Genre: | Post-hardcore, power pop, math rock, noise rock, glam rock, art rock, alternative rock |
| Years active: | 1986–1998, 2007–2009, 2013, 2025–present |
| Must-hear album: | Pony Express Record (1994) |
Few bands are nearly impossible to categorize, but Shudder to Think never fit comfortably into any box. Angular yet freewheeling, melodic post-hardcore with glam rock drama and power pop sweetness. Have a listen to “X-French Tee Shirt” (from Pony Express Record (1994)) and tell me it sounds like…. Nobody. Uncommon by any measure. I tend to agree with people who say Pony Express Record is the most underappreciated alternative rock record of the 1990s.
The band released one more album, 50,000 B.C. (1997), on Epic Records before shifting their focus to soundtrack albums, most notably Music from the Original Motion Picture Velvet Goldmine (1998, London Records/Inner-State Recordings).
Manic Street Preachers
| Origin: | Blackwood, Caerphilly, Wales |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, glam rock, hard rock, post-punk |
| Years active: | 1986–present |
| Must-hear album: | The Holy Bible (1994) |
I’m tongue-tied about this band because I hadn’t heard their music until very recently. Or I heard it somewhere and didn’t recall. They appeared on my alternative rock scene at roughly the same time as Blur and Oasis, which didn’t help.
The Manics came out of the gate like the British version of Guns N’ Roses Jr. The band’s debut album, Generation Terrorists (1992), is a clever hybrid of hard-rocking riffage with power pop anthems. Gold Against the Soul (1993) followed a similar Motley Crue–Nirvana path.
They switched things up for The Holy Bible (1994) and returned to their British post-punk roots. It’s got a Bowie glam edge with Joy Division overtones and a lil’ bit of Queen. You can still hear the hard rock, but it’s smarter than Appetite for Destruction. No cowbells.
Built to Spill
| Origin: | Boise, Idaho |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, glam rock, hard rock, post-punk |
| Years active: | 1986–present |
| Must-hear album(s): | Perfect From Now On (1997) and Keep It Like a Secret (1999) |
Our 1990s alternative rock guitar heroes didn’t play a million notes or do kick splits on stage in Hollywood. They wrote great hooks and interesting guitar parts that served the song, singing so sweetly. Like our hero, Doug Martsch. From Boise, Idaho.
Jellyfish
| Origin: | San Francisco, California |
| Genre: | Power pop, pop rock, psychedelic pop, indie rock, progressive rock |
| Years active: | 1989–1993 |
| Must-hear albums: | Bellybutton (1990) and Spilt Milk (1993) |
Their Wikipedia page says it best. Jellyfish made critically acclaimed records and gained a modest cult following, but power pop was fighting hair metal and the emergence of grunge. The group disbanded in 1993, with members Andy Sturmer, Roger Manning, and Jason Faulkner moving on to other projects.
Fans of XTC, Cheap Trick, ELO, Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys, Queen, and the Raspberries should be all over the only two records Jellyfish released.
Mr. Bungle
| Origin: | Eureka, California |
| Genre: | Experimental metal, art rock, progressive rock, extreme thrash metal |
| Years active: | 1986–present |
| Must-hear album: | California (1999) |
One of the most grossly underrated rock bands from the 1990s, and bands in rock music. Like Frank Zappa, they are not for everybody. And that’s okay. The author of a #1 book on The NY Times best-seller list said, “I sold 2,000,000 copies of this book. That’s not even 1% of the world’s population.”
Billy Dolan/5ive Style/Heroic Doses
| Origin: | Rockford, Illinois |
| Genre: | Instrumental post-punk, progressive rock, art rock |
| Years active: | 1994–present |
| Must-hear album: | 5ive Style (1994) |
Guitarist Billy Dolan arrived on the Chicago indie rock scene in the mid-90s with a four-piece post-rock funk instrumental band, 5ive Style. The group gained instant credibility with a member of Tortoise on drums (John Herndon) and a record deal with Sub Pop. Their debut album showcased exceptional musicianship, especially Dolan’s guitar work, an otherworldly blend of rock, funk, punk, country, new wave, and jazz. Few indie rock guitar players had Dolan’s chops, but he didn’t play with a guitar hero’s egocentric style.
5ive Style released two albums on Sub Pop before disbanding. Dolan wanted to explore genres beyond groove-happy post-funk. He reemerged with Heroic Doses, an experimental post-rock trio, also on Sub Pop. The group released one album, Heroic Doses (1998), and went on a few tours before Dolan moved to other projects. It’s a great instrumental album. You’ll still hear echoes of The Meters and James Brown, but you’re more likely to recognize the Presence-era Zeppelin influence in Dolan’s evolution.
Dolan is still making music. Check him out on Bandcamp.
Walt Mink
| Origin: | St. Paul, Minnesota |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, math rock, hard rock, post-punk |
| Years active: | 1989–1997 |
| Must-hear album: | Miss Happiness (1992) or Goodnite (1998) |
I saw them at Cabaret Metro (circa 1993), and Walt Mink made the Smashing Pumpkins look like amateurs.
Grifters
| Origin: | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Genre: | Indie rock, lo-fi, alternative rock, art punk, noise rock |
| Years active: | 1989–2001, 2013–present |
| Must-hear album: | Crappin’ You Negative (1994) |
Two amazing, lo-fi indie rock albums, Crappin’ You Negative and Ain’t My Lookout (1996). Grifters start to make more sense when you realize the messy sound is intentional.
Guided By Voices
| Origin: | Dayton, Ohio |
| Genre: | Indie rock, lo-fi, alternative rock, garage rock |
| Years active: | 1983–2004, 2010–2014, 2016–present |
| Must-hear album: | Bee Thousand (1994) |
It took me 15 years to come around to GBV and the Four Ps of pop, punk, progressive, and psychedelic rock. Don’t make the same mistake. Aside from Bee Thousand, I also recommend Alien Lanes (1995) and the compilation album, The Best of Guided by Voices: Human Amusements at Hourly Rates (2003).
Chavez
| Origin: | New York City |
| Genre: | Indie rock, alternative rock, math rock, post-hardcore, noise rock |
| Years active: | 1993–present |
| Must-hear album: | Ride the Fader (1996) |
Their second and final album, Ride the Fader (1996), is one of the most criminally underrated post-punk hard rock guitar albums ever made. The band never officially broke up, but their studio output has been limited to reissues and EPs.
Swervedriver
| Origin: | Oxford, England |
| Genre: | Shoegaze, alternative rock, dream pop, grunge |
| Years active: | 1989–2001, 2013–present |
| Must-hear album: | Mezcal Head (1995) |
It’s such an unfortunate band name, and believe me, with Brain Kiss and Whitey under my belt, I know bad band names. Anyway, these kids really lean into things. I saw them in Chicago around the time of Mezcal Head, and they crushed.
Sloan
| Origin: | Halifax, Nova Scotia |
| Genre: | Rock, alternative rock, power pop, indie rock |
| Years active: | 1991–present |
| Must-hear album: | Smeared (1992) |
It’s got to the point where I’m feeling evangelical about this band and their first album on a major label, Smeared. “Underwhelmed” is one of my all-time favorite songs.
The Jesus Lizard
| Origin: | Austin, Texas |
| Genre: | Noise rock, post-hardcore, alternative rock |
| Years active: | 1987–1999, 2008–2010, 2017–present |
| Must-hear album: | Goat (1991) or Shot (1996) |
If you’re not getting enough abrasive noise rock in your life, these guys got you covered.
Olivia Tremor Control
| Origin: | Athens, Georgia |
| Genre: | Indie rock, neo-psychedelia, psychedelic pop, psychedelic rock |
| Years active: | 1993–2000, 2005, 2009–present |
| Must-hear album: | Music from the Unrealized Film Script: Dusk at Cubist Castle (1996) |
Apples in Stereo
| Origin: | Denver, Colorado |
| Genre: | Indie pop, indie rock, psychedelic pop, power pop, neo-psychedelia |
| Years active: | 1991–present |
| Must-hear album: | Tone Soul Evolution (1997) |
The Minders
| Origin: | Denver, Colorado |
| Genre: | Jangle pop, psychedelic rock, indie rock |
| Years active: | 1996–2008, 2011–present |
| Must-hear album: | Hooray for Tuesday (1998) |
Neutral Milk Hotel
| Origin: | Ruston, Louisiana |
| Genre: | Psychedelic folk, indie rock |
| Years active: | 1989–1998, 2013–2015 |
| Must-hear album: | In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (1998) |
All four bands are part of the Elephant 6 Recording Co. collective based in Athens, Georgia.
Supergrass
| Origin: | Oxford, England |
| Genre: | Britpop, alternative rock |
| Years active: | 1993–2010, 2019–2022, 2024–present |
| Must-hear album: | In It For the Money (1997) |
Another Britpop band from Oxford, England! Totally whiffed on these guys in their mid-90s prime. They played two nights at Cabaret Metro in 1997. I saw the second show and left after the third song. The tickets were free. What a mistake. “Richard III” is one of my favorite songs of all time, probably top 100. Their second album, I Should Coco (1995), was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
At the Drive-In
| Origin: | El Paso, Texas |
| Genre: | Post-hardcore, punk rock, art punk, emo, alternative rock |
| Years active: | 1994–2001, 2012, 2016–2018 |
| Must-hear album: | Relationship of Command (2000) |
This wild post-hardcore outfit would later evolve The Mars Volta. Relationship of Command is technically a 2000s record, but I think it’s the best thing they did. And At the Drive-in was most definitely associated with rock bands from the 1990s.
Yo Lo Tengo
| Origin: | Hoboken, New Jersey |
| Genre: | Indie rock, noise pop, experimental rock, shoegaze |
| Years active: | 1984–present |
| Must-hear album: | I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One (1997) |
I gotta hand it to Yo Lo Tengo. They had every opportunity to lean into noise and experimental rock a la My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, but somehow, they kept it classy. And just when I think I know where they’re going, they go the other direction. I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One isn’t an album; it’s an experience.
Failure
| Origin: | Los Angeles, California |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, post-grunge, alternative metal, art rock, space rock, shoegaze, post-hardcore |
| Years active: | 1991–1997, 2014–present |
| Must-hear album: | Fantastic Planet (1996) |
They had a minor alternative radio and MTV hit with “Stuck on You”, but Failure was yet another alternative band to get mishandled by major labels. Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards, the band’s principals and co-founders, probably had something to do with it, too. Fantastic Planet is a drug-addled space rock song cycle that sounds as good today as it did back then.
Wesley Willis Fiasco
| Origin: | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genre: | Hardcore punk, punk rock, hard rock, alternative metal, alternative rock, grunge, outsider art |
| Years active: | 1991–1996 |
| Must-hear album: | Spookydisharmoniousconflicthellride (1996) |
Wesley Willis was the legitimate outsider artist of 90s alternative and indie rock. His short-lived hard rock band released one album before Wesley returned to his solo career.
Afghan Whigs
| Origin: | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, indie rock, R&B, post-punk, grunge |
| Years active: | 1986–2001, 2006, 2011–present |
| Must-hear album: | Gentlemen (1993) |
Gentlemen is a great album. Great live band. They had several late-night television appearances, but they never took off. It’s a shame.
Drive Like Jehu/Rocket From the Crypt
| Origin: | San Diego, California |
| Genre: | Punk rock, post-hardcore, emo, noise rock, math rock |
| Years active: | DLJ: 1990–1995, 2014–2016 / RFTC: 1990–2005, 2011, 2013–present |
| Must-hear album: | Yank Crime (1994) or Scream, Dracula, Scream! (1995) |
Drive Like Jehu and Rocket From the Crypt were formed and fronted by John Reis, who won the lottery when both bands got signed to Interscope. DLJ was post-hardcore and noisy, while RFTC was closer to straight-ahead punk rock with corporate punk stylings. Both bands were influential on the emerging emo and corporate punk scenes.
Melvins
| Origin: | Montesano, Washington |
| Genre: | Sludge metal, experimental rock, alternative metal |
| Years active: | 1983–present |
| Must-hear album: | Nude with Boots (2008) |
I heard Melvins a few times in the ’90s and didn’t like ‘em. It was all too Sabbathy, sludge metal. I was a doorman at the Big Horse Saloon on Milwaukee Avenue. The Melvins played the Double Door one night (1996), and the whole area was just flooded with dudes. Not a female in sight. Drop tunings, heavy motifs, repetition, barked vocals. I didn’t like Nirvana, either. Soundgarden was the only band out of that Seattle Sub Pop scene that I cared about.
Fast forward 25 years, and I stumbled across a Melvins live performance on YouTube from 2008–2009, and I was floored.
Brainiac
| Origin: | Dayton, Ohio |
| Genre: | Indie rock, noise rock, post-hardcore, synthpunk, experimental rock, alternative rock, art pop, math rock, electronic |
| Years active: | 1992–1997, 2019, 2022–present |
| Must-hear album: | Hissing Prigs in Static Couture (1996) |
Sad story here: Lead singer Tim Taylor was killed in a car accident two months after the release of Hissing Prigs.
Rainier Maria
| Origin: | Madison, Wisconsin |
| Genre: | Indie rock, emo |
| Years active: | 1995–2006, 2014-present |
| Super cut: | “Breakfast of Champions”(1999) |
I’m a big fan of male and female dueling vocals a la Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, Tom Petty and Stevie Nicks. This is indie rock, of course, but the kids sing together quite nicely.
Buffalo Tom
| Origin: | Amherst, Massachusetts |
| Genre: | Alternative rock, math rock, hard rock, post-punk |
| Years active: | 1989–1997 |
| Must-hear album: | Birdbrain (1990) |
If you’re looking for some Dinosaur Jr. alternative rock with more heartland appeal, look no further. They get folkier as the years go by, but I’m a huge fan of “Birdbrain”, released in 1990. They were from Boston, so technically not a grunge band, but it’s pretty grungy.
Screaming Trees
| Origin: | Ellensburg, Washington |
| Genre: | Grunge, alternative rock, neo-psychedelia, hard rock, country rock |
| Years active: | 1984–2000 |
| Must-hear album: | Sweet Oblivion (1992) |
A strange case of a grunge band with a handful of radio hits and plenty of exposure, but they never got over the hump.
[Editor’s note: We experienced issues with the Screaming Trees’ Spotify profile, so we’ll circle back and get a link in here soon.]
Royal Trux
| Origin: | Washington, D.C. |
| Genre: | Noise rock, indie rock |
| Years active: | 1987–2001, 2015–2019 |
| Must-hear album: | Cats and Dogs (1993) |
A last-minute fill-in for a Seattle-based power pop band I won’t mention by name, but one of the main guys has been accused (credibly) of sexual misconduct by several women. So… We get Royal Trux, a scrappy little noise rock duo of Neil Michael Haggerty and Jennifer Herrema.
2 Comments
Red House Painters are never included in these lists, and they were more skilled, unique, and influential than most here.
Yeah, these lists are subjective, so it’s just my opinion. I never got into the sadcore/slowcore thing from Mark Kozelek, Low, Mark Eitzel, et al. Not knocking RHP at all. Thanks for the feedback!