This is my article on why the Nineties was a big decade of music.
1990
- Alternative rock shows first signs of mainstream popularity thanks to R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion".
- Blur releases debut album Leisure.
- Depeche Mode changes from new wave to industrial with album Violator.
- The Jacksons break up due to members focusing on solo projects.
- Faith No More popularises alt-metal with single "Epic".
- Nirvana finalises line-up with drummer Dave Grohl.
- Mariah Carey's career blooms.
- Last year of glam metal popularity.
- Lyric video is developed thanks to "Praying for Time" by George Michael.
- MTV Unplugged debuts.
- Sinead O' Connor releases number-one ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U".
- British magazine Select Magazine begins publishing.
- The Cure becomes the first gothic rock band to have a Top 2 hit in the Billboard Hot 100, with the song "Lovesong".
- Milli Vanill are exposed as fakes after the singers Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan were revealed to be lipsynching the lyrics, resulting their Grammy to be revoked.
1991
- Classic line-up of Judas Priest (Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K. K. Downing, Ian Hill and Scott Travis) release Painkiller, their last album for 14 years.
- Alternative rock goes mainstream, also grunge hits mainstream too.
- Nirvana releases their hugely successful Nevermind.
- Pearl Jam releases Ten.
- Metallica goes more commercial with self-titled black album.
- Boyz II Men created Nineties R&B.
- Michael Jackson releases Dangerous.
- Bon Jovi goes hard rock.
- Queen officially ends on a sad note with Freddie Mercury's death from AIDS.
- Kris Kross "Jump" to number one.
1992
- Sinead O' Connor rips up a picture of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live.
- Japanese pop band Pizzicato Five releases their breakthrough single "Baby Love Child".
- Glam metal-inspired visual kei is developed in Japan.
- Soundgarden and Alice in Chains goes mainstream.
- U2 releases "One" from their magnum opus Achtung Baby.
- Madonna goes controversial with Erotica.
- Guns N' Roses releases two-part studio album Use Your Illusion, the last to include the classic line-up (Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Slash, Duff McKagan and Steven Adler) and the first to include the Mark II line-up (Rose, Stradlin, Slash, McKagan, new addition Dizzy Reed, Adler's replacement Matt Sorum).
- Vince Neil becomes a racing care driver after leaving Motley Crue.
- Kurt Cobain marries Courtney Love.
- A.R. Rahman's career launches.
- Rozalla become the first Zimbabwean artist to chart in a Billboard music chart.
- James Hetfield is accidentally immolated during a Metallica concert.
1993
- Michael Jackson's performance at the Super Bowl increases NFL fever.
- Whitney Houston says "I Will Always Love You".
- Prince goes unprounceable with
.
- Mia Zapata is assaulted to death, ending The Gits.
- Bruce Dickson parts company with Iron Maiden.
- Rick Astley says goodbye to music.
- Nirvana appears on MTV Unplugged.
- Christian rock label Tooth and Nail is formed.
- New Order separate until 1998.
1994
- Punk revival becomes mainstream.
- The Beatles (Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison) reform to record new material based on demos by John Lennon for The Beatles Anthrology.
- Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains becomes the first EP to top the Billboard 200.
- Grunge's popularity ends after Kurt Cobain's suicide, ending Nirvana.
- Madonna says the f-word several times during her appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman.
- Britpop goes popular thanks to Oasis and Blur.
- New Kids on the Block breaks up.
- "Head First" by Aerosmith becomes the first download-only song.
- Nine Inch Nails goes popular.
- Nu metal begins its popularity.
- Paul Oakenfold introduces the Goa Mix.
- Warner Music Group buys 49% of grunge label Sub Pop.
1995
- Japanese gothic/pop/visual kei band Malice Mizer's career begins.
- Manic Street Preachers member Richey James mysteriously disappears.
- Michael Jackson goes into the HIStory books.
- Tommy Lee marries Pamela Anderson.
- Mexican-American singer Selena is fatally shot by ex-fan club president.
- Depeche Mode becomes a trio.
- George Michael parts company with Sony.
- Robbie Williams leaves Take That.
- Rock pioneers The Greatful Dead ends after Jerry Garcia's death.
- Original line-up of glam metal band Kiss (Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss) reunite on MTV Unplugged to critical acclaim.
- Post-grunge goes popular.
- Dave Grohl's side project Foo Fighters releases its self-titled album.
1996
- Argentine alt-rockers Soda Stereo perform on MTV Unplugged with a semi-acoustic twist.
- Japanese folk rock duo Chage and Aska become the first Asian act to perform on MTV Unplugged.
- Kiss' original and classic line-up reunites with the revival of their Kabuki-influenced makeup and glam rock outfits.
- Take That breaks up.
- Spice Girls becomes popular.
- AIDS-related musical Rent performs for the first time a day after creator Jonathan Larson's death.
- Jarvis Cocker disrupts Michael Jackson's BRIT performance.
- VH1 Storytellers debuts.
- MTV2 launches
- Marilyn Manson goes popular.
- The Ramones break up.
- Tupac Shakur dies.
- Weezer's emo-influenced Pinkerton is released.
- Gothic rock fades out.
1997
- Britpop declines, with Blur becoming
- U2 releases disco-influenced Pop, dividing critics and fans.
- Geri Halliwell's Union Jack dress.
- The Notorious B.I.G. dies.
- Hanson starts the "MMMBop" craze.
- Insane Clown Posse dropped by Hollywood Records.
- Fela Kuti loses battle with HIV.
- Jam band Phish becomes the second act to be honored with a flavour by Ben & Jerry's.
- Bjork changes from dance-pop to dark pop with Homogenic.
- The KLF reunite for a 23 minute concert with "F**k the Millennium".
- "Candle in the Wind '97" by Elton John, a re-written version of his classic "Candle in the Wind" about Princess Diana becomes the best-selling single of all time.
1998
- "Weird Al" Yankovic changes his image.
- Rob Halford comes out as gay, becoming the first openly gay heavy metal musician.
- Madonna goes electronica.
- RHCP returns with John Frusciante.
- VH1 Divas Live debuts.
- Geri Halliwell leaves the Spice Girls.
- Pearl Jam returns to music videos with "Do the Evolution".
- TRL (Total Request Live) debuts.
- "The Boy Is Mine" becomes a hit for both Brandy and Monica.
- Korn's breakthrough Follow the Leader is released.
- Westlife is formed.
1999
- PolyGram merges with Universal Music Group.
- Gackt leaves Malice Mizer, several months later, drummer Kami dies of cerebral hemorrhage.
- Nu metal goes mainstream.
- Year of American Popularity: Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys all become hits.
- Hikaru Utada's First Love becomes Japan's best-selling album of all time, also cementing her status as one of the best-selling Japanese music acts.
- Marilyn Manson denies blame for the Columbine High School massacre. He would later say that his eponymous band are not part of the goth subculture, despite their image.
- Eurythmics reunites
- D'Arcy Wretzky leaves Smashing Pumpkins, replaced by Melissa Auf def Maur from Hole.
- Prince performs "1999" on New Year's Eve 1999.
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