Best Albums of the 1990s

Listed below are the best albums of the 1990s as calculated from their overall rankings in over 53,000 greatest album charts.

Best albums by year or decade
Decade:
Year:
1990s decade summary
YearAlbums The number of albums from each year featuring in the greatest album charts. Score Total rank score for each year (made up of the total rank score from all albums in that year) Top Ranked Album The top ranked album from each year and where it ranks in the overall chart.
19902,790133,640
19912,844257,549
19923,006168,821
19933,226190,716
19943,478284,700
19953,680216,854
19963,879185,306
19974,044259,218
19984,100193,490
19994,223181,735
Total35,2702,072,028

The best artists of the 1990s were Radiohead, Nirvana, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Smashing Pumpkins, My Bloody Valentine, Oasis, Pearl Jam, R.E.M., Weezer and Richard David James.
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Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
224
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
223
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
222
Rank in 1998:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
222
Rank in 1990:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
995.
Operation Ivy 
Compilation
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
222
Rank in 1991:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
222
Rank in 1996:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • eBay
  • iTunes
  • Spotify
  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
222
Rank in 1997:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
221
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
221
Rank in 1993:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Buy album United States
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  • iTunes
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  • #Sponsored
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank Score:
221
Rank in 1992:
Rank in 1990s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 1,000. Page 100 of 100

Best Albums of the 1990s composition

Year Albums %


1990 86 9%
1991 81 8%
1992 102 10%
1993 108 11%
1994 124 12%
1995 112 11%
1996 110 11%
1997 97 10%
1998 93 9%
1999 87 9%
Artist Albums %


Blur 6 1%
The Flaming Lips 6 1%
Alice In Chains 5 1%
R.E.M. 5 1%
Aphex Twin 5 1%
Pearl Jam 5 1%
The Smashing Pumpkins 5 1%
Show all
Country Albums %


United States 541 54%
United Kingdom 259 26%
Canada 41 4%
Mixed Nationality 28 3%
Australia 23 2%
Sweden 14 1%
Japan 13 1%
Show all
Compilation? Albums %
No 982 98%
Yes 18 2%
Live? Albums %
No 982 98%
Yes 18 2%
Soundtrack? Albums %
No 989 99%
Yes 11 1%
Recognised  Year Charts (2023)
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2. Top 40 Albums of 2023 by Decibel (2023)
3. The 27 best albums of 2023 by The A.V. Club (2023)
4. The 30 best albums of 2023 by Time Out (2023)
5. Les Inrocks Albums of the Year 2023 by Les Inrocks (2023)
6. Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2023 by Gorilla vs. Bear (2023)
7. Best Albums of 2023 by Northern Transmissions (2023)
8. Loud And Quiet Albums of the Year 2023 by Loud And Quiet (2023)
9. The Needle Drop's Top 50 Albums of 2023 by The Needle Drop (2023)
10. KCRW's Best Albums of 2023 by KCRW (2023)
11. Albums Of The Year 2023 by Rough Trade (2023)
12. Best Albums of 2023 by Norman Records (2023)
13. Exclaim!'s 50 Best Albums of 2023 by Exclaim! (2023)
14. Louder Than War Albums Of 2023 by Louder Than War (2023)
15. The Best Albums of 2023 by The Ringer (2023)
16. Top 50 Albums Of 2023 by Rock Sound (2023)
17. The 20 best albums of 2023 by Dazed (2023)
18. 30 Best Albums of 2023 by Revolver (2023)
19. NME Albums Of The Year 2023 by New Music Express (2023)
20. The 20 Best Albums of 2023 by Esquire (2023)
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