Best Albums of the 1990s
Explore the best albums of the 1990s, based on over 2 million album rankings across 60,000 charts.
Click to see how the rankings are calculated
Last updated: 3 hours ago
Last updated: 3 hours ago
"When U2 released "Achtung Baby" in 1991 it caught me off guard. What a departure from previous albums. It seemed so ahead of it's time. A extreme personality metamorphosis happened here. U2 radically shifted gears, picking up on different sounds and added it to their own. Not many bands survive t..." [+] Reply
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~SMiLE~ | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (6 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,382
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Comments:
"I've never heard an album that brings out the title's feelings in me like this one. After spinning this disc how can you not feel rage? Brilliant." Reply
Year of Release:
1992
Appears in:
Rank Score:
11,163
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"Their arrogance turned me off when they were at their height of popularity, so I never listened to any of their albums. I must say it's a pleasure discovering this 27 years later. Thoroughly enjoying it start to finish. Driving 90's alternative with frequent nods to classic 70's rock. They certai..." [+] Reply
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pearljammer13 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1994
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,708
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"Such a great album. These guys are really underrated. This album can't touch Loveless, but it gets pretty damn close. Definitely check it out. Easily beats In Utero for best album of '93" Reply
Year of Release:
1993
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,340
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"The Flaming Lips are one of my favorite bands, and this is by far their masterpiece. Whenever I listen to this album it makes me feel in love, and I don't know if there is another album that has the same effect on me. This album is in turns epic and pretty and heartbreaking and uplifting, and ver..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1999
Appears in:
Rank Score:
10,340
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"I would love this record to get into the top 100 eventually. It certainly deserves it." Reply
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9999 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +4 votes (5 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1997
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,922
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"In my opinion, The Low End Theory is the best hop album ever made. It's a perfect merger of hip hop and jazz, and thought-provoking lyrics. Lyrically, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg are at their best. Standouts include "Check The Rhyme", "Jazz", & "Scenario"." Reply
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joedec | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +5 votes (5 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1991
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,827
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Comments:
"What a brilliant piece of work, I've to say this is one of the most consistent beautiful albums I've ever heard." Reply
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meruizh | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +12 votes (12 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
A maximum of 5 top-voted qualifying comments are selected for each album. To provide the best experience for visitors, comments are excluded if they refer to data corrections, contain excessive profanity, are written in all caps, are non-English, are too short, consist of conversations between users, or contain lists of best tracks etc.
Year of Release:
1996
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,629
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Comments:
"Many times, electronic albums sound like 10 versions of the same song. Mezzanine is far more diverse, as each song constitutes a separate idea. The music is deliberate but not boring. Sensual but not tasteless. Intense but not one-dimensional. In short, this might be the best electronica record I..." [+] Reply
Year of Release:
1998
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,570
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"I have an strong bias towards this album, and Cocteau twins in general but these could be some of the best and most underrated noises ever made" Reply
Year of Release:
1990
Appears in:
Rank Score:
9,397
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Total albums: 1,000. Page 3 of 100
Best Albums of the 1990s composition
| Year | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 85 | 9% | |
| 1991 | 83 | 8% | |
| 1992 | 106 | 11% | |
| 1993 | 104 | 10% | |
| 1994 | 127 | 13% | |
| 1995 | 102 | 10% | |
| 1996 | 110 | 11% | |
| 1997 | 97 | 10% | |
| 1998 | 102 | 10% | |
| 1999 | 84 | 8% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Blur | 6 | 1% | |
| Neil Young | 6 | 1% | |
| The Flaming Lips | 6 | 1% | |
| Pearl Jam | 5 | 1% | |
| Manic Street Preachers | 5 | 1% | |
| Autechre | 5 | 1% | |
| The Smashing Pumpkins | 5 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
 |
533 | 53% | |
 |
269 | 27% | |
 |
39 | 4% | |
 |
28 | 3% | |
 |
23 | 2% | |
 |
16 | 2% | |
 |
12 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Best Albums of the 1990s chart changes
| Biggest climbers Biggest climbers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Up 2 from 82nd to 80th |
Up 2 from 63rd to 61st |
Up 1 from 97th to 96th |
| Biggest fallers Biggest fallers in top 100 since last month |
|---|
Down 4 from 80th to 84th |
Down 2 from 60th to 62nd |
Down 1 from 24th to 25th |
