The 90s Guitar

1990–1999

510 songs · 173 artists

The 1990s tore up the rulebook. Grunge killed hair metal. Alternative rock replaced arena rock on the radio. And metal got heavier, faster and more experimental than ever. The decade rewarded authenticity and raw emotion over polished technique.

Metallica, Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden and Eric Johnson anchor our 90s collection. From the Black Album to Nevermind, this decade changed what guitarists valued.

A
AC/DC 2
Aerosmith 5
Alice Cooper 1
Alice in Chains 10
Amorphis 1
Andy Timmons 5
At The Gates 1
B
Bathory 1
Blashyrkh 1
Blind Melon 1
blink-182 3
Blur 1
Bon Jovi 4
Britney Spears 1
Bruce Dickinson 2
Bryan Adams 3
Buckethead 1
Burzum 3
Bush 1
C
Cake 1
Candlebox 1
Celine Dion 3
Chris Cornell 1
Christmas 1
Cinderella 1
Collective Soul 2
Counting Crows 1
Creed 1
D
Damn Yankees 1
Dave Matthews Band 4
Dead Embryonic Cells 1
Def Leppard 1
Deftones 4
Depeche Mode 1
Dimmu Borgir 4
Dinosaur Jr. 1
Dissection 3
Dream Theater 6
Duran Duran 2
E
Emperor 4
Eric Clapton 5
Eric Johnson 4
Europe 3
Extreme 3
F
Faith No More 1
Firehouse 2
Foo Fighters 5
For All Tid 1
Fredericks Goldman Jones 1
Fujita, Harumi 1
G
Gary Moore 2
Goo Goo Dolls 1
Green Day 7
Guns N' Roses 27
Guns N’ Roses 2
H
Helloween 2
Hold On 1
I
Impaled Nazarene 1
Incubus 2
Ind I Fjeldkamrene outro 1
Into The Dead Sky 1
Iron Maiden 22
J
Jane's Addiction 1
Jason Becker 1
Jason Paige 1
Jean-jacques Goldman 1
Jeff Buckley 3
Joe Satriani 7
Journey 1
Judas Priest 1
K
Kenny Wayne Shepherd 1
Kiss 1
Korn 2
Koshiro, Yuzo 1
L
Laura Palmer’s Theme 1
Lenny Kravitz 4
Lit 1
Live 1
Live from the Brits, 1995 1
M
Machine Head 1
Mariah Carey 1
Marillion 2
Marilyn Manson 1
Massive Attack 1
Mayhem 1
Megadeth 14
Metallica 39
METALLICA 3
Metallica Version 1
Michael Jackson 2
Misirlou 1
Mourning Palace 1
Mr. Big 1
N
Neil Young 1
Nightwish 1
Nirvana 22
No Doubt 1
O
Oasis 8
Oslo 1
Ozzy Osbourne 6
P
Pachelbel, Johann 1
Pantera 13
Paul Koulak 1
Pearl Jam 7
Phil Keaggy 1
Pink Floyd 2
Poison 2
Power Rangers 1
Prince 1
Promise Me 1
Q
Queen 5
Queensryche 2
R
R.E.M. 4
Radiohead 12
Rage Against The Machine 7
Rammstein 1
Ratt 1
Red Hot Chili Peppers 11
Robbie Williams 1
S
Saigon Kick 1
Santana 3
Sarah McLachlan 1
Satyricon 2
Scorpions 2
Seal 1
Semisonic 1
Sentenced 1
Sinead O'Connor 1
Skid Row 3
Slash 1
Slayer 2
Smash Mouth 1
Smashing Pumpkins 2
Soul Asylum 1
Soundgarden 5
Spin Doctors 1
Steelheart 2
Steve Vai 7
Stevie Ray Vaughan 2
Sting 2
Stone Temple Pilots 9
Sublime 4
Symphony X 1
System Of A Down 1
T
Temple of the Dog 2
Testament 1
The Black Crowes 3
The Clansman 1
The Cranberries 2
The La's 1
The Offspring 1
The Pretenders 1
The Smashing Pumpkins 7
The Tragically Hip 1
The Verve 1
Titanic 1
Tom Petty 4
Tonic 1
Tool 2
Trans-Siberian Orchestra 3
Trust 1
Twin Peaks Tribute 1
Type O Negative 1
U
U2 2
Ugly Kid Joe 1
Ulver 1
Unhallowed 1
V
Van Halen 9
Vinnie Moore 2
W
Weezer 1
Welcome Home 1
Z
Zelda's Lullaby 1
#
4 Non Blondes 1

Guitar in the 1990s

When Nirvana released "Nevermind" in 1991, the guitar world shifted. Suddenly, raw power chords and emotional delivery mattered more than sweep arpeggios. Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam each brought a different flavor of Seattle grunge. Red Hot Chili Peppers blended funk with rock. Oasis channeled the Beatles into anthemic Britpop.

Metal didn't disappear. Metallica's Black Album became the best-selling metal record ever. Pantera invented groove metal. Tool merged prog complexity with metal weight. And underground scenes (nu metal, post-grunge, metalcore) were growing that would dominate the 2000s.

Gear That Defined the Decade

Grunge brought back simple setups: a guitar, a few pedals and a loud amp. The Fender Mustang and Jaguar became popular again thanks to Cobain. Drop D tuning became standard in heavy music. Rectifier amps from Mesa/Boogie defined the modern high-gain tone. Boutique pedals started gaining traction as players looked for unique sounds.

Key Genres of the 90s

Grunge, Alternative Rock, Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Progressive Metal. The 90s proved that guitar music could reinvent itself while staying powerful.