The 90s Guitar
1990–1999
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
Aerosmith 5
Alice Cooper 1
Alice in Chains 10
Andy Timmons 5
At The Gates 1
B
Blashyrkh 1
Blind Melon 1
blink-182 3
Bon Jovi 4
Britney Spears 1
Bruce Dickinson 2
Bryan Adams 3
Buckethead 1
Burzum 3
C
Candlebox 1
Celine Dion 3
Chris Cornell 1
Collective Soul 2
Counting Crows 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
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
- 1 14 Years TAB 1991
- 2 Back Off Bitch TAB 1991
- 3 Bad Apples TAB 1991
- 4 Breakdown TAB 1991
- 5 Civil War TAB 1991
- 6 Coma TAB 1991
- 7 Dead Horse TAB 1991
- 8 Don't Cry TAB 1991
- 9 Don’t Cry TAB 1991
- 10 Don't Cry - Rhythm Guitar Parts LESSON 1991
- 11 Double Talkin' Jive TAB 1991
- 12 Dust N' Bones TAB 1991
- 13 Estranged TAB 1991
- 14 Get in the Ring TAB 1991
- 15 How to play Knockin' On Heaven's Door TAB 1991
- 16 How to play Knockin' On Heaven's Door - The Solos LESSON 1991
- 17 Knockin' on Heaven's Door TAB 1991
- 18 Locomotive TAB 1991
- 19 November Rain TAB 1991
- 20 November Rain Guitar Solo Lesson - 1st and 2nd Solos - Slash LESSON 1991
- 21 November Rain Outro TAB 1991
- 22 November Rain Outro Guitar Solo Lesson - Slash LESSON 1991
- 23 Ordinary Man TAB 1992
- 24 Pretty Tied Up TAB 1991
- 25 The Garden TAB 1991
- 26 Yesterdays TAB 1991
- 27 You Could Be Mine TAB 1991
Guns N’ Roses 2
H
I
Impaled Nazarene 1
Ind I Fjeldkamrene outro 1
Into The Dead Sky 1
Iron Maiden 22
- 1 Afraid To Shoot Strangers Dave Murray TAB 1992
- 2 Afraid To Shoot Strangers Janick Gers's TAB 1992
- 3 Be Quick Or Be Dead Dave Murray's TAB 1992
- 4 Be Quick Or Be Dead Janick Gers's TAB 1992
- 5 Blood Brothers TAB 1990
- 6 Blood Brothers Janick Gers's TAB 1990
- 7 Chains Of Misery Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 8 Fear of the Dark TAB 1992
- 9 Fear Of The Dark Dave Murray's TAB 1992
- 10 Fear Of The Dark Janick Gers's TAB 1992
- 11 Fortunes Of War Janick Gers's TAB 1990
- 12 From Here To Eternity Janick Gers's TAB 1992
- 13 Futureal Dave Murray TAB 1998
- 14 Holy Smoke Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 15 Man on the Edge COVER 1995
- 16 Run Silent Run Deep Dave Murray's TAB 1990
- 17 Sign Of The Cross TAB 1992
- 18 Tailgunner TAB 1990
- 19 The Clansman Dave Murray TAB 1998
- 20 The Clansman Janick Gers's TAB 1998
- 21 Wasting Love LESSON 1992
- 22 Wasting Love Janick Gers's TAB 1990
J
Jane's Addiction 1
Jason Becker 1
Jason Paige 1
Jean-jacques Goldman 1
Jeff Buckley 3
Joe Satriani 7
- 1 Always With You - Joe Satriani - 1st & 2nd B Major Sections LESSON 1995
- 2 Always With You - Joe Satriani - B Minor Section LESSON 1992
- 3 Always With You Pt.1 - Joe Satriani - All Rhythm Guitar Parts LESSON 1992
- 4 Cryin' LESSON 1992
- 5 Joe Satriani TAB 1995
- 6 Summer Song TAB 1992
- 7 Tears In The Rain TAB 1992
Judas Priest 1
K
Kenny Wayne Shepherd 1
Koshiro, Yuzo 1
L
Laura Palmer’s Theme 1
Lenny Kravitz 4
Live from the Brits, 1995 1
M
Machine Head 1
Marilyn Manson 1
Massive Attack 1
Megadeth 14
- 1 A Tout le Monde LESSON 1994
- 2 Angry Again LESSON 1993
- 3 Foreclosure of a Dream LESSON 1992
- 4 Hangar 18 TAB 1990
- 5 Holy Wars - Chords/Rhythms LESSON 1990
- 6 Holy Wars - Chords/Rhythms Part 2 LESSON 1990
- 7 Holy Wars... The Punishment Due TAB 1990
- 8 Isolated Guitar TAB 1990
- 9 Skin o' My Teeth TAB 1992
- 10 Sweating Bullets TAB 1992
- 11 Symphony of Destruction TAB 1992
- 12 The Killing Road LESSON 1994
- 13 Tornado of Souls TAB 1990
- 14 Trust TAB 1997
Metallica 39
- 1 2x4 TAB 1996
- 2 Am I Evil? LESSON 1998
- 3 Bleeding Me TAB 1996
- 4 Devil's Dance TAB 1997
- 5 Don't Tread On Me TAB 1991
- 6 Enter Sandman TAB 1991
- 7 Fade To Black 1 TAB 1991
- 8 Fixxxer TAB 1997
- 9 Fuel TAB 1997
- 10 Hero Of The Day LESSON 1996
- 11 Holier Than Thou TAB 1991
- 12 Justice Medley TAB 1993
- 13 King Nothing TAB 1996
- 14 Kirk Guitar Solo TAB 1993
- 15 Last Caress TAB 1998
- 16 Minus Human TAB 1999
- 17 My Friend of Misery TAB 1991
- 18 No Leaf Clover TAB 1999
- 19 Nothing Else Matters TAB 1991
- 20 Of Wolf And Man TAB 1991
- 21 Sad But True TAB 1991
- 22 Star Spangled Banner TAB 1992
- 23 The God That Failed TAB 1991
- 24 The Memory Remains TAB 1997
- 25 The Outlaw Torn TAB 1996
- 26 The Struggle Within TAB 1991
- 27 The Unforgiven TAB 1991
- 28 The Unforgiven Guitar Solo Lesson - Famous Solos LESSON 1991
- 29 The Unforgiven II TAB 1997
- 30 Through The Never TAB 1991
- 31 Turn The Page TAB 1998
- 32 Until It Sleeps TAB 1996
- 33 Wasting My Hate TAB 1996
- 34 Welcome Home - First Solo LESSON 1991
- 35 Welcome Home - Main Solo LESSON 1991
- 36 Welcome Home - Outro w/Solo LESSON 1991
- 37 Welcome Home - Second Solo LESSON 1991
- 38 Wherever I May Roam TAB 1991
- 39 Whiskey In The Jar TAB 1999
METALLICA 3
Metallica Version 1
Michael Jackson 2
Mourning Palace 1
N
Neil Young 1
Nightwish 1
Nirvana 22
- 1 All Apologies LESSON 1993
- 2 Breed LESSON 1991
- 3 Come as You Are TAB 1991
- 4 Drain You LESSON 1991
- 5 Dumb TAB 1993
- 6 Heart-Shaped Box TAB 1993
- 7 In Bloom TAB 1991
- 8 Lake Of Fire TAB 1994
- 9 Lithium LESSON 1991
- 10 Lounge Act LESSON 1991
- 11 On a Plain LESSON 1991
- 12 Pennyroyal Tea LESSON 1993
- 13 Polly LESSON 1991
- 14 Rape Me LESSON 1993
- 15 Sappy LESSON 1993
- 16 Sliver LESSON 1990
- 17 Smells Like Teen Spirit TAB 1991
- 18 Something in the Way LESSON 1991
- 19 Stay Away LESSON 1991
- 20 Territorial Pissings LESSON 1991
- 21 The Man Who Sold The World TAB 1994
- 22 Where Did You Sleep Last Night TAB 1994
No Doubt 1
O
Oasis 8
Ozzy Osbourne 6
P
Pachelbel, Johann 1
Pantera 13
- 1 10's TAB 1996
- 2 5 Minutes Alone LESSON 1994
- 3 A New Level LESSON 1992
- 4 Cemetery Gates TAB 1990
- 5 Cowboys from Hell TAB 1990
- 6 Domination TAB 1990
- 7 Floods TAB 1996
- 8 Hollow LESSON 1992
- 9 I'm Broken TAB 1994
- 10 Mouth for War LESSON 1992
- 11 Planet Caravan LESSON 1994
- 12 This Love TAB 1992
- 13 Walk LESSON 1992
Pearl Jam 7
Phil Keaggy 1
Promise Me 1
Q
Queen 5
R
R.E.M. 4
Radiohead 12
- 1 Bullet Proof..I Wish I Was TAB 1995
- 2 Creep LESSON 1993
- 3 Exit Music LESSON 1997
- 4 Exit Music (For a Film) TAB 1997
- 5 Fake Plastic Trees LESSON 1995
- 6 High and Dry LESSON 1995
- 7 Karma Police LESSON 1997
- 8 Lucky LESSON 1997
- 9 No Surprises LESSON 1997
- 10 Paranoid Android LESSON 1997
- 11 Street Spirit LESSON 1997
- 12 Street Spirit (Fade Out) TAB 1995
Rage Against The Machine 7
Rammstein 1
Red Hot Chili Peppers 11
- 1 Around the World LESSON 1999
- 2 Breaking the Girl LESSON 1991
- 3 Californication COVER 1999
- 4 Give It Away LESSON 1991
- 5 I Could Have Lied TAB 1991
- 6 Otherside LESSON 1999
- 7 Road Trippin' LESSON 1999
- 8 Scar Tissue LESSON 1999
- 9 Snow LESSON 1991
- 10 Suck My Kiss LESSON 1991
- 11 Under the Bridge TAB 1991
Robbie Williams 1
S
Saigon Kick 1
Santana 3
Sarah McLachlan 1
Semisonic 1
Sentenced 1
Sinead O'Connor 1
Skid Row 3
Smash Mouth 1
Smashing Pumpkins 2
Soul Asylum 1
Soundgarden 5
Spin Doctors 1
Steve Vai 7
- 1 Eugene's Trick Bag - Arpeggio Section LESSON 1990
- 2 Eugene's Trick Bag - Caprice Section LESSON 1990
- 3 Eugene's Trick Bag Pt.1 - Arpeggio Section LESSON 1990
- 4 Eugene's Trick Bag Pt.2 - Caprice Section LESSON 1990
- 5 For The Love Of God TAB 1990
- 6 Steve Vai TAB 1990
- 7 Tender Surrender TAB 1995
Stevie Ray Vaughan 2
Stone Temple Pilots 9
Sublime 4
System Of A Down 1
T
Temple of the Dog 2
The Black Crowes 3
The Clansman 1
The Cranberries 2
The Offspring 1
The Pretenders 1
The Smashing Pumpkins 7
The Tragically Hip 1
Tom Petty 4
Trans-Siberian Orchestra 3
Twin Peaks Tribute 1
Type O Negative 1
U
Ugly Kid Joe 1
Unhallowed 1
V
Van Halen 9
W
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.