1990s: Grunge, New ways to listen to music
As the 1990s came to a start, three young men from Seattle joined generations together. Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic had a band called Nirvana. The band was the main exponent of a new artistic current known as grunge. Grunge rose in Seattle, Washington. The founders of this musical genre were a new current of young people that were inspired by heavy metal and other rock genres to create their own genre, combining loud guitars and syncopated rhythms with an introspected aesthetic. Mudhoney, the Melvins, and Green Rivers were other pioneers of the Seattle grunge scene. Nirvana’s 1991 album Nevermind sprung bandleader Kurt Cobain to fame.
The grunge sound defined the 1990s musical scene. This musical current has taught young people a lot about self-expression and self-healing through its introspective lyrics. It has helped them fight their angst and frustrations, and most importantly, it has revolutioned postwar music.
1990s: Rock n roll everywhere
The 1990s saw the emergence of new rock n roll artists. The Seattle-based grunge subgenre gave a new face to rock n roll. At the same time, however, AC/DC and Mötley Crue still continued scoring some hot records. Aerosmith, Meat Loaf and Alice in Chains underwent new comebacks, while new acts such as Pearl Jam, Radiohead, the Cure and Lenny Kravitz added to the mix. The start of the 90s saw tumultous, dangerous concerts for rock bands. In 1991, three fans were crushed to death at an AC/DC concert in Salt Lake City; the same year, Axl Rose incited a riot during a Guns N’Roses concert in St. Louis after jumping off the stage to punch a fan with a camera. 1991 also saw the death of Freddie Mercury, Queen’s vocalist, and the breakup of the band.
The 1990s was a decade of highs and lows for rock music. Classic bands said goodbye, and others added. It was a decade of comebacks and starts, of breakups and new subgenres. Much of the foundations of modern-day rock n roll originate in the 1990s.
1990s: Pop, hip-hop and folk, music in the 1990s
The 1990’s were an important decade for music. New artists rose such as Mariah Carey in 1991. Prince and Phil Collins released new albums and made great comebacks. Michael Jackson made the Super Bowl halftime show in 1993, starting the tradition of modern-day halftime shows. Before Michael Jackson´s NFL halftime, shows featured college marching bands or veteran rock headliners. Hip-hop also saw a resurging through artists such as MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. In 1993, a young Snoop Dogg released his debut album. The hip-hp world was also shook with tragedy after the death of 2-Pac Shac in 1996. This decade will also be remembered because it saw the rise of boybands, such as Backstreet Boys, giving the world another genere of pop music.
In the 1990’s there was a rebirth of creativity and inspiration. Younger musicians took control, creating new genres or reinventing already existing genres. Electronic and orchestral elements slowly got into the picture. The 1990s are the basis for how much of modern-day music sounds like.
1990s: From cassette to CD
During the early 1990s, cassette tapes were still very popular. However, the majority of this decade saw a shift to compact discs, or CDs. CDs dated back to the 70s, and the first CD player was invented in 1982. But, during the 1990s, the CDs were at the height of popularity. Video stores began selling them in huge quantities. CDs began outselling cassette tapes in 1991. The 1990s also saw the rise of digital audio, which allowed to play songs in a better quality.
During the early 1990s, music suffered revolution in a lot of ways. Along with said revolution came new methods to listen to it, which included the CD and the CD players as a great game changer in modern life.