Americans who grew up in the 1990s might well remember the decade as a time before cell phones evolved into multi-purpose smartphones and our lives were taken over by social media. It was a strange time, an era of wide-leg jeans, Tamagotchis, rollerblades, and the O.J. trial. (Think you know the decade’s cultural touchstones? Here are 30 real “Jeopardy!” clues about the ‘90s that will make you a trivia champion.)
Musically, the ‘90s seems like a decade in which just about every music genre – hip-hop, grunge, country, R&B, reggae, EDM, hard rock, emo, and more – was in its heyday, or at least very popular. The songs we listened to most across the decade span a wide range, from Tag Team’s rap party song “Whoomp! (There It Is)” to Shania Twain’s crossover country hit “This Kiss” to Real McCoy’s Eurodance anthem “Another Night” and beyond.
To determine the biggest pop hits of the 1990s, 24/7 Tempo reviewed performance data on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Songs were ranked based on an inverse score wherein a week at No. 1 is worth 100 points, a week at No. 2 worth 99 points, and so on, up to a week at No. 100 worth one point. Chart data is current through the week of August 20, 2022.
Click here to see the biggest pop music hits of the 1990s
Many of the songs on this list proved to be quintessential tunes that people are still jamming to three decades later. Of course, there are also songs we have all but forgotten – though they may live on in Billboard chart history. (These are the biggest one-hit wonders of all time.)
25. Third Eye Blind, “Semi-Charmed Life”
> Entered Hot 100: July 5, 1997
> Peak position on Hot 100: #4 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 43
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24. Backstreet Boys, “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)”
> Entered Hot 100: June 28, 1997
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 43
23. 702, “Where My Girls At?”
> Entered Hot 100: May 1, 1999
> Peak position on Hot 100: #4 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 42
22. Janet, “Together Again”
> Entered Hot 100: December 20, 1997
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 46
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21. Faith Hill, “This Kiss”
> Entered Hot 100: March 21, 1998
> Peak position on Hot 100: #7 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 48
20. Blues Traveler, “Run-Around”
> Entered Hot 100: March 25, 1995
> Peak position on Hot 100: #8 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 49
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19. Toni Braxton, “Un-Break My Heart”
> Entered Hot 100: October 26, 1996
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 11 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 42
18. Creed, “Higher”
> Entered Hot 100: September 11, 1999
> Peak position on Hot 100: #7 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 57
17. Third Eye Blind, “How’s It Going To Be”
> Entered Hot 100: December 6, 1997
> Peak position on Hot 100: #9 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 52
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16. Shania Twain, “You’re Still The One”
> Entered Hot 100: February 14, 1998
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 9 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 42
15. Real McCoy, “Another Night”
> Entered Hot 100: August 27, 1994
> Peak position on Hot 100: #3 (for 11 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 45
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14. Everything But The Girl, “Missing”
> Entered Hot 100: August 12, 1995
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 55
13. Duncan Sheik, “Barely Breathing”
> Entered Hot 100: November 30, 1996
> Peak position on Hot 100: #16 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 55
12. The Tony Rich Project, “Nobody Knows”
> Entered Hot 100: December 16, 1995
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 47
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11. Usher, “You Make Me Wanna…”
> Entered Hot 100: August 23, 1997
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 7 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 47
10. Tag Team, “Whoomp! (There It Is)”
> Entered Hot 100: May 29, 1993
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 7 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 45
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9. Paula Cole, “I Don’t Want To Wait”
> Entered Hot 100: November 1, 1997
> Peak position on Hot 100: #11 (for 1 week)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 56
8. Lonestar, “Amazed”
> Entered Hot 100: June 5, 1999
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 55
7. Faith Hill, “Breathe”
> Entered Hot 100: November 6, 1999
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 5 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 53
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6. Los Del Rio, “Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix)”
> Entered Hot 100: September 2, 1995
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 14 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 60
5. Next, “Too Close”
> Entered Hot 100: February 14, 1998
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 5 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 53
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4. Savage Garden, “Truly Madly Deeply”
> Entered Hot 100: December 6, 1997
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 52
3. Santana Featuring Rob Thomas, “Smooth”
> Entered Hot 100: July 31, 1999
> Peak position on Hot 100: #1 (for 12 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 58
2. Jewel, “Foolish Games/You Were Meant For Me”
> Entered Hot 100: November 30, 1996
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 2 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 65
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1. LeAnn Rimes, “How Do I Live”
> Entered Hot 100: June 21, 1997
> Peak position on Hot 100: #2 (for 4 weeks)
> Total weeks on Hot 100: 69
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