3 Alternative Rock Hits From 1995 That Still Sound Great Today

Not all hit songs are created equal. Some are timeless, while others don’t survive when the novelty wears off. In the 1990s, major record labels flooded the market with alternative rock bands. Some were good. Some were not. But I think the songs on this list have aged well.

Also, the durability of the following bands shows why their hits from 1995 still sound great 30 years after their release.

“Just A Girl” by No Doubt

Gwen Stefani paved the way for artists like Olivia Rodrigo, and “Just A Girl” doesn’t feel outdated against Rodrigo’s current alt-pop hits. Meanwhile, Stefani’s critique of sexism hasn’t lost relevance since No Doubt released the single in 1995. She sings in a character voice about “little ole me” against a ska punk and new wave riff from guitarist Tom Dumont.

It remains a defining song for both Stefani and No Doubt. When No Doubt reunited at Coachella 2024, Rodrigo joined the band onstage. And the set list was full of tracks that hadn’t aged a bit.

“The Universal” by Blur

The Great Escape was Blur’s final Britpop album before reinventing (again). Damon Albarn and his band would outgrow the scene they helped popularize, and instead turn to American indie alternative rock on the massive self-titled follow-up. But this was 1995, and Blur was embroiled in a heated press war with Oasis over which band would dominate the U.K. charts. So the band continued to embrace Britishness to ward off American grunge as Britpop reached its peak.

In “The Universal”, Albarn sings about a (depending on your view) utopian or dystopian future. Backed by an orchestra and female backing singers, the colossal chorus makes one anticipate what’s next. It felt like the end of an era. Regardless of the trumped-up hype, Blur and Oasis both became stadium bands. Then Albarn formed his second stadium band, Gorillaz. It really, really, really happened after all.

“Name” by Goo Goo Dolls

Goo Goo Dolls have massive tunes that are a world apart from where the band started. The Buffalo group is best known for “Iris”, but go back and listen to the early albums. You’ll hear a band hooked on The Replacements before “Name” and its layers of acoustic guitars, open tunings, and grown-up nostalgia launched Goo Goo Dolls into mainstream pop stardom.

A lesson John Rzeznik learned from his punk idols: how not to self-destruct. And Goo Goo Dolls have stuck around long enough to experience a resurgence after “Iris” appeared in the 2024 Marvel Comics film, Deadpool & Wolverine.

Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for Coachella