5 Forgotten Rock Bands From the 1990s You Need To Rediscover Today

The 1990s were such a cool era for rock music, and so many subgenres came to be during the decade. And with so many bands achieving fame, there were also a few rock outfits from the 1990s that have since been forgotten. Let’s dive into a few somewhat forgotten rock bands from the 1990s that you need to rediscover today.

Sponge

This alternative rock outfit formed back in 1992 and first broke up in the year 2000. Based in Detroit, Sponge is best known for a handful of charting singles, like “Plowed”, “Wax Ecstatic (To Sell Angelina)”, and “Have You Seen Mary”. They’ve since gotten back together and are still working together today, but their lineup has gone through quite a few lineup changes. Frontman Vinnie Dombroski remains the band’s one constant figure, though.

Letters To Cleo

Alternative rock and power pop go together like salt and fat, and Letters To Cleo boasts the perfect blend of both genres. Originally formed in 1990, Letters To Cleo broke up in 2000 and have since gotten back together. They’re best known for the song “Here & Now” from 1995, as well as their legendary debut album, Aurora Gory Alice.

The Refreshments

The Refreshments are, honestly, quite a refreshing alternative roots rock outfit, especially if you’re from Arizona like me. This outfit formed in good ol’ Tempe back in 1993 and first broke up in 1999 before reforming off and on through 2021. If you think you haven’t heard of them, I guarantee you have. They’re behind the song “Yahoos And Triangles”, which served as the theme song to the iconic 90s animated program King Of The Hill. You might have also heard the song “Banditos” off their 1996 breakthrough record Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy.

The Muffs

With a name like that, how could anyone forget this 90s pop punk outfit? The Muffs came to be in 1991 and broke up in 1999. That breakup was followed by two revivals that inevitably ended in 2019. They’re the powerhouse outfit behind the legendary 90s version of “Kids In America”. Kim Shattuck was a legendary frontwoman, and her absence in the 90s rock world is still felt today.

Local H

This entry on our list of forgotten rock bands from the 1990s is a band I discovered months ago while writing a similar list. I immediately fell in love. Honestly, if Local H hadn’t been caught in a tumultuous label acquisition right around the time they were about the drop what definitely would have been their breakthrough album, I’m convinced that they would have been up there with the greats. At the very least, we have Pack Up The Cats from 1998 to enjoy today.

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