The ’90s brought an onslaught of classic rock and metal albums. The decade saw the rise of subgenres like nu-metal and grunge. At the same time, punk underwent a mild mainstream makeover and launched bands like Green Day and the Offspring to fame. In short, it was a great time to be a music lover.
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In the age before streaming, many music fans carried around binders full of CDs or had stacks of cassette tapes in their rooms. For many ’90s kids, digging through someone’s CD case or tape collection was a quick and easy way to get their measure of new friends and spark conversations.
[RELATED: 4 Underrated Rock Albums From the 1990s That Deserve a Comeback]
Rock and Metal Albums that Only the Coolest ’90s Kids Owned
Today we’re going to look at a few rock and metal albums that only the cool kids had in the ’90s. This is obviously not an exhaustive list. It only contains a handful of landmark albums released within the decade.
1. Core–Stone Temple Pilots (1992)
It is impossible to talk about ’90s rock without mentioning some of the grunge greats. Stone Temple Pilots helped usher in a second wave of grunge with their 1992 debut release Core. Tracks like “Plush,” “Creep,” and “Dead and Bloated” got enough airplay on rock radio to introduce all of the cool kids to this new band. More than 30 years later, the album still holds up.
Having Core in your CD was more than a sign that you had good taste in music. It let everyone know that you had your fingers on the pulse of the alternative music world. Having a copy of this–especially in the early ’90s–was ultra-cool.
2. In Utero–Nirvana (1993)
Nirvana was one of the biggest rock bands of the ’90s. Their iconic 1991 album Nevermind was many kids’ introduction to grunge. At the same time, nearly everyone had a copy of the disc. They may as well have dropped copies of Nevermind on doorsteps along with phone books. Their 1993 album, In Utero, was arguably just as good and not as widespread.
Songs like “Dumb,” “All Apologies,” “Pennyroyal Tea,” and “Heart-Shaped Box” saw Kurt Cobain at his sharpest as a lyricist. At the same time, the band seemingly stepped up their musicianship between the release of Nevermind and In Utero. Much like the rest of their catalog, it stood the test of time.
Having a copy of this in your music collection showed that you were more than just a casual Nirvana fan who liked “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the other big hits. Bonus cool points went to those who owned a copy of the band’s debut album Bleach or From the Muddy Banks of the Wishkah.
3. Undertow–Tool (1993)
While Tool remains popular today, the band was a favorite among more adventurous fans of rock and metal in the ’90s. The intelligent songwriting, barely-controlled rage, and heavy sound helped them break through with their debut full-length album Undertow. In the age of grunge, Tool gave metal fans something to be excited about on rock radio, MTV, and VH1.
Songs like “Prison Sex,” “Sober,” and the title track made this an instant favorite among metal fans in the ’90s and today. Then, there were the music videos that played like arthouse horror movies. Also, the bonus track “Disgustipated” was one of the strangest things that many listeners had ever heard. The cries of the carrots, indeed.
Fans of hard rock and metal would have been relieved to find this in a new friend’s collection in the ’90s. It was proof that the owner enjoyed dark, heavy, and serious music. At the same time, it was among the albums from the decade that many listeners heard for the first time after being told “You have got to hear this.”
4. Korn–Korn (1994)
The late ’90s saw musical tastes shift. Grunge slowly faded into the background and nu-metal became the new popular subgenre. While this new style of music wouldn’t really reach its peak until after the turn of the century, Korn helped to bring it to light with their 1994 self-titled debut.
This album came out of nowhere and quickly became a favorite among angst-ridden teens. The music was heavy but not so heavy as to be unapproachable for those who weren’t already into metal. At the same time, the vulnerable and angry lyrics touched upon topics like child abuse, substance abuse, bullying, and other things that teens and young adults could relate to.
Having this CD in your collection meant you were dark, angsty, and ready to delve into new musical frontiers. While not everyone understood the draw of the band at the time, there’s no denying that the cool kids were cranking “Blind” or “Clown” in their headphones on their way to school in the morning.
5. Pierced from Within–Suffocation (1995)
Grunge, alternative rock, and hip-hop-infused nu-metal may have been all the rage in the ’90s but there was still room for death metal. Suffocation’s Pierced from Within is still a nearly unparalleled masterpiece of gore-soaked death metal three decades after its release.
Fans and critics alike hail Pierced from Within as the band’s finest work. It’s blazingly fast, intricately technical, and utterly brutal. The title track, “Brood of Hatred” and the re-recorded tracks “Breeding the Spawn” and “Synthetically Revived” are among some of the album’s highlights.
Those who had this metal masterpiece in their collection in the ’90s probably didn’t care about being among the cool kids but they were. This was the mark of someone who wasn’t interested in the hottest new trends. Instead, they were knee-deep in the love of monolithic riffs, guttural vocals, and guitar solos that sound impossible to replicate.
Featured Image by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic
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