3 Undervalued Bands From the 1990s That Weren’t Too Famous—but Would Be Huge Today

When one thinks of the biggest bands of the 1990s, they likely think about Nirvana, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and the Spice Girls. All of those bands were, in fact, the créme de la créme during the decade. Although there was a bunch of other music circulating in the industry at the time. You just might not know it. With that in mind, here are three undervalued bands from the 1990s that weren’t too famous—but would be huge today.

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Screaming Trees

Formed near the grunge capital in Ellensburg, Washington, Screaming Trees are one of the most underrated bands of the 1990s. Musically, their talent matches the greatest bands of the decade. However, in terms of notoriety, they never secured a large amount of it. We believe that if these guys were in their prime in 2025, they would revitalize indie/alternative rock entirely.

During their heyday, the Screaming Trees’ most popular albums were Sweet Oblivion and Uncle Anesthesia, with their most notable single being “Nearly Lost You”. Additionally, one of the band’s strongest works is their final album, Dust, which they released in 1996. These guys had what it took to be a hit in the 1990s, and to us, that talent would go over well in the 2020s.

The Posies

Like Screaming Trees, The Posies also formed near the heart of grunge rock. Although they were not a grunge rock band in the slightest. Rather, they were an indie/alternative band whose origins were rooted in the Merseybeat sound of the 1960s. To us, their music is timeless, and even though they didn’t go the distance in the 1990s, we believe they would in the 2020s.

Songs that inspire a positive performance in the 21st century include “Coming Right Along”, “Golden Blunders”, “Dream All Day”, and “Flavor Of The Month”. This might be a hot take, but if these were fresh now, they very well might meet the power of bands such as Coldplay and the Arctic Monkeys.

Gin Blossoms

Despite their brief mainstream success with singles  “Hey Jealousy” and “Found Out About You”, the devout music fans of the 1990s still consider the Gin Blossoms as an incredibly underrated band. Though, as we like to highlight on our site, underrated bands are often some of the best. And that is certainly the case for this ’90s alternative pop group.

Other than the two singles previously mentioned, other songs that showcase GB’s seemingly timeless appeal are “Til I Hear It From You”, “Follow You Down”, “Allison Road”, and “As Long As It Matters”. Trust us, just give these guys a listen.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

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