It wasn’t until the 1990s that boy bands became a household phrase. But in the 1990s, there were several boy bands that emerged, including these three, which all churned out big hits.
Backstreet Boys
Formed in 1993, the Backstreet Boys consist of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, and Kevin Richardson. Their self-titled freshman album has five hit singles, including “We’ve Got It Goin’ On” and “I’ll Never Break Your Heart”.
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In 1997, the Backstreet Boys released “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)”, one of their biggest hits. The song is from their sophomore Backstreet’s Back album. The video for the song reportedly cost them a million dollars, which the band paid for since their label said MTV would not play a six-minute video. Not only was their label, Jive Records, wrong, but the video went on to win Best Group Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.
Other hit singles in the 1990s include “As Long As You Love Me”, “I Want It That Way”, and “Larger Than Life”.
Some of the Backstreet Boys pursued solo careers, but they still continued to make music long after they first formed. In 2025, they announced a Las Vegas residency.
*NSYNC
“NYNC was formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in the mid-90s. Kirkpatrick was part of the original lineup, along with JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, and Jason Galasso, although Galasso was soon replaced by Lance Bass.
“NSYNC’s eponymous debut album was released in 1997. The record includes “I Want You Back”, the group’s debut single and a massive hit for them. Other hit singles in the 90s include “Tearin’ Up My Heart”, “Here We Go”, and “Music Of My Heart“, the latter a collaboration with Gloria Estefan.
98 Degrees
Brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, along with Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre, are part of the original lineup of 98 Degrees. Their eponymous first project includes “Invisible Man”, a Top 5 hit for 98 Degrees. In 1998, their sophomore record, 98 Degrees And Rising, was released. The project includes “Because Of You” , “The Hardest Thing”, and “I Do (Cherish You)”, one of the band’s most noteworthy hits.
Popular at the same time as The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, the members of 98 Degrees felt little competition with the other boy bands.
“For the most part, I think we all understood the grind that every other group is going through, the ups and downs of the business,” Drew Lachey says (via AOL Music). “To this day, we’re still friends with those guys.”
Photo by Fred Duval/FilmMagic
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