How do you define the ‘90s?

June 25, 2023

The ‘90s decade ushered in essential reforms in music, style, attitude, and habits.

The ‘90s decade ushered in essential reforms in music, style, attitude, and habits. Everything was now in moderation. Music listeners were tending to lean towards the sentimental/mushy/corny stuff and light rock.

How do you define the '90s?

How do you define the ‘90s?


    Bands were springing up from all sides of the metropolis offering a “different” tune. Different, yes, in their manner of delivering their craft but if you listen closely, all their stories are the same. Poetry weaved from experience and everyday occurrences or current events and radically-themed pieces which were so “in” during this era. 

    You may have noticed that I am using the decade’s taste for music as its most definitive feature (as with any other era) because it encompasses numerous turfs, literally dictating fashion and even our food choices.

    Style and Fashion


    Personally, I still think the ‘80s is by far the most colorful, exuberant, and loudest decade of the century. Think of bright and flashy clothes and big hairstyles held high by beer and cans of hairsprays. Don’t forget the nightly disco joints with its pulsating lights and omnipresent disco ball.

    Defining the '90s through style and fashion

    By the end of the '80s decade, however, the disco-loving generation of the ‘80s is getting all too tired of all the gyrating, the blinding lights and the shrill voices of Cyndi Lauper and the Material Girl. People are shedding off layers upon layers of clothes and ditching cans (practically liters!) of Aquanet (ozone-friendliness and environmentalism is now “in”). Haha!

    '90s Music


    Well, you may ask (I also ask), in favor of what? The ‘90s of course! As I’ve mentioned earlier, the ‘90s brought in a lot of groundbreaking adaptations to every aspect of our lives. Everything seems more palatable and a little bit toned down. You could never grow tired of the same stuff even if you use it (or eat it or listen to it) over and over again.

    Defining the '90s through music

    Some may consider '90s music to be boring but it’s totally not. Definitely not. Take the groovy and sentimental sounds of boy bands (Backstreet Boys and Boyzone!!) and the rhythmic dance hits of girl bands. Nobody would call that boring. Or look at it this way: the ‘90s is just readjusting the equilibrium tilted by the excessive ‘80s.

    Rise of the Boybands


    Speaking of boybands, I think their meteoric rise was one phenomenon that shook the '90s. These boybands are not the usual rock or alternative bands that play instruments and had a lead vocalist to deliver the songs.

    Defining the '90s through boybands

    No, boybands were boy groups, usually composed of four, five, or eight (more than that and they' look like an army) teenage boys who sing and dance synchronously. They are good-looking, of course, and they can sing and dance. However, their songs are mostly cheesy and can be borderline corny. Nonetheless, teenage girls adore them because, well, they are good-looking and their songs were written like mushy love stories.

    Some boybands sing good songs though. The likes of Backstreet Boys, Westlife, and Boyzone, to name a few, have quite a few notable records. They survived decades in the music scene so they must be good.

    The Spice Girls' Domination 


    Among all the groups, both male and female, that mushroomed during the '90s, I think it's the Spice Girls that epitomized the decade. They’re pretty, they sing well, they dance well, they’re stylish, they were controversial, they had endorsements, and they knew what fun was, so they virtually conquered the universe. They connected with their fans well wherever they were around the globe.

    Defining the '90s through the Spice Girls

    The world was their oyster, as they put it. Their influence could rival that of the President’s!! Anyway, not a few girly groups in schools (including in our high school…lol) went gaga over the worldwide craze brought by the Spice Girls.

    “In order for you to join our clique, you should be able to sing this first…or dance this first…” you could hear one who calls herself Baby Spice in a high school uniform telling a fledgling on how she could be part of their ultra-elite, ultra-cool, uber-pretty group. Lol. Lol. Lol.

    And mind you, these girls could dance their asses off in corridors without anybody daring to tell them that it’s prohibited lest they be scorned by these blistering hot ladies. A concrete example:

    Girl 1: “Yo, tell me what you want what you really,
    really want…”

    Girl 2: “I tell you what you want, what you really,
    really want…”

    Girl 3: “I wanna, I wanna…”

    Girl 4: “I wanna really, really…”

    Girl 5: “Ha?”

    Lol. They were everywhere!! So there’s no doubt that the Spice Girls own the ‘90s. No, the '90s is the Spice Girls!! Heck, since the girls are reunited once more, who knows what they will do next. Only God knows what.

    Let’s wait and see...

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    9 comments

    1. *NSYNC - totally loved them in the 90s and still do haha.

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    2. This is my youth right here. I remember my classmates were going crazy over Backstreet Boys. I liked them too, can´t say that I didn´t but I was more into the likes of Blink 182, Guns N´Roses, No doubt and RHCP. What a great decade!

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    3. Spice girls were my thing in high school. Loves Backstreet boys, Nsync and Brittany.
      Those were the best days!

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    4. I have this friend who loves these things and I totally agreed about her taste! These are all legends!

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    5. Love this! I was a 90s kid! I was just thinking about boy bands today and how I never got into them. I love Britney Spears tho!

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    6. Kristel Yamzon-Oliva8 May 2022 at 03:09

      Agree iba talaga ang dating ng 90's song. Kahit hanggang ngayon nasa modern age na tayo sarap pa din pakinggan ang mga kantang tatak 90's. 😊😊

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    7. Tala Martinez8 May 2022 at 03:10

      90's! Mas gusto ko pa rin ang music ng 90's. A1, Westlife, Spice Girls, M2M, Boyzone, Moffats, and more. Plus the locals pa! Ang fun pa ng colors dati 😍

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    8. Totoo po yan. Thank you for dropping by!

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