50 Top Rock Albums of the 1990s

The 1990s music scene is best characterized by grunge replacing hair metal.  The first two books in The Rock Star’s Wife series, Sexual Awakening and Mr. Right is a Myth, all or completely take place in the 1990s.  They touch on Cassandra’s musical tastes as she is never far from her CD player.  She does indeed love grunge as well as heavier bands such as Metallica and softer bands such as Jimmy Eat World.  Here are the five top rock albums of the 1990s by year according to sales.  These bands might have appeared on a mixed tape in Cassandra’s collection.  How about yours?

This list does not include greatest hits albums, live albums, soundtracks or compilations.

1990

The Razors Edge by AC/DC

7.8 million sales

Singles:  “Thunderstruck,” “Moneytalks,” and  “Are You Ready”

Violator by Depeche Mode

4.9 million sales

Singles:  “Personal Jesus,” “Enjoy the Silence,” “Policy of Truth,” and “World in My Eyes”

Flesh & Blood by Poison

4.5 million sales

Singles:  “Unskinny Bop,” “Something to Believe In,” “Ride the Wind,” “Life Goes On,” and “(Flesh & Blood) Sacrifice”

Crazy World by Scorpions

3.6 million sales

Singles:  “Tease Me Please Me,” “Don’t Believe Her,” “Wind of Change,” and “Send Me an Angel”

X by INXS

3.2 million sales

Singles: “Suicide Blonde,” “Disappear,” “By My Side,” “Bitter Tears,” and “The Stairs”

1991

Metallica by Metallica

33 million sales

Singles:  “Enter Sandman,” “The Unforgiven,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “Wherever I May Roam,” and “Sad but True”

Nevermind by Nirvana

30 million sales

Singles:  “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come as You Are,” “Lithium,” and “In Bloom”

Achtung Baby by U2

18 million sales

Singles:  “The Fly,” “Mysterious Ways,” “One,” “Even Better Than the Real Thing,” and “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”

Ten by Pearl Jam

15.7 million sales

Singles:  “Alive,” “Even Flow,” “Jeremy,” and “Oceans”

We Can`t Dance by Genesis

15 million sales

Singles:  “No Son of Mine,” “I Can’t Dance,” “Hold on My Heart,” “Jesus He Knows Me,” “Never a Time,” and “Tell Me Why”

1992

Automatic for the People by R.E.M.

18 million sales

Singles:  “Drive,” “Man on the Moon,” “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite,” “Everybody Hurts,” “Nightswimming,” and “Find the River”

Core by Stone Temple Pilots

8.3 million sales

Singles:  “Sex Type Thing,” “Plush,” and “Creep”

Bigger, Better, Faster, More! By 4 Non Blondes

6 million sales

Singles: “Dear Mr. President,” “What’s Up?,” “Spaceman,” and “Superfly”

Adrenalize by Def Leppard

6 million sales

Singles:  “Let’s Get Rocked,” “Make Love Like a Man,” “Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad,” “Stand Up (Kick Love into Motion),” “Heaven Is,” and “Tonight”

Rage Against The Machine by Rage Against The Machine

5.04 million sales

Singles:  “Killing in the Name,” “Bullet in the Head,” “Bombtrack,” and “Freedom”

1993

Get a Grip by Aerosmith

20 million sales

Singles:  “Livin’ on the Edge,” “Eat the Rich,” “Cryin,'” “Amazing,” “Fever,” “Shut Up and Dance,” and “Crazy”

VS. by Pearl Jam

8.2 million sales

Singles:  “Go,” “Daughter,” “Animal,” and “Dissident”

August & Everything After by Counting Crows

8.06 million sales

Singles:  “Mr. Jones,” “Round Here,” “Rain King,” and “A Murder of One”

In Utero by Nirvana

7.8 million sales

Singles: “Heart-Shaped Box,” and “All Apologies” / “Rape Me”

Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We by The Cranberries

6.4 million sales

Singles: “Dreams,” and “Linger”

1994

Cracked Rear View by Hootie & The Blowfish

22.3 million sales

Singles:  “Hold My Hand,” “Let Her Cry,” “Only Wanna Be with You,” “Time,” and “Drowning”

Dookie by Green Day

20 million sales

Singles:  “Longview,” “Welcome to Paradise,” “Basket Case,” and “When I Come Around”

No Need To Argue by The Cranberries

14.2 million sales

Singles:  “Zombie,” “Ode to My Family,” “I Can’t Be with You,” and “Ridiculous Thoughts”

The Division Bell by Pink Floyd

12 million sales

Singles:  “Take It Back,” and “High Hopes” / “Keep Talking”

Smash by The Offspring

12 million sales

Singles:  “Come Out and Play,” “Self Esteem,” “Gotta Get Away,” and “Bad Habit”

1995

(What’s the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis

22 million sales

Singles:  “Some Might Say,” “Roll with It,” “Morning Glory,” “Wonderwall,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” and “Champagne Supernova”

Made In Heaven by Queen

20 million sales

Singles:  “Heaven for Everyone,” “A Winter’s Tale,” “Too Much Love Will Kill You,” “I Was Born to Love You, ” “Let Me Live,” and “You Don’t Fool Me”

Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt

13.6 million sales

Singles:  “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs,” “Don’t Speak,” “Excuse Me Mr.,” “Sunday Morning,” “Happy Now?,” and “Hey You!”

Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness by The Smashing Pumpkins

10 million sales

Singles:  “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “1979,” “Tonight, Tonight,” “Zero,” and “Thirty-Three”

Garbage by Garbage

5 million sales

Singles:  “Vow,” “Only Happy When It Rains,” “Queer,” “Stupid Girl,” and “Milk”

1996

Yourself Or Someone Like You by Matchbox Twenty

15 million sales

Singles:  “Long Day,” “Push,” “3AM,” “Real World,” and “Back 2 Good”

Load by Metallica

8.02 million sales

Singles:  “Until It Sleeps,” “Hero of the Day,” “Mama Said,” and “King Nothing”

Crash by Dave Matthews Band

7.1 million sales

Singles:  “Too Much,” “So Much to Say,” “Crash into Me,” “Two Step,” and “Tripping Billies”

Sublime by Sublime

6.5 million sales

Singles:  “What I Got, ” “Santeria,” “Wrong Way,” and “Doin’ Time”

Bringing Down The Horse by The Wallflowers

4.7 million sales

Singles:  “6th Avenue Heartache,” “One Headlight,” “The Difference,” and “Three Marlenas”

1997

Urban Hymns by The Verve

10 million sales

Singles: “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” “The Drugs Don’t Work,” “Lucky Man,” and “Sonnet”

Be Here Now by Oasis

8 million sales

Singles:  “D’You Know What I Mean?,” “Stand by Me,” and  “All Around the World”

My Own Prison by Creed

6.8 million sales

Singles:  “My Own Prison,” “Torn,” “What’s This Life For,” and “One”

Reload by Metallica

6.6 million sales

Singles:  “The Memory Remains,” “The Unforgiven II,” “Fuel,” and “Better Than You”

Third Eye Blind by Third Eye Blind

6.1 million sales

Singles:  “Semi-Charmed Life,” “Graduate,” “How’s It Going to Be,” “Losing a Whole Year,” and “Jumper”

1998

Americana by The Offspring

11 million sales

Singles:  “Pretty Fly (for a White Guy),” “Why Don’t You Get a Job?,” “The Kids Aren’t Alright” and “She’s Got Issues”

Version 2.0 by Garbage

6 million sales

Singles:  “Push It,” “I Think I’m Paranoid,” “Special,” “When I Grow Up,” “The Trick Is to Keep Breathing,” and “You Look So Fine”

Follow The Leader by Korn

5.7 million sales

Singles:  “All in the Family,” “Got the Life,” and “Freak on a Leash”

This Is My Truth, Tell Me Yours by Manic Street Preachers

5 million sales

Singles:  “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next,” “The Everlasting,”  “You Stole the Sun from My Heart,” and “Tsunami”

Stunt by Barenaked Ladies

4.5 million sales

Singles: “One Week,” “It’s All Been Done,” “Call and Answer,” and “Alcohol”

1999

Enema Of The State by Blink-182

16 million sales

Singles:  “What’s My Age Again?,” “All the Small Things,” and “Adam’s Song”

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers

16 million sales

Singles:  “Scar Tissue,” “Around the World,” “Otherside,” “Californication,” and “Road Trippin'”

Human Clay by Creed

13.2 million sales

Singles:  “Higher,” “What If,” “With Arms Wide Open,” and “Are You Ready?”

Significant Other by Limp Bizkit

9.6 million sales

Singles:  “Nookie,” “Re-Arranged,” “N 2 Gether Now,” and “Break Stuff”

S&M by Metallica

4.99 million sales

Singles:  “Nothing Else Matters ’99,” and “No Leaf Clover”

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What are your picks for top rock albums of the 1990s?  Leave a comment below.  Comments close after 90 days.

Listen to the top rock albums of the 1990s on The Rock Star’s Wife Spotify page.

Source for rankings:  https://bestsellingalbums.org

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Here’s the 4-1-1

This blog is a companion piece to The Rock Star’s Wife, a series about sex, family, and rock & roll.  The series has elements of chick lit, romance and erotica and is best compared to The Vagina Monologues for its frank talk of sex and its consequences.  The series follows Cassandra from her teenage years into her 40s as she navigates relationships (both romantic and platonic) — all with music playing a prominent roll.

Book one, Sexual Awakening, drops February 2023:  Teenager Cassandra Economos loves five things: Her awesome friends. Her big fat, dysfunctional, Greek family. Rock music. Her plan to move to Chicago. And Kurt Cobain.  Soon, she’ll gain another love.  Sex.  Stifled by her family’s rules, how will Cassie explore her sexuality?

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