The 90s Guitar

1990–1999

561 songs · 166 artists

The 1990s tore up the rulebook. Grunge killed hair metal. Alternative rock replaced arena rock on the radio. And metal got heavier, faster and more experimental than ever. The decade rewarded authenticity and raw emotion over polished technique.

Metallica, Nirvana, Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden and Eric Johnson anchor our 90s collection. From the Black Album to Nevermind, this decade changed what guitarists valued.

A
AC/DC 2
Bryan Adams 2
Jane's Addiction 1
Aerosmith 6
Amorphis 1
Morbid Angel 1
Anthrax 1
Soul Asylum 1
Massive Attack 1
Audioslave 1
B
Dave Matthews Band 3
Bathory 1
Jason Becker 2
Mr. Big 1
blink-182 2
4 Non Blondes 1
Blur 1
Dimmu Borgir 4
Buckethead 1
Jeff Buckley 3
Burzum 3
Bush 1
C
Cake 1
Candlebox 1
Mariah Carey 1
Alice in Chains 10
Christmas 1
Cinderella 1
The Clansman 1
Eric Clapton 11
Alice Cooper 1
The Cranberries 2
Beverley Craven 1
Creed 2
The Black Crowes 2
Counting Crows 1
D
Green Day 6
Deftones 2
Bruce Dickinson 2
Celine Dion 2
Dissection 3
Spin Doctors 1
Temple of the Dog 2
Goo Goo Dolls 1
No Doubt 1
System Of A Down 1
Duran Duran 2
E
Emperor 5
Europe 3
Extreme 4
F
Foo Fighters 5
Firehouse 2
Pink Floyd 2
Fujita, Harumi 1
G
At The Gates 1
At the Gates 1
Ghost 1
Jean-jacques Goldman 1
Dragon Ball GT 1
H
Van Halen 3
Machine Head 1
Helloween 2
The Tragically Hip 1
I
Immortal 1
Incubus 2
J
Michael Jackson 2
Pearl Jam 8
Ugly Kid Joe 1
Eric Johnson 30
Fredericks Goldman Jones 1
Journey 1
Bon Jovi 4
Dinosaur Jr. 1
K
Saigon Kick 1
Kiss 1
Korn 2
Koshiro, Yuzo 1
Paul Koulak 1
Lenny Kravitz 4
L
Def Leppard 1
Lit 1
Live 1
Zelda's Lullaby 1
M
Rage Against The Machine 7
Iron Maiden 33
Marilyn Manson 1
Marillion 2
Mayhem 1
Sarah McLachlan 1
Megadeth 13
Blind Melon 1
Metallica 48
  1. 1 2x4 TAB 1997
  2. 2 Ain't My Bitch TAB 1991
  3. 3 BLEEDING ME TAB 1996
  4. 4 Devil's Dance TAB 1997
  5. 5 Dirty Window TAB 1997
  6. 6 Don't Tread On Me TAB 1991
  7. 7 Enter Sandman TAB 1991
  8. 8 Enter Sandman - Intro & Main Riff LESSON 1991
  9. 9 Enter Sandman - Outro Section LESSON 1991
  10. 10 Enter Sandman - Solo LESSON 1991
  11. 11 Enter Sandman - Verse, PreChorus & Chorus LESSON 1991
  12. 12 Enter Sandman Pt.1 - Intro & Main Riff LESSON 1991
  13. 13 Enter Sandman Pt.2 - Verse, PreChorus & Chorus LESSON 1991
  14. 14 Enter Sandman Pt.3 - Solo LESSON 1991
  15. 15 Enter Sandman Pt.4 - Outro Section LESSON 1991
  16. 16 Fade To Black 1 TAB 1991
  17. 17 FIXXXER TAB 1997
  18. 18 FUEL TAB 1997
  19. 19 Fuel - Chords/Rhythms LESSON 1997
  20. 20 Hero Of The Day LESSON 1996
  21. 21 Holier Than Thou TAB 1991
  22. 22 JUSTICE MEDLEY Live Sh*t '93 TAB 1994
  23. 23 KING NOTHING TAB 1996
  24. 24 KIRK GUITAR SOLO Live Sh*t '93 TAB 1993
  25. 25 MINUS HUMAN TAB 1991
  26. 26 My Friend of Misery TAB 1991
  27. 27 No Leaf Clover TAB 1999
  28. 28 Nothing Else Matters TAB 1991
  29. 29 Of Wolf And Man TAB 1991
  30. 30 Sad But True TAB 1991
  31. 31 STAR SPANGLED BANNER TAB 1991
  32. 32 The God That Failed TAB 1996
  33. 33 The Memory Remains TAB 1997
  34. 34 THE OUTLAW TORN TAB 1996
  35. 35 THE STRUGGLE WITHIN TAB 1991
  36. 36 The Unforgiven TAB 1991
  37. 37 The Unforgiven II TAB 1997
  38. 38 Turn The Page TAB 1998
  39. 39 Until It Sleeps TAB 1996
  40. 40 WASTING MY HATE TAB 1996
  41. 41 Welcome Home - Outro w/Solo LESSON 1991
  42. 42 Welcome Home (First Solo) LESSON 1991
  43. 43 Welcome Home (Intro & Rhythm) LESSON 1991
  44. 44 Welcome Home (Main Solo) LESSON 1991
  45. 45 Welcome Home (Sanitarium) TAB 1991
  46. 46 Welcome Home (Second Solo) LESSON 1991
  47. 47 Wherever I May Roam TAB 1991
  48. 48 Whiskey In The Jar TAB 1999
View all Metallica songs →
Misirlou 1
Gary Moore 8
Vinnie Moore 2
Faith No More 1
Smash Mouth 1
N
Impaled Nazarene 1
Type O Negative 1
Nightwish 1
Nirvana 22
O
Sinead O'Connor 1
Oasis 8
The Offspring 1
Trans-Siberian Orchestra 3
Ozzy Osbourne 4
P
Jason Paige 1
Pantera 13
Twin Peaks 1
Red Hot Chili Peppers 11
Tom Petty 4
Wilson Phillips 1
Stone Temple Pilots 9
Poison 3
The Pretenders 1
Judas Priest 1
Primus 1
The Smashing Pumpkins 7
Smashing Pumpkins 2
Q
Queen 4
Queensryche 5
R
R.E.M. 4
Radiohead 11
Rammstein 1
Power Rangers 1
Patrick Rondat 1
Guns N' Roses 26
Skid Row 2
S
Santana 3
Satellite 1
Joe Satriani 7
Satyricon 2
Scorpions 4
Seal 1
Seasons 1
Semisonic 1
Sentenced 1
Sepultura 2
Kenny Wayne Shepherd 1
Slash 6
Slayer 3
Collective Soul 2
Soundgarden 5
Britney Spears 1
Staind 1
Steelheart 2
Sting 2
Sublime 3
T
Testament 1
Dream Theater 7
Andy Timmons 3
Titanic 1
Tonic 1
Tool 2
Twin Peaks Tribute 1
Trust 1
U
U2 1
Ulver 2
V
Steve Vai 14
Stevie Ray Vaughan 2
The Verve 1
W
Weezer 1
Robbie Williams 1
X
Symphony X 1
Y
Damn Yankees 1
Neil Young 1

Guitar in the 1990s

When Nirvana released "Nevermind" in 1991, the guitar world shifted. Suddenly, raw power chords and emotional delivery mattered more than sweep arpeggios. Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam each brought a different flavor of Seattle grunge. Red Hot Chili Peppers blended funk with rock. Oasis channeled the Beatles into anthemic Britpop.

Metal didn't disappear. Metallica's Black Album became the best-selling metal record ever. Pantera invented groove metal. Tool merged prog complexity with metal weight. And underground scenes (nu metal, post-grunge, metalcore) were growing that would dominate the 2000s.

Gear That Defined the Decade

Grunge brought back simple setups: a guitar, a few pedals and a loud amp. The Fender Mustang and Jaguar became popular again thanks to Cobain. Drop D tuning became standard in heavy music. Rectifier amps from Mesa/Boogie defined the modern high-gain tone. Boutique pedals started gaining traction as players looked for unique sounds.

Key Genres of the 90s

Grunge, Alternative Rock, Thrash Metal, Groove Metal, Progressive Metal. The 90s proved that guitar music could reinvent itself while staying powerful.