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1990 Music Hits: Top Songs, Radio Favorites, and Pop Classics

1990 music was a bridge between the glossy 1980s and the more chaotic 1990s that were about to arrive. Dance-pop, hip-hop, new jack swing, hair metal, adult contemporary ballads, alternative rock, club music, and novelty hits all shared space on radio and MTV. Marcia Griffiths, Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, Madonna, Bell Biv DeVoe, Janet Jackson, Depeche Mode, Aerosmith, Wilson Phillips, and Sinéad O’Connor all helped define a year that was changing fast.

This PopCultureMadness guide starts with the Top 10 songs of 1990, then groups more 1990 music hits by style so you can browse the year by sound, mood, and memory. It was the kind of year where line dances, rap breakthroughs, dance clubs, power ballads, and guitar bands all fought for attention — and somehow, most of them brought choreography.

Quick Answer: What Music Was Popular in 1990?

Popular music in 1990 included dance-pop, hip-hop, new jack swing, freestyle, R&B, adult contemporary ballads, hair metal, hard rock, alternative rock, and club music. Songs like Vogue, U Can’t Touch This, Ice Ice Baby, Nothing Compares 2 U, Hold On, and Pump Up the Jam helped define the sound of 1990.

Top 10 Songs of 1990

  1. Electric Boogie (The Electric Slide) – Marcia Griffiths
  2. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
  3. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
  4. I Wanna Be Rich – Calloway
  5. The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground
  6. Here and Now – Luther Vandross
  7. Vogue – Madonna
  8. Pump Up the Jam – Technotronic
  9. Blaze of Glory – Jon Bon Jovi
  10. Step by Step – New Kids on the Block

More 1990 Music Hits by Style

Beyond the Top 10, 1990 music gets more interesting when grouped by style. The year had club records, pop-rap breakthroughs, new jack swing, big ballads, dance-floor anthems, hair metal, alternative rock, and a few pop culture curveballs that still show up at parties decades later.

1990 Dance-Pop, Club, House, and Freestyle Hits

Dance music was everywhere in 1990, from club tracks and house-pop to freestyle, Eurodance, and line-dance favorites. Madonna, Technotronic, Black Box, Snap!, Deee-Lite, Seduction, Paula Abdul, Kaoma, and Marcia Griffiths helped make the year move. This was the part of 1990 where the beat did not ask permission — it just took over the room.

Electric Boogie (The Electric Slide) – Marcia Griffiths
Vogue – Madonna
Pump Up the Jam – Technotronic
Everybody Everybody – Black Box
Groove Is in the Heart – Deee-Lite
Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over) – Technotronic
Wiggle It – 2 in a Room
The Power – Snap!
Two to Make It Right – Seduction
Got to Get – Leila K featuring Rob ‘n’ Raz
You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Jimmy Somerville
Opposites Attract – Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair
Escapade – Janet Jackson
Alright – Janet Jackson
Lambada – Kaoma
Doin’ the Do – Betty Boo
Oops Up – Snap!

1990 Hip-Hop, Rap, Pop-Rap, and New Jack Swing

Hip-hop and new jack swing were becoming much harder to ignore in 1990. Vanilla Ice, MC Hammer, Digital Underground, Biz Markie, Public Enemy, Bell Biv DeVoe, Johnny Gill, and The Time helped push rap, R&B, funk, and pop into new crossover territory. This was not just a warmup for the 90s; this was the decade kicking the door open with oversized pants and a very confident bass line.

Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground
Just a Friend – Biz Markie
Do Me! – Bell Biv DeVoe
Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe
Rub You the Right Way – Johnny Gill
Jerk-Out – The Time
911 Is a Joke – Public Enemy
Ready or Not – After 7
Knockin’ Boots – Candyman

1990 Pop, Teen Pop, and Big Radio Favorites

Mainstream pop in 1990 still had plenty of 1980s shine, but the sound was changing. New Kids on the Block, Madonna, Janet Jackson, George Michael, Whitney Houston, Gloria Estefan, Taylor Dayne, and Lisa Stansfield helped keep radio polished and hook-heavy. These songs were built for countdown shows, cassette singles, and people rewinding tapes with suspicious dedication.

Step by Step – New Kids on the Block
Here We Are – Gloria Estefan
She Ain’t Worth It – Glenn Medeiros
Tom’s Diner – DNA featuring Suzanne Vega
Love Will Lead You Back – Taylor Dayne
Close to You – Maxi Priest
All Around the World – Lisa Stansfield
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven – Phil Collins
Freedom! ’90 – George Michael
King of Wishful Thinking – Go West
Rhythm Nation – Janet Jackson
I’m Your Baby Tonight – Whitney Houston
Tonight – New Kids on the Block
Giving You the Benefit – Pebbles
Romeo – Dino

1990 Rock, Hair Metal, Hard Rock, and Power Ballads

Rock in 1990 was still full of big guitars, dramatic videos, and hair metal confidence, but change was coming. Jon Bon Jovi, Warrant, Aerosmith, Poison, Nelson, Billy Idol, Heart, Slaughter, Lita Ford, and Mötley Crüe kept rock radio loud and flashy. Grunge had not yet taken over, so the hairspray still had one more victory lap.

Blaze of Glory – Jon Bon Jovi
Cherry Pie – Warrant
Cradle of Love – Billy Idol
Black Velvet – Alannah Myles
Janie’s Got a Gun – Aerosmith
(Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection – Nelson
Up All Night – Slaughter
Suicide Blonde – INXS
Unskinny Bop – Poison
Dirty Deeds – Joan Jett
L.A. Woman – Billy Idol
Bad Love – Eric Clapton
Black Cat – Janet Jackson
All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You – Heart
Miracle – Jon Bon Jovi
Epic – Faith No More
Hungry – Lita Ford
Something to Believe In – Poison
The Other Side – Aerosmith
Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) – Mötley Crüe

1990 Alternative, College Rock, and Modern Rock Favorites

Alternative and college rock were growing stronger in 1990, even before the mainstream rock explosion of the early 90s. Depeche Mode, The Cure, The B-52’s, Concrete Blonde, The Soup Dragons, Soho, and Information Society gave the year a cooler, stranger, more left-of-center edge. This is where 1990 started quietly warning everyone that the radio was about to change.

Personal Jesus – Depeche Mode
Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
Pictures of You – The Cure
Hippychick – Soho
Joey – Concrete Blonde
Think – Information Society
Roam – The B-52’s
I’m Free – The Soup Dragons
Deadbeat Club – The B-52’s

1990 Ballads, Adult Contemporary, and Big Vocal Hits

Ballads and adult contemporary songs remained major radio forces in 1990. Luther Vandross, Bette Midler, Taylor Dayne, Roxette, Mariah Carey, James Ingram, Michael Bolton, Linda Ronstadt, Aaron Neville, Wilson Phillips, and Sinéad O’Connor gave the year some of its biggest emotional moments. These were the songs for dedications, slow dances, breakups, and dramatic staring out of rainy windows.

Here and Now – Luther Vandross
From a Distance – Bette Midler
This Old Heart of Mine – Rod Stewart featuring Ronald Isley
All My Life – Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
Vision of Love – Mariah Carey
I Don’t Have the Heart – James Ingram
The Heart of the Matter – Don Henley
Downtown Train – Rod Stewart
Cuts Both Ways – Gloria Estefan
All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You – Heart
How Am I Supposed to Live Without You – Michael Bolton
Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinéad O’Connor
More Than Words Can Say – Alias
Hold On – Wilson Phillips
I’ll Be Your Shelter – Taylor Dayne
Oh Girl – Paul Young
Heart of Stone – Cher
How Can We Be Lovers – Michael Bolton

1990 Novelty, Dance Crazes, Medleys, and Pop Culture Curveballs

1990 had a strong novelty and pop culture streak. Line dances, medleys, catchphrases, dance crazes, and songs with huge personality all found room. Marcia Griffiths, Jive Bunny, Biz Markie, Digital Underground, and Technotronic helped make the year feel like a wedding reception, a club night, and a comedy sketch got stuck in the same elevator.

Electric Boogie (The Electric Slide) – Marcia Griffiths
That’s What I Like – Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Just a Friend – Biz Markie
The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground
Swing the Mood – Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
Wiggle It – 2 in a Room
Lambada – Kaoma

PCM’s 1990 Popular Music Chart

  1. Electric Boogie (The Electric Slide) – Marcia Griffiths
  2. Ice Ice Baby – Vanilla Ice
  3. U Can’t Touch This – MC Hammer
  4. I Wanna Be Rich – Calloway
  5. The Humpty Dance – Digital Underground
  6. Here and Now – Luther Vandross
  7. Vogue – Madonna
  8. Pump Up the Jam – Technotronic
  9. Blaze of Glory – Jon Bon Jovi
  10. Step by Step – New Kids on the Block
  11. Everybody Everybody – Black Box
  12. Here We Are – Gloria Estefan
  13. She Ain’t Worth It – Glenn Medeiros
  14. Groove Is in the Heart – Deee-Lite
  15. That’s What I Like – Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
  16. Tom’s Diner – DNA featuring Suzanne Vega
  17. From a Distance – Bette Midler
  18. This Old Heart of Mine – Rod Stewart featuring Ronald Isley
  19. Just a Friend – Biz Markie
  20. Cherry Pie – Warrant
  21. Love Will Lead You Back – Taylor Dayne
  22. All My Life – Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
  23. Cradle of Love – Billy Idol
  24. Black Velvet – Alannah Myles
  25. Janie’s Got a Gun – Aerosmith
  26. Hippychick – Soho
  27. Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over) – Technotronic
  28. Hold On – En Vogue
  29. Joey – Concrete Blonde
  30. It Must Have Been Love – Roxette
  31. The Way You Do the Things You Do – UB40
  32. Close to You – Maxi Priest
  33. Wiggle It – 2 in a Room
  34. (Can’t Live Without Your) Love and Affection – Nelson
  35. Vision of Love – Mariah Carey
  36. The Power – Snap!
  37. I Don’t Have the Heart – James Ingram
  38. All Around the World – Lisa Stansfield
  39. The Heart of the Matter – Don Henley
  40. Personal Jesus – Depeche Mode
  41. Enjoy the Silence – Depeche Mode
  42. Up All Night – Slaughter
  43. Do Me! – Bell Biv DeVoe
  44. Something Happened on the Way to Heaven – Phil Collins
  45. Downtown Train – Rod Stewart
  46. Freedom! ’90 – George Michael
  47. Suicide Blonde – INXS
  48. Unskinny Bop – Poison
  49. Pictures of You – The Cure
  50. Poison – Bell Biv DeVoe
  51. Dirty Deeds – Joan Jett
  52. King of Wishful Thinking – Go West
  53. Escapade – Janet Jackson
  54. Cuts Both Ways – Gloria Estefan
  55. Rhythm Nation – Janet Jackson
  56. Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice) – Gloria Estefan
  57. Two to Make It Right – Seduction
  58. Got to Get – Leila K featuring Rob ‘n’ Raz
  59. L.A. Woman – Billy Idol
  60. Bad Love – Eric Clapton
  61. Free Fallin’ – Tom Petty
  62. Think – Information Society
  63. Dangerous – Roxette
  64. You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) – Jimmy Somerville
  65. Black Cat – Janet Jackson
  66. Rub You the Right Way – Johnny Gill
  67. All I Wanna Do Is Make Love to You – Heart
  68. Miracle – Jon Bon Jovi
  69. Jerk-Out – The Time
  70. Opposites Attract – Paula Abdul featuring The Wild Pair
  71. How Am I Supposed to Live Without You – Michael Bolton
  72. Swing the Mood – Jive Bunny and the Mastermixers
  73. Nothing Compares 2 U – Sinéad O’Connor
  74. Epic – Faith No More
  75. More Than Words Can Say – Alias
  76. Can’t Stop – After 7
  77. Hungry – Lita Ford
  78. Hold On – Wilson Phillips
  79. Alright – Janet Jackson
  80. I’ll Be Your Shelter – Taylor Dayne
  81. 911 Is a Joke – Public Enemy
  82. Something to Believe In – Poison
  83. Ready or Not – After 7
  84. I’m Your Baby Tonight – Whitney Houston
  85. Tonight – New Kids on the Block
  86. The Other Side – Aerosmith
  87. Roam – The B-52’s
  88. I’m Free – The Soup Dragons
  89. Deadbeat Club – The B-52’s
  90. Oh Girl – Paul Young
  91. Lambada – Kaoma
  92. Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) – Mötley Crüe
  93. Giving You the Benefit – Pebbles
  94. Doin’ the Do – Betty Boo
  95. No More Lies – Michel’le
  96. Heart of Stone – Cher
  97. Oops Up – Snap!
  98. Romeo – Dino
  99. How Can We Be Lovers – Michael Bolton
  100. Knockin’ Boots – Candyman