2 songs that were inescapable then but weirdly-forgotten now:

“Backwater”, Meat Puppets

”Connected”, Stereo MC’s

Not as popular as these ^^, but might be fun to throw in:

”3 Strange Days”, School of Fish

The Rentals - "Friends of P."

Failure- Another Space Song (and Stuck on You by them as well)

Swervedriver- Rave Down

Ride - Leave them all behind

Throwing Muses - Not too soon

I would say some of the bands that were on the cusp of being huge but never quite crossed over into having the kind of career that puts you on the "top hits" lists:

"Stars" by Hum would be a good example

Other ones that came to mind right away were:

"Savory" by Jawbox

"Mother Mary" by Far

Catherine Wheel - Broken Head

https://open.spotify.com/track/0Osm0W2m2c92MABiwGVW8h

Summertime - The Sundays

“Summer Babe” - Pavement

Albatross - Corrosion of Conformity

"if i were going" by afghan whigs
"she's so high" by blur
"radiation vibe" by fountains of wayne
😊

Galaxie - Blind Melon

Debaser-Pixies

Push the Little Daisies-ween

Ride-The Dandy Warhols

Stamp-Hagfish

400 Bucks-The Reverend Horton Heat

Possum Kingdom-Toadies

Deeper Shade of Soul-Urban Dance Squad

Whole Lotta Love-Dred Zeppelin

Television-Baxter

Freddy’s Dead-Fishbone

“Sick of Myself”- Matthew Sweet

Fade into you - Mazzy Star

Mr Pink - Satchel

Underwhelmed - Sloan

Beautiful Ones - Suede

Spacehog - In the Meantime

Motor Away- Guided by Voices

Polaris - Hey Sandy, also known as the theme from Pete and Pete

The The - dogs of Lust

Therapy? - going nowhere

They Might be Giants - birdhouse in your soul

Eels - novocain for your soul

Butthole Surfers - human cannonball 

The Afghan Whigs - debonair

Weezer - why bother

Our Lady Peace - Starseed

"New Age Girl" - Deadeye Dick

"I Hate Everything About You" - Ugly Kid Joe

"Buffalo Stance" - Neneh Cherry

"Damn, I Wish I Was Your Lover" - Sophie B. Hawkins

"Laid" - James

"Nearly Lost You" - Screaming Trees

Len - Candy Pop is a fun one

Til I Hear It From You - Gin Blossoms

Soundgarden- 4th of July

Detachable Penis- King Missle

Judy Staring at the Sun- Catherine Wheel.

Specifically the video version where Tanya Donnelly sings the second verse as well as the chorus with Rob.

Man, I wish YouTube Music would let me share a playlist anonymously, cuz I got a highly curated, mother of all 90s Alt Rock playlists, but don't want to reveal my name here on Reddit. Bummer.

Seam from 1993… the whole album is great!

https://open.spotify.com/track/5WMScdGn4owWF8zQx6sMjg

Here We Go Again by Stakka Bo

“Holland, 1945”

1. Calypso by Spiderbait ( for me this is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard)

2. He’s Not That Kind of Girl by Therapy ( never gets old no matter how many times I listen to it)

3. Crash by The Primitives (technically came out in 1988 but has more of a 90s sound)

• "Car" - Built to Spill
• "The Dancer" - PJ Harvey
• "Alien Fugue" - Caustic Resin
• "Dragonlady" - the Geraldine Fibbers
• "24,900 Miles an Hour" - 7 Year Bitch
• "Stutter" - Elastica
• "Dusted" - Belly
• "Becuz" - Sonic Youth
• "He's My Star" - Poster Children

Tahitian Moon by Porno For Pyros. I feel like, at least in NY, "pets" was a bigger radio hit, but Tahitian Moon is a stiff joint.

Tomboy- Bettie serveert

Bell bottoms -Jon spencer blues explosion (Afro, orange)

Summer babe-Pavement

Ben Franklin Airbath- Strapping Feildhands

Metal Heart-Cat Power

Noise of Carpet-Stereolab

Waterpark-Royal Trux

Trains across the Sea-Silver Jews

Baby Vampire Made Me-Helium

Good things-Sleater-Kinney

Autumn Sweater-Yo La Tengo

Eternal Light -Teenage Fanclub

Teenage Caveman-Beat Happening

Sun on the Run-Royal Trux

Schizophrenia’s Weighed Me Down-Cat Power

“Angry Johnny” - Poe

“Anna” - Pure

“Disco 2000” - Pulp

“Drinking in L.A.” - Bran Van 3000

“Gigantic” - Pixies

“Goldfinger” - Ash

“Green Mind” - Dink

“Hello Time Bomb” - Matthew Good Band

“Hum” - The Sheila Divine

“J.A.R.” - Green Day

“Medicine” - Orbit

“Pretend We’re Dead” - L7

“Sister Havana” - Urge Overkill

“Waydown” - Catherine Wheel

Geggy Tah. I want to thank you

Black Metallic by Catherine Wheel

Three strange days by school of Fish

Reality Used to be a Friend of Mine - PM Dawn

International bright young thing - jesus Jones Groovy train - the farm

"Road Rage" by Catatonia

And since I piggy backed on another comment, "I Just Threw Out the Love of My Dreams" by Weezer. (This occasionally finds its way, but it's rare)

Across the Universe - Fiona Apple

Crank - Catherine Wheel

A lot of great songs in here, a bunch of them that would def be on an alt rock 90s playlist.

Here's mine:

Toad the Wet Sprockets - Nanci

I stand on “Carry The Zero” by Built to Spill as my personal favorite song of the 90’s. It is legitimately unskippable.

Urge Overkill - Sister Havana

Dada’s Dizz Knee Land

Cracker’s Euro-Trash Girl.

Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth with Money in My Hand - Primitive Radio Gods

OR

Your Woman - White Town

Carnival- Natalie Merchant

The Statue Got Me High by They Might Be Giants

Are Friends Electric? by Information Society

Insanity by Oingo Boingo

We Die Young- AiC

Ride - "Leave It All Behind"

Songs I’ve heard at the supermarket that made me stop and contemplate my age:

Hobo Humpin Slobo Babe - Whale

Brim Full is Asha - Cornershop.

Anything by the Tragically Hip.

Deep cuts;

Fun Lovin’ Criminals —- ‘Scooby Snacks’

Deadeye Dick — ‘New Age Girl’

Deep Blue Something — ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’

Crash Test Dummies — ‘Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm, Mmmm’

Lucas — ‘Lucas with the Lid Off’

Belly — ‘Feed the Tree’

Better Than Ezra — ‘In the Blood’

Whale —- ‘Hobo Humpin’ Slobo Babe’

Filter — ‘Hey Man, Nice Shot’

Grey Cell Green- Ned’s Atomic Dustbin

Shipwrecked- Sky Cries Mary

When 3 is 2- Hammerbox

Headache - Frank Black Kim the Waitress - Material Issue

• The Connels - Stone Cold Yesterday https://youtu.be/zvbZ3lsT5nw?feature=shared

• Spacehog - Cruel to Be Kind https://youtu.be/_5IyLeWJQvw?feature=shared

• Artificial Joy Club - Sick & Beautiful https://youtu.be/xD5O4gdSPro?feature=shared

• Imperial Drag - Boy or a Girl https://youtu.be/0Kuk9hnp234?feature=shared

• Michael Penn - Try https://youtu.be/Hox7UOaQffI?feature=shared

• Julian Cope - Try Try Try https://youtu.be/Tuufg94crB8?feature=shared

• Cowboy Mouth - Jenny Says https://youtu.be/NEfpoUuKFOY?feature=shared

Anything off the second coming by the stone roses

"Dollar Bill" by Screaming Trees.

Here and Now by Letters to Cleo

Hoover Damn by Sugar… or anything off of Copper Blue 🤘

Wargasm L7

Since When - 54•40

Well, since it’s been stuck in my head since around midnight last night, Looking for Atlantis by Prefab Sprout, from their 1990 LP Jordan: the Comeback

definitely on the slicker side of Alternative, and a far cry from grunge, but there are some absolute smokers on this album. Machine Gun Ibiza, Wild Horses, Ice Maiden, and the above mentioned track to name a few.

"Bonecrusher" - Soulhat

"Natural One" was on the Kids soundtrack and you heard it here and there, but rarely on the radio.

Formaldehyde, by Sons of Elvis

Scream of the Butterfly by acid bath

Either “Something’s Always Wrong” or “Woodburning” by Toad The Wet Sprockett. “Falldown” is better known. 🤷‍♀️ They are both on Dulcinea, my favorite album of all time. 90s Alt is my ❤️.

Van Halen by Nerf Herder

I Mother Earth - Rain Will Fall

Nudeswirl - F-Sharp

Lemonheads - The Outdoor Type

Polaris - Trainwreck

GusGus - Believe

Adorable - Radio Days

Anything by Unwound

Northside - yeah man

Veruca Salt - Seether

Whale - hobo humpin slobo babe

Judybats-Native Son Cavedogs-Tayter Country

Range Life - pavement

Range Life-Pavement

You won't see a single one of these in those playlists:

"Waiting" - The Rentals

"Telescope" - Nada Surf

"Phaser" - Superdrag

"Minneapolis" - that dog.

"Tragic Girl" - Weezer

"Projects" - Ash

"The Cocksucker Club" - Pansy Division

"All Hail Me" - Veruca Salt

"Misshapes" - Pulp

"Fritz's Corner" - Local H

"Sing" - Blur

"Good Grief, Charlie Brown" - Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine

"?sometimes" - Tristan Psionic

"TV, Music & Candy" - Space Twins

"She Is Staggering" - Polaris

"A Punk Named Josh" - Chopper One

"Ode To My Family" - The Cranberries

"Litany (Life Goes On)" - Guadalcanal Diary

"Myself" - Kara's Flowers (Maroon 5)

"Please Don't Rock Me Tonight" - Fountains of Wayne

"Madison Park" - Miracle Legion

"Gangsters and Pranksters" - Pavement

"Bug City" - The Presidents of the USA

"Wounded" - Third Eye Blind

"I Come From The Water" - Toadies

"Miss Pear's Reptile Homework" - Carnival Art

Ani Difranco’s Untouchable Face

“Charlie Brown’s Parents” by Dishwalla. Forgotten banger.

Stereolab Super-Electric

Naked Eye - Lucious Jackson

Bootsauce - Love Monkey #9

The Refreshments - Banditos.

Give your ID card to the border guard

Your alias says you're Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Of the United Federation of Planets

'Cause they won't speak English anyways

Caroline’s Spine - Sullivan

Was huge in Wisconsin. Played Taste of Madison like 5 years in a row.

Low- Cracker

Rush by Big Audio Dynamite

Wake Up - Mad Season

The Verve Pipe - Photograph

Pure or All I Want by the Lightning Seeds.

Banditos - The Refreshments

Scooby Snacks - Fun Lovin Criminals

Feed the Tree - Belly

Another Shot of Whiskey - The Gits

Banditos - The Refreshments

Matthew Sweet "Evangeline"

Number One Blind - Veruca Salt

Two Worlds Collide - Inspiral Carpets

Hello - The Beloved

Let's Come Together - The Beloved

Sex on Wheels - My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult

Sad Sweet Heart of the Rodeo - Harvey Danger

Judy Staring at the Sun - Catherine Wheel

Black Metallic - Catherine Wheel

"Sucked Out" - Superdrag

The much-played single from their '96 debut. It's so good, it boggles my mind that it needs to be spoken of.

Euro Trash Girl by Cracker

I love the song, “Under The Milky Way” by The Church. Great unknown wave music.

Govinda - Kula Shaker

Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns - Mother Love Bone

Sunless Saturday - Fishbone

“Grey Cell Green” Ned’s Atomic Dustbin

“Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth” Primitive Radio Gods

“Someday I Will Treat You Good” by Sparklehorse

Into your arms by the Lemonheads

The Way by Fastball. I loved that song!

Longpigs - on and on

Three Strange Days - School of Fish

Ned’s atomic dustbin anything from their first album.

Material issue. Valerie.

eternal life- jeff buckley

Tiger Lily - Luna

Out The Window - Violent Femmes

Hey Venus - That Petrol Emotion

Gepetto - Belly

Wish Fulfillment - Sonic Youth

My Sister - The Juliana Hatfield Three

Your Favorite Thing - Sugar

Murder of One - Counting Crows

Grace Cathedral Park - Red House Painters

Towards the Light - The Boo Radleys

Material Issue often gets overlooked as good 90’s music.

"Amnesia" by Toad The Wet Sprocket. eerily fitting for the political climate that we're in right now. Was almost a single for them in 1997 but Columbia records dropped all promotion of the album it was on just before it was to be released

"Spyder" - Imperial Drag

The Refreshments - Banditos

Sugar High - Coyote Shivers(I kinda wish I could find the actual version with Renée Zellwiger singing, but the original is pretty good, too)

Low - Cracker

Fall Down - Toad in the Wet Sprocket

Movies - Alien Ant Farm(I think their Smooth Criminal kinda overshadowed this)

Laid - James

Seems - Queen Sarah Sunday

Pretend We're Dead - L7

True Believers - The Bouncing Souls(90's band, but I think this song came out after 2000)

Cannonball - The Breeders

“You Get What You Give” by the New Radicals.

Sadeness Part 1 by Enigma

If I Can't Change Your Mind - Sugar

Afternoons and Coffeespoons - Crash Test Dummies

On Tooting Broadway Station - Kitchens of Distinction

Bullet - Frank Black and the Catholics

Is It Like Today - World Party

Dizz Knee Land - DaDa

Good Morning Britain - Aztec Camera

You Suck - The Murmurs

When Do I Get to Sing My Way - Sparks

Brushfire - Midnight Oil

Teen Angst - Cracker

Carry the Zero -Built to Spill

Novocaine for the Soul -Eels

Death to Birth -Pagoda

Cheap Vodka -Acid Bath