
The Good, the Grungy and the Groundbreaking: Reliving the ’90s in Iconic Photos
The 1990s might just be the last decade to have its own unique style. Whether or not we were into the music, most of us went through even just a little bit of a grunge phase (we all had our favorite plaid).
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There's even a meme going around that jokes about how some kids today are wearing Nirvana t-shirts, and not even realizing Nirvana was a band. But the ’90s were about more than grunge—they had a style all their own.
In 1999, Apple unveiled five new iMac colors and lowered the price Steve Jobs announced the company’s remarkable comeback.
The ’90s: A Slower Era on the Brink of Rapid Change
In many ways, the 1990s were the last pre-HD era, a time when everything wasn’t instant. Images on "internet" (watch below for reference) took ages to load, TV shows aired on a set schedule, and packages didn’t arrive with the click of a button.
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The ’90s felt like a decade where time sped up the closer you got to Y2K. Dial-up internet revolutionized the way we communicated (though it feels laughably quaint now), and Friends reshaped TV comedy. And let’s not forget—everyone wanted the Rachel haircut.
THE 'RACHEL': This photo was probably ripped from many magazines and handed to millions of hairstylists.
OPPOSITES: Grunge and Bubblegum Pop
It was also a decade of contradictions, too. Grunge dominated fashion and music, yet bubblegum pop and boy bands ruled the charts. If you weren’t on TRL in the late-'90s, could you even call yourself famous?
⬇️ Keep scrolling for the iconic '90s photos. ⬇️
But the ’90s were about more than entertainment, fads, and fashion. It was a time of big cultural milestones and massive changes across the board. The 1995 O.J. Simpson trial gave us the relentless 24-hour news cycle, while the (say it out loud with me) World Wide Web began connecting us in ways we never images. You could say it kind of backfired.
So, let’s “be kind and rewind” ourselves back to a time of Tamagotchis, Titanic, beepers and messy boy band battles.
LOOK: Relive the ’90s in These Iconic Photos
Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz
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Gallery Credit: Stephen Lenz