30 music videos that shaped the ‘90s

Michael Jackson was the type of artist who took visuals to a new level, his music videos were also short films. “Remember the Time” was the second single from his eighth album Dangerous. The music video was directed by John Singleton and the theme of the video was centered in ancient Egypt in which Jackson portrays a man attempting to steal the heart of the queen. The video was choreographed by Fatima Robinson and featured cameos by Eddie Murphy, Iman, Magic Johnson, and more. 

In 1991, rock band Nirvana released their sophomore album Nevermind, which featured the hit single “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The music video is centered around Nirvana performing a concert in front of high school teens, they even have the school’s cheerleaders cheering them on during the performance. Towards the end of the video, the teens are seen getting rowdy and start destroying some of the band’s equipment mid-performance. 

In 1994, girl group TLC released their sophomore album CrazySexyCool, which featured the hit single “Waterfalls.” TLC has always been the type of group who made sure their music gave a message, whether it was lyrically or visually. The “Waterfalls” music video was directed by F. Gary Gray, and featured different scenes like a young man getting killed due to street life and a man showing symptoms of contracting an STD. With the song’s title, the group performed some scenes across water. 

Madonna channeled her inner Marilyn Monroe in her 1990 video “Vogue.” Directed by frequent collaborator David Fincher, the video showcases dancers posing like statues, before Madonna is seen leading a dance routine with several other dancers. The entire video is shot in black and white, which gives it more of a classic visual look. 

Looking back on Missy Elliott’s catalog, there are several music videos that can fit on this list. However, Elliott’s video for “She’s a B***h” showcased the rapper’s futuristic mind. Directed by Hype Williams, the costumes, lighting, and aesthetics, truly showcased how Elliott has always been an otherworldly artist. One of the video's most iconic sequences is when Elliott and her background dancers are raised from underwater. The video was released 25 years ago, and if it was released today, it still looks like something from the future.  

The world was introduced to the Spice Girls in 1996 with their debut single “Wannabe.” In the music video, the girl group is shown crashing a swanky party. They ended up winning Best Dance Video at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards.  

One of the most iconic dances that came in the ‘90s was the “Macarena,” thanks to the Spanish duo Los Del Rio. The music video is pretty simple as it shows the duo singing, but it mostly shows a group of dancers doing the signature dance on a white background. It was the type of video that could easily teach any viewer how to properly do the dance routine. 

Mariah Carey’s Butterfly album was more about the singer coming into her own as an artist and a person. The album’s first single “Honey” had a music video that showed Carey in more of her liberation era. Her fashions were sexier, her hair was straighter, and the video was centered around a James Bond theme that featured Carey escaping people trying to hold her captive. 

In 1990, MC Hammer released his third album Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em, which featured his smash hit “U Can’t Touch This.” The music video was filled with Hammer’s signature style including his fashions and iconic dance moves. It was the type of video that helped propel Hammer’s stardom. 

In 1998, Britney Spears had droves of fans wanting to dress like a preppy school girl, thanks to her look in the video for “...Baby One More Time.” Spears was rocking two braids, a uniformed skirt set, knee-high socks, and platform shoes, which helped to showcase how sometimes uniforms in schools can look cool. The video was set in a school and featured Spears showing off her moves with some fellow background dancers. 

Not too many rappers were willing to do something different in their music videos, but Busta Rhymes was one of the few who took his visuals to new heights. In 1997, Busta released his second album When Disaster Strikes… led by the hit single “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.” The video was directed by Hype Williams and the theme was inspired by the 1988 Eddie Murphy film Coming to America. It had similar scenes from the film featuring Busta being treated like a prince, but it also had an iconic dance sequence. 

Jamiroquai’s “Virtual Insanity” is the type of music video that is very simplistic, yet it gives a very imaginative essence to viewers. From the moving walkways, and furniture moving on its own, it gave off the impression that magical things can happen around us. The video was so popular that it racked up ten MTV Video Music Awards nominations, and won four of them including Best Visual Effects and Video of the Year. 

Tupac took some inspiration from the 1985 film Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome as the concept for his “California Love” music video. Directed by Hype Williams, the video takes place in a desert, but in the future of the year 2095. The video features cameo appearances from actors Clifton Powell, Chris Tucker, and Tony Cox. 

In 1999, rock band blink-182 released their third album Enema of the State, which was led by their hit single “What’s My Age Again.” The premise of the music video shows the band running naked through the streets of Los Angeles and daily news programs. 

In the ‘90s, Jennifer Lopez was building her career as an actor in Hollywood, but she always had a love for music. In 1999, she finally released her debut single “If You Had My Love.” The music video was directed by Paul Hunter and the theme was centered around the rise of the Internet and fans having access to Lopez through webcams. It was a video that showcased how the Internet was starting to become pretty popular. 

The video for The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Sky’s the Limit” was always a standout visual because it didn’t feature the artist himself. Instead, the video featured child look-a-likes dressed up as the rapper, as well as some of his peers like Busta Rhymes, 112, and Faith Evans. It was a bit surreal to see how they were able to cast kids that channeled the celebrities at best. 

In 1993, rock band Aerosmith released their eleventh album Get a Grip, which featured the hit single “Cryin.’” In the video, it switches scenes from Aerosmith performing to actress Alicia Silverstone catching her boyfriend cheating and then going into a rebellious stage. It was the first of three videos that Silverstone was featured in for Aerosmith. 

Brandy and Monica dropped the ultimate anthem in 1998 with their single “The Boy is Mine.” In the music video, Brandy and Monica live in the same building, and they oddly have control of each other’s TV every time they try to change the channel. The “boy” in question is played by Mekhi Phifer, and they realize they’re both being played by him and his cheating ways. Towards the end of the video, Phifer shows up at Brandy's door and is caught by surprise when Monica is there too, before they slam the door in his face. 

In 1999, Eminem released his major label debut album The Slim Shady LP, which was led by the hit single “My Name Is.” In the music video, a family is seen watching a show starring Marshall Mathers, in which Eminem parodies different TV shows and films, and imitates people like Bill Clinton, Johnny Carson, and Marilyn Manson. 

In the ‘90s, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson were two of the biggest music superstars on the planet. So it was a real treat to see the brother and sister take time away from their solo careers to collaborate on “Scream.” The music video was shot in black and white and showcased the Jacksons in a futuristic space-age realm. It became one of the most expensive music videos of all time, costing $7 million, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video. 

In 1997, the Backstreet Boys released their sophomore album Backstreet’s Back, which was led by the hit single “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).” The video is directed by Joseph Khan, who at the time was mostly working with R&B and hip-hop acts. In the video, the band’s bus breaks down and they end up in a haunted mansion. It’s centered around a dream sequence in which each bandmate portrays a different movie monster. The iconic dance sequence was choreographed by Fatima Robinson.  

After the Fugees disbanded, each member took the solo route. In 1998, frontwoman Lauryn Hill released her debut album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which was led by the single “Doo Wop (That Thing).” In the music video, it’s a split screen showing Hill in two different eras, on one side, Hill is shown in the ‘60s era, and on the other side, Hill is shown in the hip-hop era. At the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, Hill won four awards including Video of the Year, making it the first hip-hop video to win the award. 

In 1994, rock band Weezer released their self-titled debut album, which featured the hit song “Buddy Holly.” The music video was directed by Spike Jonze and showcases the band playing in the theme of Happy Days. Not only did the band perform in Arnold’s Drive-In, (which was also in the show), but the video also combined footage of the band with clips from the show. At the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, Weezer won four awards including Best Alternative Video and Breakthrough Video. 

In 1996, Toni Braxton released her sophomore album Secrets, which was led by the hit single "You're Makin' Me High." In the music video, Braxton changes up her signature look and the premise is she and her friends holding a competition for the hottest man.  

Usher’s sophomore album My Way was his breakthrough to show that he was one of R&B’s brightest rising stars. In the music video for the title track, Usher and his crew have a dance battle against fellow R&B star Tyrese and his crew. Of course, Usher wins the battle. 

Ricky Martin brings the dance club vibes to his 1999 video “Livin’ La Vida Loca.” Martin is singing on stage along with his band, while the dance floor is filled with patrons showing off their best dance moves. In other scenes, Martin is seen galavanting around the New York streets with the woman who indeed drives him crazy. 

In the first scene of Guns N’ Roses’ video for “November Rain,” band member Axl Rose is seen taking pills before bed, the video then shows the band playing a show. It then progresses into a wedding scene and a reception of Rose and his wife, before the reception party gets rained on. The video then closes with Rose attending his wife’s funeral. 

In the ‘90s, Will Smith became the rapper-turned-actor who dominated the box office in Hollywood. In 1997, he starred alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the action film Men In Black. Smith also made sure to take the reigns with the film’s theme song of the same name. In the music video, Smith is seen dancing with fellow agents and then tries to chase an alien down, before the alien eventually joins them in the dance routine. 

Fans see different sides of Alanis Morissette in her music video for “Ironic.” When the video first starts, Morissette sings the first verse from the driver’s seat, but then as the chorus comes on, another version of her pops up in the back seat, before a third version of her comes up on the second verse. A final version of her appears in the front passenger seat during the second hook, but by the end of the video, her three versions have vanished. The video went on to win an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video and Best Editing.

The Rugrats Movie came out in 1998, and the soundtrack featured the film’s theme song “Take Me There,” performed by Blackstreet, Mya, Blinky Blink, and Mase. In the music video, it takes place in a live version of the Rugrats’ house, in which Blackstreet and Mya are seen dancing in, while Blinky Blink and Mase are seen driving Reptar’s car.