These Boy Bands Were The Biggest Of The 1990s

Boys bands have come and gone throughout pop music history, with periods where they were some of the hottest acts around and periods where they were conspicuously absent. Back when The Beatles were the biggest name in music, boy bands of course were dominant on the charts, but things quieted down a bit after that.

If there was one last great hurrah of boy bands, it was the 1990s, with groups such as NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys being some of the decade's biggest acts. It wasn’t just those two groups, though, as there was a huge surge in boy bands that were making teenage girls swoon, and even the boys couldn’t deny the catchiness of the tunes. Read on for the five greatest boy bands of the 1990s.

Take That

Take That is not as widely remembered in America as some of the other boy bands of the 1990s, but the British group, which formed in 1990 in Manchester, was absolutely massive in Europe, especially in their home country, and they are much loved to this day. The group was influenced by New Kids on the Block, and members Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen became some of England’s most famous faces. 

“It Only Takes a Minute” and “Could It Be Magic” are just a few of the group’s massive hits, and they had 12 number one singles in the U.K. Eight of their albums went to number one, and they are the most successful boy band in the history of the British sales charts. When they went on their 2011 tour, they broke the record for U.K.’s fastest selling tour ever.

New Kids on the Block

New Kids on the Block were the precursor to the other great boy bands of the 1990s. Starting in 1984 and reaching their peak success in the late 80s and early 90s, the group, which included Jonathan Knight, Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood, has 80 million in global record sales to their name.

By the time they released their fourth album “Face the Music” in 1994, they were no longer one of the hottest acts in town, and they went on a hiatus after the album sold poorly. However, they returned in 2008 with their album “The Block” and in 2011 they went on tour with The Backstreet Boys. Their comeback continued with numerous tours alongside 80s and 90s legacy acts such as Boyz II Men, TLC, Nelly, Salt-N-Pepa, Rick Astley, En Vogue, Naughty by Nature, and Paula Abdul. 

Boyz II Men

Hailing from Philadelphia, Boyz II Men was one of the top R&B acts of the 1990s. The quartet reached huge success with their love anthems such as “End of the Road,” “I’ll Make Love to You,” and “One Sweet Day” (a collaboration with Mariah Carey) all of which broke records for the longest running number one singles of all time (at 13, 14, and 16 weeks respectively). The group has a total of 50 weeks at number one, which is the sixth best of any music act, and they were the third artist in history to have one of their songs bump another of their songs off of the number one spot. 

The group’s popularity was at its peak in the mid-90s, with their 1994 album “II” being their top sellings with over 12 million copies sold in the U.S. However, they declined after that, selling with their 1997 album “Evolution” going double platinum and then none of their subsequent albums even going platinum. However, they have stayed busy, with nine albums since the turn of the new millennium, and they continue to tour as a trio.

The Backstreet Boys

When the Backstreet Boys hit big in the late 1990s, the world was at peak boy band mania. They first broke through in Europe, especially Germany, and songs such as “We've Got It Goin' On," "I'll Never Break Your Heart," and "Get Down (You're the One for Me)" saw big success in Europe even though they never gained traction in the U.S. However, "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" was their American breakthrough, and it saw them go number one in many European countries for the first time.

From there, the group, which consisted of Nick Carter, AJ McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, and Kevin Richardson, was a hit machine, and they produced some of the biggest (and catchiest)  hits of the decade. Their 1999 album “Millennium” was their biggest, selling nearly 14 million copies in the U.S. and 24 million around the globe. They were quick to decline, with their album “Black & Blue” the next year still being massive with 15 million copies sold globally, but their follow-up “Never Gone” in 2005 sold just 3 million, and they were never a major presence again. However, they still tour extensively, and they even had a residency for a few years in Las Vegas.

NSYNC

If you were to rank the 1990s boy bands, it is hard to put any group above NSYNC. They only had three main albums (plus a Christmas album) over what was essentially a five year run, but they burned bright in their short time, with their albums “‘NSYNC” and “No Strings Attached” both going diamond in the U.S. Like the Backstreet Boys before them, they hit first outside of the U.S., with songs such as “I Want You Back” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” being bigger in Europe, Canada, and other countries than they were stateside. However, once they got to songs such as “Bye Bye Bye” and “It’s Gonna Be Me,” they were topping the U.S. charts as well. Globally they’ve sold over 70 million records, and their tours were some of the most massive ever. Group members Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick split up after the “Celebrity” album, but Justin Timberlake remains one of the only boy band stars to have made it huge on his own, and he continues to be a major name in music and film, not content to live off former glories.