The 1990s were musically fragmented in the best possible way. Grunge, Britpop, alternative rock, contemporary R&B, hip-hop, trip-hop, big beat, house, techno, Eurodance, Latin pop and teen pop all found large audiences.
Grunge and alternative rock
Seattle grunge brought distorted guitar and emotional rawness into the mainstream, while alternative rock expanded through college-radio traditions, indie scenes and increasingly experimental production.
Britpop
Oasis, Blur, Pulp and others reacted against American grunge by emphasizing British identity, melody and classic guitar-pop traditions.
Hip-hop and R&B
Hip-hop became one of the decade’s central cultural forces, while contemporary R&B and neo-soul developed rich new production languages around rhythm, sampling and vocal harmony.
Electronic dance music
House, techno, trip-hop, big beat and Eurodance moved from clubs and raves into mainstream charts, helping electronic production become a permanent part of pop.