The 40 Best 90s Songs of All Time, Ranked by Chart Peaks and Certifications
Every "best 90s songs" list is really a best-90s-songs-according-to-one-writer list. This one isn't. We ranked all 40 entries purely by Billboard Hot 100 peak position and RIAA certification tier, and the result reshuffles the decade: a song most critics skip turns out to be its single biggest commercial achievement.
How We Ranked These 40 Songs
No staff opinions, no "this one just feels bigger." Every song below is ordered strictly by two hard numbers: its peak position on the Billboard Hot 100 and its RIAA sales certification. Where songs tie on peak, weeks spent at that peak and certification tier break the tie. We've run this exact formula on rock and 80s songs already. The 90s is the one major decade that had never gotten the same treatment.
The Diamond-Tier Outlier: Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997"
If you built a 90s list from magazine retrospectives, Elton John's rewritten 1997 tribute to Princess Diana, released as a double A-side with "Something About the Way You Look Tonight," would barely register. The data says otherwise. It's the only single from the decade certified Diamond by the RIAA, logged at 11x Platinum, and it's the best-selling physical single in the US since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, with 8.84 million claimed copies. No other 90s song comes close to that certification tier.
The Longest-Reigning No. 1s of the Decade
"One Sweet Day," Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's 1995 duet, spent 16 weeks at No. 1, the longest-running chart-topper in Hot 100 history until "Old Town Road" broke the record in 2019. Boyz II Men alone racked up five No. 1s and 50 cumulative weeks atop the chart in the decade, three of those songs ("End of the Road," "I'll Make Love to You," and "One Sweet Day") each holding the top spot for more than 10 weeks. Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" held the previous record at 14 weeks. And Mariah Carey, with 14 No. 1 hits and 60 cumulative weeks at the summit, is the only artist to spend at least one week at No. 1 in every single year of the decade. Fans of that era's slow-build chart dominance can play the full 90s decade quiz to test how many of these reigns they actually remember.
The Multi-Platinum Ballads That Defined the Decade
Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" sits at 4x Platinum with 4.59 million claimed sales. Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You," from the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves soundtrack, is 3x Platinum at 4.1 million. The boy-band wave that closed out the decade produced its own Platinum-certified tearjerkers: the Backstreet Boys' "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)" peaked at No. 2 but still moved Platinum numbers.
Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby," her Gold-certified 1996 hit, spent two weeks at No. 1, modest compared to "One Sweet Day," but still a chart-topper most casual 90s fans don't realize reached No. 1 at all.
Decade Quiz
Think you know 90s?
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Test Your 90s Chart Knowledge
0/3Which song logged the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1990s?
Which 90s single is the only one in RIAA history ever certified Diamond?
This track plays an audio clue. What was its peak position on the Billboard Hot 100?
The Dance and Novelty Hits That Out-Charted Expectations
Some of the decade's biggest commercial numbers came from acts with exactly one hit. "Macarena" (the Bayside Boys Remix, specifically) spent 14 weeks at No. 1 and went 4x Platinum with roughly 4 million copies sold, out-selling entire discographies from acts with far bigger critical reputations. Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise," Kris Kross's "Jump," and Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" all followed the same pattern: massive, novelty-adjacent chart runs that the certifications prove were real, not radio-saturation flukes. If one-off smashes are your thing, our dance quiz leans hard into this exact lane.
Full Ranked Table: All 40 Songs by Peak Position and Certification
| Rank | Song | Artist | Year | Peak Position | Weeks at Peak | RIAA Certification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Candle in the Wind 1997 | Elton John | 1997 | No. 1 | 14 | Diamond (11x Platinum) |
| 2 | One Sweet Day | Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men | 1995 | No. 1 | 16 | Platinum |
| 3 | I Will Always Love You | Whitney Houston | 1992 | No. 1 | 14 | 4x Platinum |
| 4 | Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix) | Los del Río | 1996 | No. 1 | 14 | 4x Platinum |
| 5 | I'll Make Love to You | Boyz II Men | 1994 | No. 1 | 14 | 2x Platinum |
| 6 | End of the Road | Boyz II Men | 1992 | No. 1 | 13 | Platinum |
| 7 | Smooth | Santana ft. Rob Thomas | 1999 | No. 1 | 12 | 3x Platinum |
| 8 | Un-Break My Heart | Toni Braxton | 1996 | No. 1 | 11 | Platinum |
| 9 | Jump | Kris Kross | 1992 | No. 1 | 8 | 2x Platinum |
| 10 | Fantasy | Mariah Carey | 1995 | No. 1 | 8 | Platinum |
| 11 | (Everything I Do) I Do It for You | Bryan Adams | 1991 | No. 1 | 7 | 3x Platinum |
| 12 | Black or White | Michael Jackson | 1991 | No. 1 | 7 | Gold |
| 13 | This Is How We Do It | Montell Jordan | 1995 | No. 1 | 7 | Platinum |
| 14 | Baby Got Back | Sir Mix-a-Lot | 1992 | No. 1 | 5 | 2x Platinum |
| 15 | Nothing Compares 2 U | Sinéad O'Connor | 1990 | No. 1 | 4 | Gold |
| 16 | Another Day in Paradise | Phil Collins | 1990 | No. 1 | 4 | Gold |
| 17 | Vision of Love | Mariah Carey | 1990 | No. 1 | 4 | Gold |
| 18 | Wannabe | Spice Girls | 1997 | No. 1 | 4 | Platinum |
| 19 | Believe | Cher | 1999 | No. 1 | 4 | 2x Platinum |
| 20 | Creep | TLC | 1995 | No. 1 | 4 | Platinum |
| 21 | Gangsta's Paradise | Coolio ft. L.V. | 1995 | No. 1 | 3 | 2x Platinum |
| 22 | Vogue | Madonna | 1990 | No. 1 | 3 | Gold |
| 23 | I'm Too Sexy | Right Said Fred | 1992 | No. 1 | 3 | Gold |
| 24 | MMMBop | Hanson | 1997 | No. 1 | 3 | Platinum |
| 25 | I'm Your Angel | R. Kelly & Celine Dion | 1998 | No. 1 | 3 | Gold |
| 26 | Truly Madly Deeply | Savage Garden | 1998 | No. 1 | 2 | Platinum |
| 27 | Always Be My Baby | Mariah Carey | 1996 | No. 1 | 2 | Gold |
| 28 | ...Baby One More Time | Britney Spears | 1999 | No. 1 | 2 | 2x Platinum |
| 29 | Gettin' Jiggy wit It | Will Smith | 1998 | No. 1 | 2 | Platinum |
| 30 | My Heart Will Go On | Celine Dion | 1998 | No. 1 | 2 | 3x Platinum |
| 31 | One Week | Barenaked Ladies | 1998 | No. 1 | 1 | Gold |
| 32 | Quit Playing Games (With My Heart) | Backstreet Boys | 1997 | No. 2 | — | Platinum |
| 33 | Under the Bridge | Red Hot Chili Peppers | 1992 | No. 2 | — | 2x Platinum |
| 34 | Waterfalls | TLC | 1995 | No. 2 | — | Platinum |
| 35 | You're Still the One | Shania Twain | 1998 | No. 2 | — | Platinum |
| 36 | All I Wanna Do | Sheryl Crow | 1994 | No. 2 | — | Platinum |
| 37 | All Star | Smash Mouth | 1999 | No. 4 | — | Platinum |
| 38 | I Want It That Way | Backstreet Boys | 1999 | No. 6 | — | 3x Platinum |
| 39 | How Do I Live | LeAnn Rimes | 1997 | No. 2 | 69 (chart weeks, never No. 1) | 4x Platinum |
| 40 | Torn | Natalie Imbruglia | 1998 | Outside Top 40 | — | Gold |
What the Data Reveals About How We Misremember the 90s
Line up the table against the way the 90s actually gets talked about and the gaps are the real story. "How Do I Live" is remembered as a signature 90s power ballad, yet it set a chart-longevity record precisely because it never reached No. 1, stalling at No. 2 for most of a record-setting run. The Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" peaked at a modest No. 6, despite being the boy-band chorus everyone can still sing. "Torn" is a karaoke and nostalgia-playlist staple that never cracked the Hot 100's top 40 at all. Meanwhile, a Diana tribute single and a Spanish-language dance remix sit at the top of the certification table, outranking songs usually treated as more important.
The 90s decade quiz plays 30-second clips from these songs and dozens more, no song titles, no artist names, just the ears you had in 1996.
Decade Quiz
Think you know 90s?
Listen to real song clips and prove it — free, no signup needed.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best-selling 90s song according to RIAA certification?
Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997" is the only single from the decade certified Diamond by the RIAA, logged at 11x Platinum. It's also the best-selling physical single in the US since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking sales in 1991, with 8.84 million claimed copies sold.
Which 90s song spent the most weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100?
"One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men spent 16 weeks atop the Hot 100 in 1995-96, making it the longest-running No. 1 in chart history until "Old Town Road" surpassed it in 2019.
Did "Macarena" really hit No. 1 in the US?
Yes. The Bayside Boys Remix of Los del Río's "Macarena" topped the Hot 100 and was certified 4x Platinum by the RIAA, with roughly 4 million copies sold, commercial numbers that rival or beat entire discographies from more critically respected 90s acts.
Which 90s songs are remembered as huge hits but actually underperformed on the charts?
LeAnn Rimes' "How Do I Live" set a Hot 100 longevity record without ever reaching No. 1, peaking at No. 2. Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" and the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" are both remembered as signature decade hits despite modest Hot 100 peaks, showing how cultural memory and chart performance can diverge.
How does RIAA certification work for singles?
For singles certified since January 1, 1989, Gold requires 500,000 units sold and Platinum requires 1,000,000, with Multi-Platinum marking each additional million. The Diamond award, for 10 million units, was introduced in 1999 and has only ever been awarded to one physical single: Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997."
Sources
- List of best-selling singles in the United States — Wikipedia
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of the 1990s (U.S.) — Wikipedia
- RIAA certification — Wikipedia
- The only physically issued single to be certified diamond — Far Out Magazine
