11 Underrated ’90s Rock Deep Cuts You Need to Hear

While the 1960s and ’70s were easily the golden age of rock music, the genre has endured and evolved in the decades since. 1980s rock had a moment of its own, and has continued to thrive in every era since—the genre’s music of each decade (even dating back to the 1940s) has remained a powerhouse in the industry.

Behind the ’60s and ’70s ‘classic’ era, the ’90s are probably the second-best era for rock music. From the punk scene, the emergence of pop punk and grunge, and the explosion of tons of alternative subgenres, there was really no time quite like the ’90s.

Within the discography of all the bands to come out of the ’90s, and that have maintained their following through to the 2020s, there are a handful of signature songs that almost any fan, casual or die hard, would know immediately. There are also some phenomenal deep cuts that go largely unknown, especially as time goes on. Here are 11 of them.

11

“Around the Bend” By Pearl Jam

Of the four Seattle grunge bands, Pearl Jam is the only one that actually formed in the ’90s. While all four enjoyed their prime during the last decade of the century, Pearl Jam was the only one to form after the ’80s ended. They are also responsible for one of the greatest debuts in music history, Ten, which caused the bar for any subsequent albums to be incredibly high.

Pearl Jam’s fourth album, No Code, was their first album to receive a platinum certification just once; their first three albums went multi-platinum. The album’s closer, “Around the Bend,” is well worth the wait through the first 12 songs of No Code. Personally, I think the whole album is still pretty great, but this song is something special.

The combination of the guitar, piano, and vocals is a beautiful way to finish No Code. Eddie Vedder’s deep and velvety vocals are as soothing as ever, and with the soft, acoustic instrumentals behind him, this song really does take you around a melodic bend, softly carrying you out of the album.

10

“Don’t You Think It’s Time” By Dinosaur Jr.

Dinosaur Jr.’s first three albums were actually released in the ’80s, but they most definitely hit their peak in the next decade, and are by and large considered a ’90s rock band. Their biggest hit, “Feel the Pain,” was in 1994, off of their highest charting album at the time, Without a Sound. From there, they went three years without an album, and then released Hand It Over in 1997.

In the 2019 re-release of Hand It Over, three bonus tracks were included that were originally released on the EP, Take a Run at the Sun. One of those tracks is “Don’t You Think It’s Time,” a short but sweet ballad that shows off the higher end of J Mascis’ vocal range.

It’s a simple song, with only four stanzas’ worth of lyrics in its two and a half minutes. “Don’t You Think It’s Time” follows a basic chord progression, which gives it a familiar sort of sound, and makes it hard not to love it. This song is the kind of reminder that some great music sometimes doesn’t make the album, and is definitely still worth spending time on.

9

“Aurora” By Foo Fighters

Dave Grohl’s Foo Fighters established themselves as a ’90s rock powerhouse from the very first album. With two fantastic albums under their belt, Foo Fighters closed out their stellar decade with an almost startlingly different third album, There Is Nothing Left to Lose, which saw a softer, more melodic sound than ever before.

Though it sold almost one million fewer copies than their previous album, The Colour and the Shape, their third album was the perfect showcase of the band’s range and abilities beyond the expected. The halfway point of the album is “Aurora,” a soft, easy, anthem that still very much rocks.

With cosmic themes in the lyrics that coincide perfectly with staccato guitar chords, this song is truly a sensory experience. First and foremost, Grohl is known as a drummer, primarily because he is one of the greatest drummers of all time. However, nearly all Foo Fighters’ music shows off Grohl’s talent as a vocalist and a guitarist, and “Aurora” really drives that point home.

8

“Haushinka” By Green Day

Most Green Day fans will point you in the direction of Dookie, American Idiot, or even Insomniac if you’re looking for true, authentic, Green Day punk. While Nimrod has some of that seeping through its cracks, it’s definitely a tamer album. It was also the greatest possible album for Green Day to close out the ’90s, even three years before the turn of the century.

Most people know Nimrod as the album that houses culmination favorite “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life),” but that song isn’t the only groundbreaking track on the album. “Haushinka” is a song that often gets buried beneath all the other incredible songs on this album, but this song is a hit on all fronts, including its clearly odd title.

The 12th song on an 18-track album, it makes sense that “Haushinka” hasn’t really held up in the nearly 30 years since its release as a top track from Nimrod. Had it been released as a single, however, the catchy chorus and the cheeky lyrical subject matter easily could have made “Haushinka” the second-biggest hit from this album.

7

“Your Savior” By Temple Of The Dog

Temple Of The Dog was the supergroup of the ’90s, and very well may be the greatest supergroup of all time. It was essentially a blended band that consisted of members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, and they came together for one perfect, ten-track self-titled album. The most well-known track is, of course, “Hunger Strike,” but that whole album is pure grunge gold.

Chris Cornell’s vocals on the entire album are absolutely flawless, especially when complemented by those of Eddie Vedder, but “Your Savior” is a song that doesn’t often get the props it deserves in the broad scope of the album, not only because of the classic Cornell vocals, but also because of Mike McCready’s unbelievable guitar solo.

From the drums to the guitar, the vocals to the bassline, and the cohesion of it all coming together, this song captures the essence of ’90s rock music, in 1991 nonetheless. Of course, if you’re a fan of Temple Of The Dog, there’s really no such thing as a deep cut, but for those of you who are just casual fans, give this song a listen—or 10.

6

“Being Around” By The Lemonheads

The Lemonheads are a band that maintained a heavy cult following throughout the ’90s, especially after they worked out the kinks of their first three albums and signed with Atlantic records for their fourth album in 1990. Their fifth album, It’s A Shame About Ray, was their first to chart on the Billboard 200, and their sixth album, Come On Feel The Lemonheads, peaked even higher on the chart.

Come On Feel The Lemonheads was their most commercially successful album, and was also responsible for what is arguably their single biggest hit, “Into Your Arms.” Just ten tracks later is “Being Around,” a song which, at just one minute and 48 seconds in length, is upbeat, fun, and energetic, and was a missed opportunity by radio DJs everywhere.

The lyrics are sweet with a hint of teenage innocence and youthful romance, and they are set to an equally sweet, youthful garage rock guitar melody. Even listening to the album in its entirety, this song can easily get lost, if for no other reason than its length, but if you ever have two minutes for pure nostalgia, “Being Around” is your solution.

5

“Lurgee” By Radiohead

Aside from the album’s lead single, “Creep,” Radiohead’s debut, Pablo Honey, has largely paled in comparison to their later albums like OK Computer, Kid A, In Rainbows, or even The Bends. Given how different, and less polished, it is than their later work, Pablo Honey doesn’t exactly sound like the Radiohead of today.

The fact of the matter is that most of the non-single tracks on Pablo Honey could easily be considered deep cuts. At the time when I first got into Radiohead, I would typically start listening to new bands from the beginning, and when I listened to this album for the first time, the song that stuck out the most aside from the singles was “Lurgee.”

The lyrics are simple and aren’t exactly plentiful, but they are deep and meaningful just the same. “Lurgee” is a dreamy, ethereal track, with a positive message that acts as the perfect lyrical answer to “Creep;” it really is a shame that the two songs weren’t promoted as a pair, because they were both deserving of fame.

4

“Be Mine” By R.E.M.

R.E.M. actually got their start in the ’80s, a decade that saw their first six album releases. By the time the ’90s rolled around, however, R.E.M.’s commercial success soared to a whole new level, their first album of the new decade, Out of Time, being their first to top the Billboard 200 chart, and receive quadruple-platinum sales certification.

While many fans saw the ’90s as a bit of a sell-out for R.E.M. as they clearly pivoted towards commercial pop appeal, their 1996 album, New Adventures In Hi-Fi, felt like both of those eras combined into one album. Three of the four singles charted on the Billboard Hot 100, but the most stunning song on the album was track number nine, “Be Mine.”

The five-and-a-half-minute love song is as gorgeous as they come, with Michael Stipe’s characteristic high-pitched vocals taking it down a notch to sing from a deeper place alongside a cyclic guitar progression. “Be Mine” certainly rewards multiple listens, as it grows on you each and every time you hear Stipe beautifully proclaim, “You and me.”

3

“Whir” By The Smashing Pumpkins

Only The Smashing Pumpkins could have released a compilation album of outtakes and B-sides collected from just two albums. Pisces Iscariot proved what a talent they were; the songs that didn’t quite make the cut of their first two albums came together and peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 chart, higher than either of those two albums ever did.

Track number four, “Whir,” was an outtake from the recording sessions of Siamese Dream. The song opens with a mellow acoustic guitar, followed by James Iha’s lead guitar stacking on top, building steadily towards the inevitable moment that Billy Corgan’s vocals softly singing, “I wasted all my years.” He ends the line with his slurring drawl that is so poignant throughout The Smashing Pumpkins’ discography.

The song itself is grounded in a beautifully simple guitar progression, with the occasional riff laid over it. The drums are subtle, as is the bass, and with the guitar at the helm, “Whir” does a wonderful job of bringing you up, then subsequently bringing you back down, in a comforting wave of sound.

2

“Curmudgeon” By Nirvana

With only three official studio albums released in their tenure, Nirvana had an impressive number of outtakes and B-sides to show for it. For such a short career, the grunge trio from Seattle made quite an impression on the rock music scene for decades beyond Kurt Cobain’s tragic entry into the 27 club, even beyond their three studio LPs.

With Nevermind being their seminal album, it makes sense that the album’s B-sides and outtakes are just as strong as the album itself. The B-side to the album’s third single, “Lithium,” was “Curmudgeon,” which did not make the album, nor did it make their legendary B-side compilation album, Incesticide, but it is a song that fits its title to a tee.

“Curmudgeon” is a distortion-laden angsty grunge track that just oozes grumpiness. Cobain’s vocals are almost incomprehensible at times due to his long, drawn-out slurring. It isn’t exactly the most auditorily appealing song Nirvana has ever recorded, which is likely why it didn’t make the album, but it’s simply an awesome song just the same.