What were you doing in the Summer of 1991? Were you alive? I was holding down jobs you’d never expect from me, but we’ll leave that for another time. Wherever you were or whatever you were blasting from your boom box or Walkman, things were about to change.
Over a six-week span from late Summer to early Fall, the face of Rock and Alternative went into surgery and came out looking very different.
For context, the ‘80s was a diverse decade for music, with everything from punk to mainstream, indie, underground, and metal all competing for cassette sales. As the decade was winding down at radio, the Alternaverse was becoming music for the masses. The Rockosphere was handing out tickets to see Poison’s “Nothin’ But A Good Time” vibe.
Some could see and hear a change coming, others didn’t. It doesn’t matter what backyard kegger you were at; an avalanche was on its way, and there was no stopping it. A new era of music was being unleashed by the RockTernative Gods, many of them wearing flannel and combat boots.
Several genre-changing albums were released in a short period of time, sometimes on the same day, and the rest is history.
August 12, 1991: Metallica – The Black Album
August 27, 1991: Pearl Jam – Ten
September 17, 1991: Guns N’ Roses – Use Your Illusion I & II
September 17, 1991: Ozzy – No More Tears
September 24, 1991: Nirvana – Nevermind
September 24, 1991: Red Hot Chili Peppers – Blood Sugar Sex MagikThere were other influential albums released in ’91; Temple of the Dog, Badmotorfinger, Achtung Baby, Losing My Religion, etc., but there was no stopping a cultural movement starting to happen everywhere, including Tech, Fashion, and Communication.
To say record stores like the legendary Tower Records were on fire would be a massive understatement. I happened to be a Hollywood rat in ‘91, so I was watching all of this happen right in front of my eyes.
Seattle was the new Hollywood. Newly signed Sunset Strip bands were being shelved by labels, sales for neon at Rock shops were grinding to a halt, Guitars stopped being airbrushed with half-naked women, AOL went public, and bands would soon have their own websites on this thing called the World Wide Web. Everything was changing, and music was at the forefront.
At RockTernative, all of this started a few years earlier with bands like Megadeth, Metallica, RHCP, Jane’s Addiction, GNR, and Skid Row bubbling up and serving notice that things were starting to change. But like a growing tsunami, a colossal change takes some time.
We could argue over key events, and even though Headbangers Ball had been a thing, a major tipping point was when “Enter Sandman” and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” made their debuts on MTV. They were like bulldozers rolling in and crushing everything in their path. If you’ve spent most of your life in Rock spaces like I have, you probably remember the first time you heard “Smells Like Teen Spirit” on the radio or saw it on MTV.
Fast-forwarding and seeing 2025’s affection for the ‘90s is not surprising. This happens over time when a modern era looks back with appreciation for what once was. Many things can jumpstart changes like this, including politics or even the oversaturation of one thing or another (remember when Creed disappeared just as fast as Winger?).
Either way, the ‘90s are hot on Tour and Radio, TV flicks like Friends and The Fresh Prince have newfound popularity on OTT and For You pages, even ‘90s fashion is getting attention on runways. Dr. Marten’s, anyone?
It’s a dated cliché, but I’m OK using it – what’s old is new.
Many colleagues are always on the never-ending search for what’s next. Who or what will be the next big thing? Sometimes the next big thing is what happened a long time ago. There’s nothing wrong with that, it just means what once was has stood the test of time.
I hope we’ll someday enjoy another musical explosion like we did in the Summer of 1991. We’re past due. Today’s resurgence can be explained as cyclical or maybe even tied to the country’s political temperature. I’m not smart enough to know precisely why, but it’s accurate to say ‘90s Rock has always been popular, but the decade is being viewed differently than it was 10-15 years ago.
It’s now more nostalgic for Xers and Millennials
It’s a new badge of discovery and respect for Ys and Zs There will be other popularity resurgences in the future, but I’m not sure we’ll ever see a six-week stretch of time that changed music like we witnessed in ‘91.
The weather is getting warmer—it’s almost summer. Put in your 2025 wireless earbuds and binge all those great 1991 albums. It’ll be worth your time.
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Keith Cunningham is a music industry and Rock/Alternative columnist for Barrett Media and the founder of Black Box Group, a modern-modeled creative & strategic consultancy built for brands that need strategies with teeth. He’s the former Master of Mayhem at 95.5 KLOS-FM in Los Angeles for over a decade, a nationwide consultant, and has been repeatedly voted one of America’s top Program Directors and strategic thinkers. Keith has built his career by taking multi-million-dollar brands from worst to first and leading Marconi & Gracie award winners along the way. A data nerd with a rock-and-roll heart, he is an advisory council member for St. Jude fundraising, a fantasy football champion, and lover of his daughters & dogs. Reach him at keithblackboxgroup@gmail.com or on LinkedIn or X.
