90s Boy Bands: Famous Boy Bands From the 1990's | WHO (2024)

The 90s was the era of the boyband and whether you were in Australia, the US or the UK, bands like Take That and the Backstreet Boys were topping the charts on a regular basis throughout the entire decade.

If you think being in a boyband is something to mock, just take a look at the record sales from some of these guys.

You might be sorry you never answered that audition call out.

#10 Savage Garden

Daniel Jones and Darren Hayes, otherwise known as Aussie duo Savage Garden sold 23 million albums and won 13 ARIA awards in the 90s. Not quite what you’d call a boyband but their catchy tunes and good looks put them close enough to make it onto this list.

Their top 10 hits, I Want You, To The Moon And Back and the (maddeningly catchy) single, Truly, Madly Deeply all reached top ten status in Australia, the UK and the US.

#9 Hanson

Isaac, Taylor and Zac got us hooked with that ear worm Mmmbop from their debut album Middle of Nowhere, back in 1992. The brothers, from Tulsa Oklahoma were known for singing acapella hits such as Rockin’ Robin and Splish Splash.

Trivia: The Hanson brothers are part of a family of seven siblings and have all gone on to marry and have families of their own: Isaac has 3 kids, Taylor has six and Zac has four.

#8 Boyz II Men

During the 1990s there wasn’t a scout hut disco that didn’t close with the cool harmonies of End of The Road, the number one hit from Boyz II Men that sat at the top spot on the Billboard charts for 13 weeks.

Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman and Michael McCary had those harmonies down pat with I’ll Make Love To You and One Sweet Day, accompanied by Mariah Carey.

Trivia: Boyz II Men were inspired by 80s boy band New Edition who had a song called Boys to Men. New Edition were best known for their number 1 hitCandy Girl and launching Bobby Brown’s solo career.

#7 New Kids On The Block

Donnie Wahlberg, Jordan Knight, Jonathon Knight, Joey McIntyre and Danny Wood are NKOTB and have remained strong ever since they formed in 1984, continuing to rock the charts for a decade. They’re one of the few boy bands of the 90s who reformed as a whole group with all the original members. They’ve been touring since 2007 and are still gong strong.

Hits you’ll remember from the late 80s and early 90s: Hangin’ Tough, Step by Step and Tonight all made it into the top 10 in Australia, the UK and US.

Trivia: NKOTB have sold 80 million records since 1984.

#6 5ive

In 1997 five British lads called Scott Robinson, Ritchie Neville, Jason Day, Richard ‘Abs’ Breen and Sean Conlon, Slam Dunked into the UK pop charts and broke hearts wherever they went.

Their top hits Slam Dunk Da Funk and Got the Feeling were chart hits but Keep Movin‘ was their only 90s number 1.

Trivia: Russell Brand was one of the 3000 dudes who auditioned to be part of 5ive, andScott won Best Haircut three consecutive years at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party in 97, 98 and 99.

#5 Boyzone

The 90s boyband that birthed Ronan Keating, Boyzone were one of the first all-Irish groups to win our hearts. With six UK number ones under their belts, Keating is the most successful member who made it as a solo artist and TV judge.

Their 90s hits include Love me For a Reason, Words, and Father and Son.

The line up involved Shane Lynch, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy, Ronan Keating and Stephen Gately (who tragically died of a pulmonary oedema on 10 October 2009).

#4 NSYNC

Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Chris Kirkpatrick, Joey Fatone and Lance Bass had their first public performance as NSYNC on Pleasure Island, Disney World in 1995. They are the fifth best-selling boyband of all time with 70 million albums sold worldwide.

Their hit singles I Want You Back, Tearin’ Up My Heart and Bye Bye Bye can still fill a dancefloor.

Trivia: In 1999, NSYNC sued their then-manager Lou Pearlman (also the Backstreet Boys’ manager) for duping them out of 50 per cent of their earnings. The band won.

#3 Westlife

Formed by Irish entertainment mogul Louis Walsh and co-managed by Ronan Keating, Westlife were the second all-Irish five piece boyband to have a string of hits in the UK and Ireland. They amassed 14 number ones in total and sit second to The Beatles for most consecutive number one hits.

Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, Nicholas Byrne and Brian McFadden sang their way to sales of 40 million studio albums and 55 millions records worldwide. Not bad for a 1990s boyband from the Emerald Isle.

Songs: Swear It Again, Flying Without Wings and I Have A Dream

#2 Take That

Between 1990 and 1996, Take That were almost permanently at the top of the UK charts. Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams (who left in 1995) are Amazon’s top selling artists of all time.

Hits such as Pray, Relight My Fire, Never Forget, and a cover of the Bee Gees’How Deep Is Your Love were all number one hits in the UK.

Trivia: During the 90s Take That won over 13 awards including the Billboard International Single of the Year in 1999 for Back For Good.

#1 Backstreet Boys

When your opening performance is at SeaWorld, Orlando, it’s a pretty safe bet you’re gonna be big. And the Backstreet Boys have certainly proved that boybands can stand the test of time.

Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean and Kevin Richardson set themselves apart by taking a vocal harmony approach to their sound, allegedly after NKOTB were called out for lip syncing. In fact, BSB use what’s called polyphonic harmonies which is where more than one melody is sung simultaneously.

Since their debut in 1993, the BSBs have continued to sing in perfect harmony (bar a two year hiatus when Richardson took time out to pursue other ventures) and are still a tight knit group 25 years later.

They currently have a residence in Las Vegas.

Songs: Quit Playing Games With My Heart, Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), As Long As You Love Me, I Want It That Way.