The 1990s gave you pop stars who still live rent free in your head, from teen idols to vocal powerhouses and boundary-pushing groups. Their songs score your workouts, road trips, and late-night nostalgia dives, and their influence shapes the artists you stream today. Here are 10 pop stars from the 90s you still think about, and why their impact refuses to fade.

1) Britney Spears

Britney Spears is the defining late 90s teen idol you still measure pop stardom against. As a teen pop star, she arrived with schoolgirl visuals and precision choreography that rewired what you expected from a young performer. That early era, captured in songs like “Sometimes,” is often described as soft, dreamy, and full of late 90s pop magic, showing how carefully crafted her sound and image were from the start.

Her legacy did not stop with nostalgia. In a detailed breakdown of the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century, Britney Spears is ranked No. 6, credited with a standard-bearing, impossibly iconic run that shaped the 2000s. Fans on forums argue that Britney is the prototype of a modern pop star, insisting she should be number one because almost everyone after her follows a blueprint she helped write. When you think about 90s pop, you are really thinking about the template she set.

2) Spice Girls

The Spice Girls turned mid 90s pop into a global conversation about friendship, fun, and unapologetic girl power. Their hits taught you to chant “zig-a-zig-ah” without overthinking it, while their personas made it easy to see yourself in at least one member. Lists of 90s acts you still spin today highlight how their girl group dynamics remain part of the pop canon, with fans returning to those empowerment anthems whenever they need a jolt of confidence.

Coverage of 90s bands you still listen to notes that some groups survive because their songs double as slogans you can live by, and the Spice Girls fit that mold perfectly. When you revisit “Wannabe” or “Spice Up Your Life,” you are not just replaying a catchy hook, you are reconnecting with a blueprint for modern girl groups that still informs how newer acts talk about friendship, individuality, and fandom.

3) TLC

TLC gave you a 90s masterclass in blending R&B, pop, and hip-hop while tackling real-life issues. Their innovative fusion often lands them among the 90s bands you were not cool enough to like at the time, a nod to how ahead of the curve they were. A Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast singles out TLC’s 1995 run as an all-time peak, underscoring how their sound defined mid 90s radio.

That run matters because it normalized songs that mixed condom advocacy, financial independence, and grief with chart-ready hooks. When you hear current R&B artists weave social commentary into glossy production, you are hearing echoes of TLC’s blueprint. Their catalog still pulls you back not only for nostalgia, but because the themes they sang about, from self-worth to safe love, remain painfully relevant.

4) Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey entered the 90s as a vocal phenomenon and left the decade as a full-fledged pop architect. Fans on Gen discussions about her career stress that younger listeners sometimes only see her as a Christmas singer, missing how dominant she was in the 90s and early 2000s. Her whistle notes, melismatic runs, and towering ballads turned vocal gymnastics into a mainstream expectation for pop divas.

Her influence carries directly into modern rankings of the best pop stars of the 21st century, where her 90s groundwork is treated as essential context for understanding today’s landscape. When you hear a new singer tackle impossible high notes or blend R&B with pop radio sensibilities, you are hearing a generation raised on Mariah Carey’s 90s dominance, even if they only consciously associate her with “Christmas” season playlists.

5) Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera arrived at the tail end of the decade as another Sometimes teen idol peer to Britney Spears, but quickly distinguished herself with powerhouse vocals. Early coverage of Britney Spears often positions Christina as part of a wave of teen pop stars who redefined what young performers could do onstage, and her debut singles fit neatly into that bubblegum lane. Yet even in those early tracks, you could hear a voice built for bigger, more soulful material.

As the 2000s unfolded, Christina Aguilera leaned into that potential, pivoting from 90s teen pop into gritty, vocal-driven projects that still shape how you think about range and power. Her evolution shows how a 90s teen image could be a launchpad rather than a cage, and it paved the way for later artists to reinvent themselves without abandoning the fans who first met them on TRL-era television.

6) Backstreet Boys

The Backstreet Boys remain one of the clearest examples of a 90s act you still keep in rotation. Lists of 90s bands we still listen to often single them out as the boy band whose harmonies and hooks never really left the culture. Their catalog, from “I Want It That Way” to “Quit Playing Games (With My Heart),” still fuels nostalgia tours that sell out arenas packed with fans who grew up on their CDs.

What keeps them in your mind is not just nostalgia, but the way their songs crystallized the boy band formula: tight harmonies, rotating lead vocals, and earnest, melodramatic lyrics. Modern groups, from K-pop ensembles to Western boy bands, still borrow from that template. When you hear a new five-piece group hit a key change in perfect unison, you are hearing the Backstreet Boys’ 90s legacy echo forward.

7) *NSYNC

*NSYNC may have had a shorter run than some peers, but their impact on your memory is outsized. They are often grouped with 90s acts Britney fans discuss when debating who defined that era, and their synchronized choreography became a visual shorthand for late 90s pop. At the time, some critics treated them as a guilty pleasure, the kind of band you secretly loved even if you pretended to be too cool.

Looking back, their tight vocal arrangements and elaborate stage productions helped normalize stadium-scale pop shows that feel closer to Broadway than a simple concert. When you watch current stars mount tours with intricate staging and dance-heavy sets, you are seeing the ripple effects of *NSYNC’s 90s ambition. Their songs still surface at weddings, parties, and meme culture, proving that their supposedly disposable pop was built to last.

8) Destiny’s Child

Destiny’s Child emerged in the late 90s with a sound that fused R&B harmonies, pop hooks, and sharp storytelling about relationships and resilience. Their early hits set the stage for Beyoncé’s eventual solo rise, which is why modern lists of influential She shaped pop stars treat the group as a crucial starting point. You still think about their catalog because it gave you anthems about independence that felt both catchy and instructive.

Those songs also shifted expectations for girl groups, emphasizing vocal interplay and individual personalities within a cohesive unit. When you see contemporary acts balance group branding with solo ambitions, you are watching a playbook Destiny’s Child helped write. Their late 90s work remains a reference point for how to launch a superstar while still delivering group records that stand on their own.

9) Mandy Moore

Mandy Moore entered the scene as one of the more wholesome faces in the wave of Greatest Pop Star-era teen singers, offering a softer alternative to the more provocative branding around some peers. Her early singles, often grouped with other teen pop tracks of the time, gave you breezy, radio-friendly melodies that fit perfectly between boy band ballads and girl group hits. That image made her an accessible entry point into pop for younger listeners and parents alike.

Over time, Mandy Moore’s career expanded into acting and more introspective music, but you still associate her with that late 90s moment when teen pop dominated every countdown show. Her trajectory shows how a 90s teen star could transition into respected adult roles without disowning the bubblegum era that introduced her. When you revisit those early songs, you are also revisiting a more innocent slice of the 90s pop landscape.

10) En Vogue

En Vogue brought sophisticated harmonies and a polished visual aesthetic to 90s pop, bridging the gap between classic soul groups and modern R&B. They often appear in roundups of 90s vocal groups Join the nostalgia for, because their blend of pop structure and soulful delivery still feels fresh. Songs like “Free Your Mind” paired powerhouse vocals with pointed commentary on prejudice, proving that chart hits could carry serious messages.

Today, you can hear En Vogue’s influence in the tight harmonies and fashion-forward styling of many R&B and pop girl groups. Their success in the 90s helped keep vocal excellence at the center of mainstream pop, even as production trends shifted. When you think back on 90s pop stars who still matter, En Vogue stands out as a reminder that technical skill and social awareness can coexist in songs that still light up your playlists.