Something unusual is happening in music right now. Pull up any streaming platform, scroll through TikTok for a few minutes, or check what’s topping the concert revenue charts, and you’ll keep running into the same thing: the 90s. Not a sanitized, polished version of them either, but the raw, loud, distorted, passionate original. Millennials, now moving through their 30s and 40s, are reaching back into their own pasts and reviving the sounds that once blared from their Walkmans and car stereos, while Gen Z is jumping onboard, discovering the raw electric energy of 90s bands for the very first time. The scale of what’s happening is hard to overstate, and the data behind it is genuinely surprising.
A YouGov survey revealed that roughly six in ten Millennials still listen to music from their teenage years, while a surprising four in ten members of Gen Z have developed a genuine interest in 90s bands. This dual-generation wave is turning what could have been a brief trend into a full-fledged musical revival. The forces driving it are real, measurable, and show no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
TikTok Turned Old Songs Into New Viral Moments
TikTok has completely transformed how music is discovered and shared, and 90s tracks are at the center of this revolution. Snippets from bands like No Doubt and Third Eye Blind are everywhere on the app, often reimagined as viral dance trends or funny memes. It’s not unusual to see classic hooks paired with modern filters and choreography, making these songs feel fresh again for millions of users. The reach of a single viral moment on the platform is staggering.
According to the National Music Publishers’ Association, songs that go viral on TikTok can experience up to a 1,000% spike in streams. This new wave of virality isn’t just fueling nostalgia; it’s introducing 90s bands to young listeners who may have never heard these tracks before. Luminate revealed that U.S. listeners were more focused on old music in 2025 than in previous years, with less than half of the five trillion recorded streams going to songs released in the last five years. The algorithm didn’t create this hunger for the past. It just gave it a megaphone.
The Oasis Reunion Proved the Appetite Is Massive
Few events in 2025 captured the cultural moment the way the Oasis reunion tour did. The tour marked Oasis’s first live appearances since they split in 2009, and their reunion and the tour were announced on 27 August 2024, two days before the 30th anniversary of their debut album, Definitely Maybe. The Oasis on-sale was the biggest in Ticketmaster history, with 10 million people queuing for tickets at peak times. That number alone tells you everything about the pent-up demand for authentic 90s music experiences.
Oasis sold more than two million tickets during their 2025 reunion tour, outpacing Beyoncé in total ticket sales despite finishing second in overall revenue. The long-awaited reunion tour earned $405.4 million, making it the second biggest tour of the year by revenue. Spotify streams surged alongside the tour, with more than 16 million new listeners in 2025, and over half of these listeners were Gen Z. A 90s band, back on the road after 16 years, outselling virtually everyone else on the planet.
Reunion Tours Are Filling Arenas Across the Board
2024 saw the return of iconic 90s bands capitalizing on the nostalgia of an era that refuses to fade. Bands like Creed, Blink-182, and Hootie & the Blowfish all embarked on tours, filling arenas with fans eager to relive the music of their youth. These acts smartly timed their comebacks with the resurgence of 90s culture, proving that nostalgia remains a powerful driver in the music industry. Hootie & the Blowfish’s 1994 debut album “Cracked Rear View” is still among the top 10 bestselling albums in U.S. history, 30 years after its release.
Reunion tours have seen a resurgence, with 90s artists ranging from TLC and the Fugees to Blondie stepping foot on stage for the first time in years, with fans willing to fork out big bucks to see their favorite groups get back together. Britpop fans had even more to celebrate in 2025; not only was Oasis on tour again, but Pulp announced a new album and released their first new music in more than two decades, 24 years after their previous record We Love Life from 2001. The touring industry, it seems, has found its most reliable product: nostalgia delivered live.
New Music From Old Names Is Landing With Real Impact
It isn’t only the greatest hits tours that are drawing attention. Several 90s acts have returned with genuinely new material, and audiences are responding. Listening to Pulp’s new single “Spike Island,” the band appears at the top of their game, working with producer James Ford and featuring artists like Richard Hawley and Brian Eno on their 2025 album More, which is dedicated to late Pulp bassist Steve Mackey, who died in 2023. 90s indie rock band Skunk Anansie returned with a new album, The Painful Truth, featuring a new single “Lost And Found” that lets vocalist Skin’s voice take full center stage.
2025 witnessed a resurgence of classic sounds – including 90s grunge – reimagined with contemporary production techniques, lyrical themes, and genre fusions. This isn’t just a rehash; it’s an evolution that pays homage while forging new paths. That distinction matters. The 90s revival isn’t just about looking backwards. It’s about artists proving that the blueprint still works, and that the best of that era has things left to say.
Vinyl Sales Are Booming, and 90s Catalogs Are Driving It
The physical music revival runs parallel to the broader 90s resurgence, and the numbers behind it are remarkable. In 2024, the U.S. music industry sold 43.6 million vinyl records, marking the 18th consecutive year of growth. By 2024, vinyl music sales of $1.4 billion on 43.6 million units easily outpaced sales of CDs at $541 million on 33 million units. Much of this demand is flowing directly into classic 90s releases, with fans hunting for original pressings and anniversary editions alike.
Surprisingly, Gen Z accounts for roughly 27% of all vinyl purchases in 2024, making them the largest demographic driving this trend. These digital natives, born between 1997 and 2012, are choosing analog music formats for reasons that extend far beyond sound quality. This growth is fueled by both older generations seeking to relive past experiences and younger demographics drawn to the unique tactile and visual aspects of vinyl, as well as the sense of community and artist support it offers. A Nirvana or Smashing Pumpkins record sitting on a shelf isn’t just music. For a lot of young buyers, it’s a statement.
Fashion, Pop Culture, and the Full-Circle Effect
The fashion of the 90s is back on the streets and runways, and its return is closely tied to the music of the era. Grunge-inspired looks – think Doc Martens, oversized flannels, and fuzzy bucket hats – are everywhere, thanks in part to style influencers and celebrities embracing the trend. This revival isn’t just about looking cool; it’s about channeling the rebellious spirit of 90s bands. Music and fashion have always fed each other, and right now they’re doing so in the most 90s way imaginable.
Every era seems to make a comeback decades later, and as of the late 2010s, the 1990s revival has officially been in full swing. In the past several years, fashion trends like Adidas slides and bucket hats have become stylish again, while studios have rebooted popular 90s movies and TV shows. The 90s music revival remains a significant cultural force, with sustained consumer interest in bands and related merchandise. Google Trends data reveals consistent search interest in terms like “90s bands” and “90s rock bands.” When a decade comes back this hard and this broadly, it stops being a trend. It becomes something closer to a cultural reckoning.
