The biggest one-hit wonders from the '90s

The glam/hair metal scene was waning, but New Jersey's Trixter managed to soak up the last remaining ounces of that good life with its self-titled debut album from May 1990. "Give It to Me Good" cracked the Billboard Hot 100, and the video was in heavy rotation on MTV during the fall of the same year. While the band continued to put out albums in the 1990s and beyond, it was pretty much forgotten after this hit.

It's been nearly three decades, yet "Jump Around" still has its place in pop culture, especially during the University of Wisconsin football games. ThisCeltic-tinged, hip-hop party anthem reached as high as No. 3 on the Hot 100 and proved to be the biggest single in the history of a group that probably deserved more sustained success. In the United States, House of Pain never had another sitting better than 65 on the charts.

The world was initially introduced to the "Macarena" in 1993 through the Latin dance-pop duo Antonio Romero Monge and Rafael Ruiz Perdigones and its band, Los del Rio. However, when the Bayside Boys remixed the song with English lyrics in 1995, it became an international sensation that spawned one of the most popular dances of all time. To this day, the "Macarena" is a staple at high school dances and weddings. The remix went to No. 1 in more than 10 countries and arguably left Los del Rio the greatest one-hit wonder ever.

There's no telling what could have been had frontman Shannon Hoon not died from a drug overdose in 1995. "No Rain," known for its video with the famed "Bee Girl," was a top-20 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and made it to No. 1 on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Alternative Airplay Charts. While the band enjoyed critical and commercial success with its self-titled debut and follow-up Soup (1995), "No Rain" remains the defining moment in Blind Melon's legacy.

One of the biggest international hits of the 1990s. The Trinidadian-born Haddaway, who grew up in Chicago before moving to Germany as an adult, might be individually forgotten for this massive dance-pop hit, which rose to No. 1 in more than a dozen countries and made it to No. 11 on the U.S. Hot 100. That's because the song became more associated with fictional head-swaying brothers Doug and Steve Butabi (Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell) from Saturday Night Live and A Night at the Roxbury (1998).

When Linda Perry and Co. hit it big with the release of Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, it seemed like they would be a force to be reckoned with on the alt-rock scene. However, the band could not build on the success of "What's Up?" (No. 14 on the Hot 100; No. 1 throughout Europe). That was the only studio album released by 4 Non Blondes, but Perry went on to enjoy massive success as a producer, composer, and record executive, working with the likes of Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Gwen Stefani. 

For those who remember back in 1993, two tracks tried to trade off this popular saying. "Whoot, There It Is" by Miami's 95 South was released just before Tag Team's version, but the latter proved more successful. It went to No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 and sat atop the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. The song earned some renewed fame in 2021 for its use in a popular Geico commercial.

From the Dallas area, Deep Blue Something struck it big with its second album, Home. The record was anchored by this schlocky mainstream single, which, to date, is the band's only song to make it into the top 40 (hitting No. 5 in Billboard's Hot 100). The track was an MTV favorite (the video was rather creative, so we'll give them that) and popular with mainstream alternative and soft-rock fans. Even so, it was panned by music critics. 

Skee-Lo's only popular single reached No. 13 on the Hot 100 and was even nominated for a Grammy Award alongside the album by the same name. The video, with an homage to Forrest Gump, was nominated for three Billboard Music Video Awards 

The Toadies had been around for roughly half a decade before finally earning a hit with "Possum Kingdom." The alt-rock favorite of those closed-minded, mid-90s mainstream rock fans was the only top-40 hit the band delivered during its run. The song's theme reportedly relates to a local legendary tale involving the Possum Kingdom Lake in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. 

As we went deeper into the '90s, mainstream rock was a loose term. It was really a cross between pop and alternative. Even Metallica had gone soft by this point. Such bands like Dishwalla enjoyed some significant, short-lived fame, with its only radio/MTV-friendly hit (No. 15 on the Hot 100; No. 1 on Billboard Alternative Airplay Chart) of a career that managed to drag into the 2010s.

Much like Dishwallla or many cookie-cutter mainstream/alt-rock bands of the 1990s, Spacehog enjoyed its day in the sun. Of the four albums this English group put out, only its debut Resident Alien charted in the U.S., thanks to this upbeat single that cracked the top 40 in America and was No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. 

The grunge guys weren't the only ones to display angst. This Brooks hit (reaching No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100) was somewhat of an anthem to female self-empowerment. It's undoubtedly the most successful song of Brooks' career and one that earned her Grammy nominations for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance and Best Rock Song. Brooks had a couple more songs find their way onto various charts, but nowhere near the level of this one. 

With grunge starting to wane and alternative rock going even more mainstream, the pop-punk genre was starting to gain prominence. This was Harvey Danger's lone top-40, Hot 100 hit and had its time of celebration on MTV. Harvey Danger got caught up in the mass overload and was not able to separate itself from the pack going forward.

Sweden's Eagle-Eye Cherry had some decent international success from 1997 to 2003, but this was his only hit in the United States. It reached No. 5 on the Hot 100 and showed promise that this soulful voice might have some staying power. However, that was not the case, especially in the U.S. Yet, he remained relevant in his home country and elsewhere, like New Zealand and Ireland.

Starting in 1997, Marcy Playground put out four albums that spanned to 2009. However, the Twin Cities alt-rockers never enjoyed anywhere near the success that came with the release of their self-titled debut. "Sėx and Candy" was the record's highlight, cracking the top 10 of the Hot 100 and making its way to No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay Chart. 

Chumbawamba enjoyed some decent sustained success in the United Kingdom throughout the '90s. In America, however, it was all about "Tubthumping." The feel-good, pub-time party anthem reached No. 6 on the Hot 100 and topped three other Billboard charts in the U.S. Then, Americans basically never heard from the group again. 

New Radicals put out just one studio album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too, but this top-40 hit single helped the album and band enjoy a little more than 15 minutes of fame in the late 1990s. The catchy alternative pop track with a soul feel was an instant radio hit, while the video fared well when MTV was still showing videos. It also had young people dancing inside shopping malls throughout the U.S.

Milwaukee's Citizen King had a rather unique sound for the late 1990s. Alternative hip-hop with some pop-punk elements mixed in for good measure. The group released just two studio albums, and this track highlighted the second release, Mobile Estates. "Better Days" hit No. 25 on the Hot 100 and was even more successful on Billboard's Alternative chart. 

This was the only U.S. top-40 hit (peaking at No. 3 on the Hot 100) that the German-born Bega enjoyed. It was an international summer smash to round out the decade and one of the defining pop offerings of the 1990s. On what is considered a cover, Bega sampled parts from the original version recorded by Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado in the late 1940s but added his own lyrics. It was all the subject of lengthy litigation.