'90s Hard Rock

Few intros scream "'90s!" like the alt-rock-revolution-cry of Nirvana's generation-definer, "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Slapping you upside the head with sucker punch drums and windshield wiper guitars, it signified everything that was electrifying about the decade in music. Alanis, Voivod, the Tragically Hip . . . go on, give you eardrums a good, old thumpin'.

In many ways, the '90s hard rock scene split into as many sounds and subgenres as a high school canteen: Over at the table of bookworms, Weezer and 54-40 held court. Our Lady Peace hung with those who refused to acknowledge the decline of grunge. And the jocks? They enjoyed shouting about the big game over "Whatever" and "Sugar."

Turns out that the '90s boasted several welcome whiffs of nostalgia. Orgy's "Blue Monday" was a steely, streamlined cover of one of the best songs New Order and new wave ever produced; and Coal Chamber's "Shock the Monkey" was a Peter Gabriel cover featuring hot-poker guitars and the eternal-torment vocals of Ozzy Osbourne.

The so-called slackers of the '90s were anything but, defying the decade's downbeat headlines with some straight-up rock 'n' roll: overheated amps, dustbowls of distortion, and drums that could punch holes through concrete walls. But the music was also accessible enough to crack the charts while filling airwaves and arenas with spastic turntable scratches and stabs ("Down"), valley-of-death drums ("The Beautiful People"), tantalizing yet terrifying metal ("Enter Sandman"), middle-finger masochism ("Killing in the Name"), and slice 'n' dice chord progressions ("Are You Gonna Go My Way").