The 1990s in popular culture is typically referred to as the decade of "anti-fashion". In reality, anti-fashion was only one of many trends in fashion in the 1990s. The fashion of the 1990s was characterized by minimalist styles, and many overlapping, often contradictory trends. The most significant event was the rise of grunge fashion in 1992. In the late 1990s there was a move away from grunge. Retro clothing inspired by the 1960s and 1970s was popular for much of the 1990s.

Popular styles include alternative rock (Red Hot Chili Peppers, R.E.M., Sonic Youth, The Smashing Pumpkins), grunge (Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden), post-grunge (Collective Soul, Third Eye Blind, Everclear, Creed, Foo Fighters, Our Lady Peace, Stiltskin, Silverchair), heavy metal and alternative metal (Helmet, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, Metallica, Pantera, Tool), black metal gained a large number of fans in Northern Europe, Britpop and British rock (Oasis, Blur, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Pulp, Radiohead, The Verve, Travis), pop-punk (Green Day, The Offspring, Rancid, Blink-182), third wave ska (No Doubt, Sublime, Reel Big Fish, Mighty Mighty Bosstones), indie rock (Fugazi, Pavement, Neutral Milk Hotel, The Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, Guided By Voices), jam bands (Dave Matthews Band, Phish), and nu metal (Korn, Limp Bizkit, Deftones) towards the end of the decade. Singer-songwriters include Tori Amos, Alanis Morissette, Beck, Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, and Jewel. Emo music which, would later become a staple of rock music, began receiving commercial and critical acclaim. Notable examples include Sunny Day Real Estate's Diary and Weezer's Pinkerton, which have since become highly influential on the genre. Radiohead's popularity exploded in 1997 with the release of OK Computer. Most notable, though, was the explosion of Grunge band Nirvana into the mainstream, who found a large audience in the youths of the '90s through their apathetic attitude and their appeal to Generation X.