From grunge to hip-hop, boy bands to Budweiser commercials, the 1990s were full of pop culture firsts. Here's a look back at the dot com decade.
Yes, the 1990s were really "all that" and if you had some "cheddar", you could buy some bling so everyone would know you were bangin.
With me so far?
One of the most influential era's in pop culture, the 1990's were full of notable milestones. Perhaps most memorable was the dot com boom as Windows became the OS of choice and Internet use exploded. E-commerce sites began popping up everywhere, with staples such as Amazon and eBay gaining rapid popularity. Browsers became more user friendly (hello Netscape and IE) and the cost of computers dropped considerably, allowing anyone and everyone to own a personal PC. The result was an overwhelming surge of new dot com businesses, as everyone tried to cash in on the online boom. This surge led to an unprecedented stock market bubble and it seemed, at least for a while, that the dot com ride could go on forever.
On the music front, grunge took the scene with bands such as Nirvana, Stone Temple Pilots and Pearl Jam. Although still popular, traditional rock and roll gave way to hip hop by the end of the decade and pop rappers such as Tone Loc, MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice opened the door for a new breed of rap and hip hop masters. Pop bands continued to gain popularity and the 90's saw the rise of teen-idol boy bands such as NSYNC and Backstreet Boys. Techno or "house" music finds its place as well as rave parties become mainstream entertainment.
The 90's also saw the birth of several television classics, including Seinfeld, The Simpsons and Law and Order. Reality shows made their debut as well as MTV's The Real World became one of the most watched shows of the decade.
Perhaps one of the most notable trends in the 1990's was the public movement in the gay community. As more and more celebrities "came out" to the public - Elton John, George Michael, k.d. Lang - homosexuality was thrust into mainstream media and prime time television reacted accordingly. Hit shows such as Will and Grace, Friends, Thirtysomething, Ellen and Roseanne featured gay themes and characters and received exceptional ratings, confirming that society was finally moving toward a more tolerant and accepting way of thinking.
The 90's are also responsible for the explosion of video games. Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation held the top contender titles during this decade, replacing their familiar arcade brethren and games became much more graphic in content. So much so, that a parental ratings system was quickly introduced.
On the political front, things were just as busy. We saw the impeachment trial of President Clinton in 1998 for his sexual affair with Monica Lewinsky. The Cold War ended in 1992 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Vladimir Putin was appointed President of the New Russian Federation in January of 2000. After the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990, the US partnered with 29 other nations to remove Iraqi forces and liberate Kuwait. The conflict would quickly become known as the Persian Gulf War.
Science and technology had milestones of their own as the Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990. The first successful cloning was acheived (Dolly the sheep) and DNA identification became an accepted practice in criminal trials. CD burners and DVD formats were introduced as was the Java programming language. The widespread focus on technology also brought about the Y2K scare, the theory that computers would malfunction on a global basis when the year changed from 1999 to 2000.
But that is another story.
