20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1990s

If you only looked at the album charts, the Nineties were defined by the mainstream breakthroughs of alternative rock and gangsta rap: angry men selling millions of records to each other. But the Hot 100 retained a youthful glow, particularly in the summer, with smash singles by teenage R&B heroes like Monica and Destiny’s Child, as well as pop prodigies like Hanson and Christina Aguilera. From New Jack Swing to New Kids on the Block, here are the biggest Nineties hits that dominated the charts between June and September, dictated by peak chart positions and total length of run on the Hot 100. We’ve also ignored all the unseasonal ballads – so our apologies to Elton John, Bryan Adams and more.