The 50 most important female artists of the 90s

The women who made a difference in the music world through the 90s.

Look at the data and you'll learn that music is still a male-dominated affair. But things are getting better. The 90s was not all that long ago, but the disparity of female involvement in the biggest acts of that decade, compared to men, is shocking.

Women were rarely glorified in the same way as their male counterparts, but that's not to say they weren't there. And they were incredible. 

There was the riot grrrl movement that sought to shake up gender roles, not just for musicians, but for an audience as well.

There were the women who took grunge and injected their own sense of vitriol and disaffectedness to make something as primal and spirited as their male counterparts.

There was the movement of hip hop and R&B stars who set fire to the worn-out script of misogyny and objectification that had pervaded their scene in its beginnings.

No matter what kinda music you were into, there were women making it with just as much class, passion and skill as their male counterparts.

Here we have a list of 50 women who blazed a trail through the 90s. Artists who changed lives, who inspired people of all genders and musical persuasions. Artists who made damn great music; many of them continue to do so to this day.

A quick note: we don't feel completely comfortable 'ranking' such amazing artists. They all mean a lot to us in different ways. Each member of the Double J team submitted a list of women that inspired them in the 90s and these are the artists that appeared most frequently in those lists.

Here are the 50 most important female artists of the 90s.

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First published at ABC News, June 16, 2017 and again February 5, 2025