[Back to the ’90s!] Dance music in Western pop that was a hit in the 1990s
The 1990s were a period in which electronic music saw remarkable growth compared to any previous era.
Genres like Eurobeat and dance-pop attracted particular attention and went on to influence modern styles such as artcore and deep house.
In this piece, I’d like to introduce dance music from the 1990s.
Alongside global smash hits, I’ve also included more niche tracks with a Eurobeat flavor.
For those interested in the evolution of electronic music, there are many must-hear tracks here, so please take your time and enjoy.
- [Western Music] A Collection of Cool Dance Music (Western Songs)
- Get in the Groove with Classic Albums: The World's Eurobeat – Recommended Popular Tracks
- Great Western pop masterpieces and hit songs of the 90s
- A roundup of 90s Western hip-hop: classics from the golden era
- [Nostalgic Hits] Popular Japanese dance music songs that were hits in the 1990s
- [Western Music] Classic disco tracks that were hits in the ’90s
- Western songs from the 90s featured in commercials. A roundup of CM songs.
- Tearjerkers! A roundup of moving Western songs that were hits in the ’90s
- Club Hits: Dance music from Western artists that energized the dance floors in the 1980s
- 90s Rock Revolution! A Collection of Masterpieces by Western Bands That Colored the 90s
- Dance music in Japanese (J-pop) that people in their 50s used to listen to. Nostalgic classic hits.
- A 90s rapper. An artist who was active during the golden age of US hip-hop.
- Easy-to-dance songs [Perfect for dance beginners]
[Back to the ’90s!] Western dance music hits from the 1990s (21–30)
Shook OnesMobb Deep
As a hip-hop duo, they were the most successful at the time.
This track depicts life in the Queensbridge housing projects in Long Island, New York, where Havoc—one half of Mobb Deep—grew up.
Hip-hop experienced an enormous boom in the ’90s.
While some rappers leaned into political and social commentary and others focused on club anthems, these two combined both approaches with a strong, assertive voice, which is likely why they achieved explosive success.
Now That We Found LoveHeavy D & The Boyz
In the late 1980s through the 1990s, the hip-hop scene was dominated by gangsta rap, but Heavy D & The Boyz became hugely popular by sticking to party rap—the roots of hip-hop—without using profanity.
Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)C+C Music Factory
It was this song of theirs that truly brought the New Jack Swing wave into Japan’s dance scene.
It became a huge hit in Japan as the theme song for the Nippon TV show segment “Dance Koshien” on “Genki ga Deru TV.” It remains so popular that cover versions are still made for TV commercials and more—truly an undying classic.
It also became a hit on dance floors in clubs around the world.
All That She WantsAce of Base
A reggae-pop track released as a single in 1992 by the Swedish group Ace of Base.
It became their first hit track and reached No.
1 on charts around the world.
It has been certified Platinum in countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia.
The SignAce of Base
Ace of Base, whose lineup in the ’90s featured two female vocalists and two male members and who were often compared to ABBA, captivated audiences worldwide with their beautiful vocals and edgy singing.
Their poppy, upbeat sound—mixing reggae and house—made waves in the dance music scene.
This song was also a massive hit, even earning a Grammy nomination.
PoisonBell Biv DeVoe
It’s a unit formed by New Edition members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe.
The song is about a dangerous, untrustworthy woman, and it’s characterized by a catchy, addictive rhythm.
At the time, it became an anthem that rapidly propelled the New Jack Swing scene into the mainstream, featuring innovative sound production by the cutting-edge duo Jam & Lewis, former producers for Prince.
Dub-I-DubMe & My
Me & My are a sister duo from Denmark.
Their 1995 debut single was this song, known in Japan as “Doobi Doobi.” With publicity centered on cosplay imagery such as nurses and bunny girls, the song became a hit in Japan.