- International trends
- Barbadian artists like Gabby, Spice and Square One bring a new sound to Trinidadian soca
- Mari Boine's Gula Gula, and its titular hit single, bring Sami joik-based folk to popular attention
- Paradise Lost emerges at the forefront of the doom metal scene
- Music of Australia
- Aboriginal music begins a popular revitalization
- Music of Cameroon
- Les Tetes Brulées release their debut, Les Tetes Brulés, the most internationally successful recording of bikutsi
- Music of China
- Cui Jian and other performs hold the largest rock concert ever in Beijing, bringing Chinese rock all the way into the mainstream; it comes to dominate the Chinese music scene
- Music of the Dominican Republic
- "Soy Chiquito (No Inventes Papito, No Inventes)" is recorded by Santi Y Sus Duendes and Lisa M; this is the first fusion of merengue and hip hop music (merenrap)
- Music of India
- Music of Japan
- Rinken Band's surprise success led to the second wave of Okinawan music
- Music of Niger
- The Centre for Musical Training and Promotion is founded with a grant from the European Fund for Development, helping to accelerate a process of cultural development through expanded opportunities for touring and recognition in Niger
- Music of Mexico
- Music of Puerto Rico
- Many of the biggest stars are playing Chilean nueva canción and Dominican merengue; the latter soon produces merengue bomba artists. Latin rappers like Vico C make Puerto Rico a center of hip hop in Latin America.
- Music of Taiwan
- Building on the success of Song of Madness by Blacklist Studio, Rock Records releases Lin Qiang's Marching Forward, which began the era of New Taiwanese Song
- Music of the United Kingdom
- Music of the United States
- International trends
- Music of Albania
- The collapse of socialism leads to creative freedom and rapid cultural innovation in Albania
- Music of Brazil
- Boi music begins to crack into mainstream markets in Brazil as the town of Parintins becomes a major tourist attraction and local musicians make an accessible form of the folk music
- Music of Canada
- Music of France
- MC Solaar becomes the first French hip hop star after releasing Qui seme le vente recolte le tempo
- Music of Germany
- With the reunification of Germany, the Rudolstadt festival helps to herald a new era of unity for German regional folk music
- Music of Tanzania
- Nguza Viking takes over leadership of the Orchestra Safari Sound and re-propels it to fame before disbanding only a year later
- Music of the United Kingdom
- Music of the United States
- Codeine's Frigid Stars is the beginning of Slowcore
- Releases by Melvins (Bullhead), Nirvana (Nevermind), Pearl Jam (Ten), Soundgarden (Badmotorfinger), Smashing Pumpkins (Gish) and Temple of the Dog (Temple of the Dog) solidify the sound of grunge in pop music
- Garth Brooks' mainstream success with his third LP, Ropin' the Wind, sets the stage for the pop-country of the rest of the decade; it is the first country album to debut at #1 on the pop charts
- A group of jam bands inspired by the Grateful Dead and Allman Brothers Band start to become popular, drawing upon rock-oriented predecessors like Spin Doctors, Widespread Panic and Blues Traveler, mixing their sound with worldbeat and other influences; these include Phish (A Picture of Nectar), Dave Matthews Band, Rusted Root and Ben Harper, among others.
- A Tribe Called Quest's Low-End Theory revolutionizes alternative rap, paving the way for its diversification of styles in the late 1990s
- International trends
- Music of Brazil
- Daniela Mercury's O Canto Da Cidade moves axé music towards mainstream listeners in Brazil
- Music of French Polynesia
- Pascal Nabet-Meyer records himene tarava vocal music by the Tahitian Choir, which leads to the first international recognition for this form of Polynesian Christian music
- Music of India
- Pratul Mukhopadhyay, Nachiketa, Anjan Dutta and, most especially, Suman Chottopadhyay lead a revival of various kinds of Bengali folk music in India and other parts of South Asia
- Music of Lebanon
- Finally recovering from a long-running civil war, the city of Beirut begins to regain its once vibrant music scene
- Music of Madagascar
- Jaojoby and Tianjama are the first bands to record in Madagascar after economic plight forced most of the labels to close during the 80s
- American guitarists Henry Kaiser and David Lindley record A World Out of Time with local folk musicians, helping to lead a subsequent roots revival
- Music of the Philippines
- The release of Francis M.'s Rap Is Francis M. moves Pinoy rap towards a more distinctive national sounds
- Music of the United Kingdom
- Music of the United States
- Dr. Dre releases The Chronic, setting the tone and pace for gangsta rap in the rest of the decade, a slow, stoned West Coast rap called G Funk; Ice T's band Body Count loses their record deal with Warner Brothers after the song "Cop Killer" ignites controversy
- The success of Arrested Development's 3 Years, 5 Months and Two Days in the Life of... paves the way for the mainstream acceptance of southern rap, such as OutKast and Goodie Mob, and, eventually Master P and Juvenile
- The hip hop crew WithOut Rezervation found the WOR festival in order to help Native American music reach younger audiences; Robby Bee & the Boyz From the Rez' Reservation of Education is an influential Native American hip hop album. The same year, the Joaquin Brothers played at Carnegie Hall, which is the high point in popularity for waila (a Tohono O'odham genre also known as chicken scratch)
- Rage Against the Machine debuts an energetic fusion of heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop
- Atari Teenage Riot create digital hardcore by fusing techno and hardcore punk
- International trends
- Music of Albania
- Ardit Gjebrea becomes Albania's first pop star after releasing "Jon"
- Music of Brazil
- The MD MC's "Salvador Astral" is one of the earliest international hits by a Brazilian hip hop group; it kickstarts the scene in Rio De Janeiro, São Paulo and other cities
- Music of Colombia
- Music of Congo-Kinshasha
- A showcase brings together many of Congo's biggest names in the country's musical history, including Koffi Olomide and Papa Wemba, helping to revitalize Congolese music, long suffering under the shadow of the Parisian soukous scene
- Music of Germany
- Sven Vath's "Accident in Paradise" is an influential early recording of trance music
- Music of Kenya
- Superstar Joseph Kamaru becomes a born again Christian and switches from Kĩkũyũ pop to gospel music
- Samba Mapangala breaks up his band, Orchestre Virunga as Nairobi begins to lose its reputation as a haven for Congolese musicians
- Pop-disco is popular, and only a few of the long-running Congolese or Swahili bands maintain popularity in adopting that sound, among them Les Wanyika, whose Les Les Nonstop '90 was a major hit
- Music of Nigeria
- Fuji music emerges at the forefront of the Nigerian scene, led by Sikiru Barrister, Baba Alatika and his rival, Barrister Wasiu
- Music of Turkey
- A fire started by Sunni extremists killed several musicians, including Muhlis Akarsu
- Music of the United Kingdom
- Music of the United States
- Beck's "Loser" is a wildly popular folk-hip hop and indie rock fusion
- The Supreme Court legalizes animal sacrifice in Santería, sparking a revival of religious music among Cubans in New York City, Miami and elsewhere
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