Celebrate some of the best albums of the ’90s with records turning 30 this year. For more 1996 goodness, you can also check out the Best Movies of 1996. Then, flash forward a decade for the best albums and movies of 2001.

The mountain of great albums in 1996 was a testament to the strength of the ’90s music industry and its growth since the ’80s. Indie labels broke into the mainstream with hip-hop, heavy metal, and a newfangled ‘indie’ rock, leading to more opportunities for pretty much everybody: more major label record deals for artists pushing their genres, more indie labels finding their niche, more kids with a dream getting a chance in the studio, more choices for the audience than ever before. By ’96, all of that growth was paying off, and for a brief moment, the music industry felt almost — it’s weird to say it — healthy.

Just look at rock, the really hard stuff. Metallica and Nirvana had proven that very different kinds of heavy music could top the charts, and by ’96 the industry was bankrolling second albums from Tool and Rage Against the Machine. And while few heard Opeth of Sweden’s death-metal epics that year, many more would follow; those brutal 20-minute assaults earned them an international distributor and a chance to roll out their next album on the growing underground force Century Records. Top to bottom, creativity rewarded.

Hip-hop had spent the late ’80s and early ’90s forcing its way from outsider to insider juggernaut, and by ’96 it had room for everything: gangster rap (2pac), conscious artistry (The Roots), high-concept humor (Kool Keith), and sample-crate wizardry (DJ Shadow). Also in ’96, Roc-A-Fella Records finally shared its first release, because in classic JAY-Z fashion, he incorporated the business before dropping the album. All of that plus one of the first great waves of indie rock with Modest Mouse, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Sleater-Kinney, plus bonkers Britpop, plus the electronic explosion. There was a lot going on!

With so many records turning 30 this year, and while it was really hard to narrow it down, we did manage to rank the best 30 albums — no sorry 50 — ope, make that 60 best albums of 1996; that’s like two 30s for the 30th anniversary, that makes sense, right? And besides, how could we resist? While there have been many great periods of music, ’96 was one of the peaks.

— Wren Graves
Managing Editor