90s-alt-rock
These are the best 90s-alt-rock artists featured on Release Wave.

Glimmer
Glimmer, a grungegaze band, consists of Jeff Moore (vocals, guitar), Jaye Moore (drums), Johnny Nicholls (guitar), and Kevin Dobbins (bass). The band, formed in February 2023 by cousins Jeff and Jaye Moore, in Brooklyn / Hudson Valley, NY. Their sound is described as a blend of grungy indie rock and shoegaze, that pairs layers of heavy guitars with dreamy, swirling reverb, and big melodic hooks. Heavily inspired by the sounds of 90s guitar fueled alternative rock, shoegaze and grunge in bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, Ride and Swervedriver.
RIYL: Narrow Head, Superheaven, The Smashing Pumpkins, Swervedriver, The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
Worlds Worst
Worlds Worst are a Salt Lake City alternative/indie/slacker rock band who play guitar heavy 90s inspired fuzzed out noise pop. The band is gearing up to release their sophomore LP, American Muscle, which showcases the band continuing to perfect their unique approach to the indie, noisy, slacker rock sound with loud punchy guitars and big hooks.
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Suzzallo
Rocky Votolato has formed a new band called Suzzallo, revealing their debut album "The Quiet Year" with a release date of May 2nd, 2025. Departing from Votolato's acoustic roots, Suzzallo offers a cathartic blend of fuzzed out alternative rock, exploring themes of grief and healing following a personal tragedy.

Doom Mutual
Doom Mutual unifies the musical endeavors of Nashville-based musicians Daphne Browdy and Davis Gestiehr, constructing familiar but eccentrically fascinating rock qualities. Doom Mutual is the individuals’ creative styles working in parallel with one another, ultimately generating a solid foundation of brooding lyricism and impressionable delivery.

Alien Boy
Formed by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Sonia Weber in 2015, Alien Boy has steadily evolved from a plucky punk band in the Portland, Oregon, DIY scene into one of the most reliably satisfying rock bands in modern guitar music. The group, whose lineup is rounded out by drummer Derek McNeil along with guitarists Caleb Misclevitz and A.P. Fiedler, solidified their sound on 2021’s acclaimed Don’t Know What I Am, and now on their upcoming third LP "You Wanna Fade?" do May 2025 takes all of the best parts of that pop-rock-by-way-of-shoegaze concoction and amplifies them to their most widescreen version. “I wanted to go as big as possible and I really didn’t want to rush,” Weber says of the album’s sound and four-year gestation. “When I first started the band I was trying to keep the songs as short as possible, but I sort of realized that that’s not actually what I like. I was looking at the records that I turn to the most–Third Eye Blind’s self-titled and Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream–and I really wanted to capture that kind of grandness, the kind of thing that has a lot of dimension and isn’t actually that concise.”

Bob Mould
Bob Mould (born October 16, 1960, in Malone, New York) is an American musician, principally known for his work as guitarist, vocalist and songwriter for influential punk rock band Hüsker Dü in the 1980s and alternative rockers Sugar in the 1990s. He also has released a number of records under his solo project as Bob Mould.

Squint
Squint is a melodic hardcore/alt rock/punk band from St. Louis, Missouri. The band started in fall of 2021, featuring various members from Missouri bands Time and Pressure, New Lives, Soul Craft and Choir Vandals. The band has a nice palette of sounds ranging from hardcore to alternative/indie rock. Largely influenced by a shared liking of Rites of Spring and Turning Point, Squint take the sound of melodic-leaning hardcore, but areable to put their own spin on it with fuzzed-out guitars and big riffs—recalling tones heard from bands like Seaweed and Sugar while fitting right in with newer bands like Drug Church and Militarie Gun as well.

Anamanaguchi
Anamanaguchi is an American chiptune-based pop and rock band from New York City. The band has four members: lead songwriter and guitarist Peter Berkman, bassist James DeVito, guitarist Ary Warnaar and drummer Luke Silas. They combine digital electronic sounds such as those seen in chiptune and bitpop with traditional band instrumentation. As with other chiptune artists and 8-bit music, they have created music using video game hardware and vintage computers from the mid to late 1980s: namely a NES and a Game Boy. The band is currently signed to Polyvinle Records and will release their first lyrically driven rock album "Anyway" in August 2025.

Nihilistic Easyrider
Nihilistic Easyrider is the brainchild of Narrow Head frontman Jacob Duarte. His debut LP "DELUXE EDITION" is a mixtape of sorts, a collection of songs written at various intervals throughout Duarte’s career. These songs traverse a wide-range of stylistic references, from saccharine Y2K emo and young-dumb-and-full-of pop punk to Soviet fuzz fueled alt and pure Evan Dando-core verse-chorus-verse-chorus-done pop rock. Brought to life by a cast of characters including Narrow Head drummer Carson Wilcox, producer (and former tour-mate) Graham Hunt and features from Momma’s Allegra Weingarten and Ella Friedman, this debut album still provides with masterfully crafted and hook-drenched renditions of Duarte’s signature songwriting aesthetics.

Split Chain

Oversize
Oversize, an alternative rock band from Salisbury UK, formed in late 2019 blending influences from 90's Indie, Emo, Grunge, Shoegaze, and Britpop. They released their debut EP "In Balance" in 2021 and are set to follow up with the EP "Into the Ceiling" in late 2022.
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Heart Attack Man
From Cleveland, OH, Heart Attack Man originally started as a solo recording project for singer/guitarist Eric Egan in 2013. Driven by an ingrained appreciation for addictive melodies and hard hitting alternative rock, the project quickly evolved into a full band. Shortly after the EP Acid Rain was released, the band gained an overwhelmingly positive response and hit the road to tour throughout the US and Canada. In 2015 the band headed to Philadelphia to record their debut full length, The Manson Family, at Headroom Studios with Ian Farmer of Modern Baseball for you You Did This/Triple Crown Records. Subsequently, the band has released 2 additional LPs and an EP, and are gearing up to release their 4th LP in April 2025 via Many Hats Distribution.
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Momma
Momma is an alternative / indie rock band from Calabasas, California based in Brooklyn, New York. The band formed in 2015 by Etta Friedman (songwriter/guitarist/vocalist) and Allegra Weingarten (songwriter, guitarist, vocalist), who have been friends with each other since meeting at Viewpoint School. The band also consists of Aron Kobayashi Ritch (producer/bassist), and Preston Fulks (drummer). The band is currently signed to Polyvinyl Records. Momma released their first album in 2018 through Danger Collective Records, titled Interloper. On February 24, 2020, Momma announced their second album, Two Of Me, alongside a new song, "Double Dare". On April 6, 2020, Momma shared another song from the album, "Biohazard". The album was recorded during summer break while the members were attending college.The album was described as a concept album "about small-town life in an alternate reality". The band went on to release their third album, Household Name, on July 1, 2022 via Polyvinyl and Lucky Number to critical acclaim with a sound reminiscent of 90s inspired guitar rock with big melodies and hooks, similar to bands like Veruca Salt and The Breeders, while also sharing similarities to newer bands like Soccer Mommy and Wishy.
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Fish Narc
fish narc is the musical moniker of Olympia, WA-based songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Ben Funkhouser. The album combines timeless songwriting with '90s alternative grit and heart-on-sleeve lyricism to show off a whole new side of fish narc's world. Funkhouser has an expansive catalog of work as a rap producer and a solo artist–one that’s often distinguished by its sonic references to his background in the Pacific Northwest DIY punk scene. Now with the latest fish narc moniker and forthcoming LP, Funkhouser has teamed up with Calvin Johnson’s legendary record label, K Records, to fully embrace the guitar-forward indie rock songwriting of his youth. It’s a return to his roots that has inadvertently created a new beginning for fish narc.

Rocket
Rocket is an indie rock band formed in Los Angeles in 2021, known for their 90s-inspired sound with influences from shoegaze and alt-rock. The band consists of Alithea Tuttle (bass, vocals), Baron Rinzler (guitar), Cooper Ladomade (drums), and Desi Scaglione (guitar). They draw inspiration from bands like The Smashing Pumpkins, The Pixies, Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur Jr., The Flaming Lips, Yo La Tengo, and Radiohead.

Plight
Plight is an alternative grungegaze band from NYC combing elements of power-pop, emo, grunge, and alt-rock with big loud guitars and razor sharp hooks.

Superheaven

Chain
Hailing from Fresno, California, Chain is a band rooted in friendship, raw energy, and a love for alternative rock. Chain was created in 2024 by Bart, his friends, and fellow bandmates in Mom Jeans, Just Friends, ane Grad Life, Driven by Bart’s songwriting, blending influences from 90s alternative rock icons like Smashing Pumpkins, their sound is characterized by thunderous guitars, infectious melodies, and an undeniable punk rock spirit. Chain was formed with a simple goal: to have fun with his friends, create music that resonates, and play as many shows as possible. At its core, Chain’s music is about embracing authenticity and breaking through the glass walls of the world to discover yourself. Whether you’re moshing in a packed room or driving with the windows down, Chain delivers a cathartic experience that’s equal parts nostalgic and refreshing.
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Bedridden
Bedridden is a sludgy shoegaze band based in Brooklyn led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Jack Riley who draw inspiration from the loud and fuzzed out alternative guitar rock of the 90s. Bedridden began in New Orleans when Riley was in college, where he enlisted bassist Sebastian Duzian and drummer Nicholas Pedroza to form a live band. The initial lineup shared their debut EP, Amateur Heartthrob in 2023, which includes fan-favorite songs like “Clara’s Mouth” and “Soft Soap.” Now a Brooklyn-based project, the trio recently added guitarist Wesley Wolffe to the mix and are gearing up for the release of their debut LP via Julia's War Recordings, for fans of Narrow Head, Hum, Smashing Pumpkins

Bed
Based out of Antelope Valley CA, BED started out as a self titled solo project making indie rock. Over the years, the project has evolved into a 4 piece band. With influences ranging from indie rock to hardcore, The band today together outputs a high energy sound that could be described within the genres and moods of Dreampunk, Alternative, Shoegaze, or just Rock... The bands high energy sound is matched by high energy performances in concert, with emphasis on creating memorable experiences for their audience. Fans of Basement, Title Fight, Narrow Head, Superheaven and 90s influenced guitar fueled alternative rock.