Boy bands have been around for awhile — in fact, you could call those a capella barbershop quartets of the late 1800s and early 1900s the first precursors to what they would eventually become. You know, singing, dancing, soul-gazing groups of young men, often either a family of siblings, or brought together by a national search. Though some boy bands had success throughout the decades, boy bands in general really became a commercial smash in the late 1990s, the height of which we haven’t seen since.
The ubiquity of boy bands was so extreme, that MTV even created a parody group called 2gether that had a TV movie and spinoff series featuring the formation of a boy band by making sure each member fit a specific demographic: The Heartthrob, The Shy One, The Cute One, The Older Brother, and The Bad Boy. You know you’ve made it big when you have parodies!
So let’s take a look at some of the most memorable boy bands from their golden age circa the late ’90s, and bask in the saccharine tunes and timely fashion. We really recommend watching some of the music videos to see how very young and cringey they often looked, particularly in the early days — click on the song titles in the “Best Song” sections below to be taken to that song’s official music video. Hella cool!
Backstreet Boys
Yes, we’ve got to start with the best-selling boy band of all time, the Backstreet Boys, or BSB as many fans came to call them. Their story is fairly famous now, but for those who don’t know, they were formed by Lou Pearlman in the mid-90s, first gained fame in Europe, and eventually were able to bring that success over to the US as well. BSB did multiple tours around the world, but their true superstardom came with the album Millennium and the smash hit, "I Want It That Way.” They’re one of the rare boy bands still together and performing today as a complete group, and even had a Las Vegas residency. You gotta love Brian, Nick, Kevin, AJ, and Howie.
Best Songs: I Want It That Way, Everybody (Backstreet’s Back), The Call, Quit Playing Games (With My Heart), Shape of My Heart
*NSYNC
Around the same time as the Backstreet Boys came together, a second group was being formed, also with that nefarious manager Lou Pearlman -- *NYSYNC. Apparently, Lance Bass was not one of the original members of the group, but was called to join after one of the original five members dropped out. Ah ha, now that’s why his name never really fit into *NSYNC's whole last initial of each member’s name standing for the band name thing. Compared to the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC’s hits tended to be more upbeat rather than ballad-y. Around about the year 2000, everyone was trying to pit the two against each other - were you an *NSYNC or BSB fan? Couldn’t you be both? In the end, the group only made three albums together before splitting up to go solo (okay let’s be honest, it was Justin Timberlake). Though they have never truly reunited, you could argue that they produced some of the best boy band music during their limited run.
Best Songs: Bye Bye Bye, It’s Gonna Be Me, I Want You Back, Tearin’ Up My Heart
Love *NSYNC? Check out our article: Eat My Vids: All of *NSYNC's Music Videos - Ranked
Hanson
Hanson is a different breed of boy band -- they are comprised of a trio of brothers, they don't mess with dance choreography, they play instruments, and they actually write their own music. Fancy! They are also one of the rare bands listed here that has consistently continued to make and release music since their debut in the late ‘90s, and continues to tour today as well. They have released two Christmas albums, both of which feature covers of famous holiday tunes alongside some original music (which you should really listen to if you haven’t, they’re quality). Though they were originally part of the studio system with their first albums, eventually they created their own label to continue making and distributing music. Their music has morphed over the years from typical boy band pop to more recent folksy stylings, but no song they've written has yet to eclipse that catchy, pop-y, and fairly nonsensical MMMBop.
Best Songs: MMMBop, Penny & Me, Thinking ‘Bout Somethin’, Where’s the Love, At Christmas
98 Degrees
Unlike many of the boy bands listed here, 98 Degrees formed independently rather than being assembled by a label or producer. Though they looked like your typical boy band, they often tried to differentiate themselves by focusing on how they wrote a lot of their own music, and often had much more of an R&B influence. Original founding member Jeff Timmons would eventually become overshadowed by both of the Lachey brothers, but in particular Nick Lachey, whose very public romance with Jessica Simpson took on a life of its own, leading to a reality series and hosting gigs for him over the years, not to mention Drew Lachey eventually winning his season of Dancing with the Stars. Though not nearly as popular or everlasting as the groups mentioned above, they do still deserve a spot in the boy band hall of fame.
Best Songs: Because of You, I Do (Cherish You), The Hardest Thing
O-Town
If you want a true depiction of a manufactured boy band, look no further than O-Town -- another Lou Pearlman cash grab. The band was formed as part of the first season of a reality show on MTV called Making the Band. In doing more research, apparently O-Town's season aired on ABC, not MTV. Would not have expected that, but there you go. They came together right when the boy band craze was reaching the peak and about to fall, so unfortunately they were just a little bit late to the game. They only released two albums before breaking up, though in more recent years, some members have gotten back together and released another album, but it’s just not quite the same as it used to be.
Best Songs: All or Nothing, Liquid Dreams
Westlife
Simon Cowell decided to get in on the boy band craze by forming the Irish boy band Westlife in 1998. If you only tangentially heard of this band in the US at the time, that isn’t much of a surprise, as they were way more popular in the UK. That said, they released a lot of music over their career, and are really a quintessential example of a true boy band, having broken up and reunited many years later as well. It’s also a little weird that one of their most popular songs is actually a cover rather than original music, and on a personal note, I couldn’t sing one note of any of their original songs, and I was very into boy bands back then.
Best Songs: My Love, World of Our Own, If I Let You Go
BBMak
BBMak was a three-person group who were more famous in their home country of the UK than in the US, but had some success in the states with their singles, and a random guest star stint on the Disney Channel TV show Even Stevens (it’s true). They did a lot of harmonizing in their songs, standing them apart from some of their more pop-influenced counterparts. Recently, in 2019, the band got back together and released a new album, though unfortunately it hasn’t quite garnered the success of their previous boy band era releases.
Best Songs: Back Here, Out of My Heart, Ghost of You and Me
5ive
In the late ‘90s, the managers of the Spice Girls wanted to get in on the boy band craze, and put out an advertisement to audition for a new group that had more attitude and edge than the current boy bands on the market. And voila, 5ive was born. They had a decent number of hits during their short tenure on the boy band stage, but could never quite garner the popularity of the bigger bands at the time.
Best Songs: Slam Dunk (Da Funk), When the Lights Go Out, Keep on Movin’, Everybody Get Up
Dream Street
Dream Street had the youngest starting lineup of any boy band formed during this time period, and is most notable for starting the career of Jesse McCartney, who has since gone on to release solo music and pursue acting. The group itself consisted of boys who had all been part of the New York Broadway/Acting scene, with the producers hoping that would give them an edge. Apparently there was a lot of drama going on behind the scenes, and the boys’ parents eventually sued the producers to get them out of their contracts.
Best Songs: It Happens Every Time, I Say Yeah
Which late ’90s boy band reigned supreme for you? Keep in mind we haven’t included some groups that were popular in the earlier ‘90s, so that’s why we’re missing the likes of Boyz II Men, Take That, and Boyzone. Hit us up in the comments with your thoughts!
- Many consider The Beatles to be the first true boy band with young girls screaming and passing out when they saw them.
- If a boy band has a breakout star on its hands, look out, because often that star will go on to have an even bigger solo career – Michael Jackson, Donny Osmond, Justin Timberlake, just to name a few.
- Lou Pearlman, the “mastermind” behind many of these boy bands, ran one of the largest Ponzi schemes in US history, racking up $300 million in debts. He was convicted to 25 years in prison in 2008, and passed away in federal custody in 2016.
- Though the Backstreet Boys have sold the most records with 100 million sales, you may be surprised to know that coming in second place is the family group The Osmonds with 77 million.
- The term “boy band” wasn’t used much until the late 1980s, prior to that they were called male vocal groups or hep harmony singing groups.
- Many consider The Beatles to be the first true boy band with young girls screaming and passing out when they saw them.
- If a boy band has a breakout star on its hands, look out, because often that star will go on to have an even bigger solo career – Michael Jackson, Donny Osmond, Justin Timberlake, just to name a few.
- Lou Pearlman, the “mastermind” behind many of these boy bands, ran one of the largest Ponzi schemes in US history, racking up $300 million in debts. He was convicted to 25 years in prison in 2008, and passed away in federal custody in 2016.
- Though the Backstreet Boys have sold the most records with 100 million sales, you may be surprised to know that coming in second place is the family group The Osmonds with 77 million.
- The term “boy band” wasn’t used much until the late 1980s, prior to that they were called male vocal groups or hep harmony singing groups.
