“Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana (1991) Kurt Cobain’s riff didn’t just open a song, it opened a decade. That jagged, three-chord explosion ripped through the mainstream like a sledgehammer, turning Nirvana into the voice of disaffected youth overnight. Cobain wrote it in a matter of minutes. The power-chord crunch combined with Dave Grohl’s thunderous drumming made every air-guitar session mandatory. It wasn’t polished it was perfect in its rawness. The riff became an anthem and suddenly flannel was cool again.
“Killing in the Name” – Rage Against the Machine (1992) Tom Morello didn’t just play a guitar — he weaponized it. That opening riff isn’t melodic in the traditional sense; it’s a machine gun of anger, feedback, and funk-infused rage. Inspired by old-school metal and hip-hop rhythms, Morello twisted the amp and picked his strings to sound like industrial pistons. When Zack de la Rocha screams “Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me,” the riff punctuates rebellion in a way only the ’90s could deliver. “I wanted people to feel the guitar like a punch to the chest,” Morello explained. This riff didn’t just rock — it politicized, energized, and shook arenas worldwide.
“Black Hole Sun” – Soundgarden (1994) Kim Thayil’s riff for Black Hole Sun is deceptively haunting. Sunlight filters through distortion and minor chords, creating a surreal, psychedelic landscape unlike anything else in grunge. The riff drifts and pulses, like a slow-motion wave of melancholy. Chris Cornell’s soaring vocals ride it effortlessly, making the guitar feel both ominous and hypnotic. It’s the riff you hum in the shower, the one that sneaks into your brain months later with beauty and wrapped in darkness.
The 90s made the world finally pay attention to a guitar again
