The 50 Best 90s R&B Songs, Ranked

The 50 Best 90s R&B Songs of All Time

The 1990s were R&B's golden era. New jack swing gave way to hip-hop soul, and artists like Boyz II Men, TLC, and Aaliyah defined a generation. Here are the 50 best, ranked.

Top 10

1. "End of the Road" - Boyz II Men (1992)
13 weeks at #1. The ultimate slow jam. Nothing else comes close.

2. "No Diggity" - Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre (1996)
That bassline. Those harmonies. Perfect fusion of R&B and hip-hop.

3. "Waterfalls" - TLC (1995)
Socially conscious R&B at its finest. Still relevant today.

4. "I'll Make Love to You" - Boyz II Men (1994)
14 weeks at #1. Tied the record. Pure romantic R&B.

5. "One Sweet Day" - Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men (1995)
16 weeks at #1. The collaboration of the decade.

6. "Creep" - TLC (1994)
T-Boz's raspy delivery over that slinking beat.

7. "I Wanna Be Down" - Brandy (1994)
Introduced the world to Brandy's pure voice.

8. "Nice & Slow" - Usher (1998)
Usher's slow jam peak. Bedroom R&B perfected.

9. "If I Ever Fall in Love" - Shai (1992)
A cappella intro that defined early 90s R&B.

10. "My, My, My" - Johnny Gill (1990)
New jack swing classic. Timbaland co-wrote this.

11-25

1. "Are You That Somebody?" - Aaliyah (1998)
2. "Freak Like Me" - Adina Howard (1995)
3. "Anytime" - Brian McKnight (1997)
4. "On Bended Knee" - Boyz II Men (1994)
5. "Pony" - Ginuwine (1996)
6. "Bump N' Grind" - R. Kelly (1994)
7. "Red Light Special" - TLC (1995)
8. "Can We Talk" - Tevin Campbell (1993)
9. "I'm Your Baby Tonight" - Whitney Houston (1990)
10. "All My Life" - K-Ci & JoJo (1998)
11. "Fantasy" - Mariah Carey (1995)
12. "You Make Me Wanna..." - Usher (1997)
13. "Every Little Step" - Bobby Brown (1989/impact 1990s)
14. "Return of the Mack" - Mark Morrison (1996)
15. "Where Do We Go From Here" - Stacy Lattisaw (1990)

26-50

1. "One In A Million" - Aaliyah (1996)
2. "Emotions" - Mariah Carey (1991)
3. "Tender Love" - Force M.D.'s (1991)
4. "Don't Let Go (Love)" - En Vogue (1996)
5. "This Is How We Do It" - Montell Jordan (1995)
6. "Poison" - Bell Biv DeVoe (1990)
7. "Always Be My Baby" - Mariah Carey (1996)
8. "Motownphilly" - Boyz II Men (1991)
9. "Vision of Love" - Mariah Carey (1990)
10. "Escapade" - Janet Jackson (1990)
11. "Weak" - SWV (1993)
12. "I Wanna Sex You Up" - Color Me Badd (1991)
13. "Stay" - Jodeci (1991)
14. "Betcha By Golly Wow" - Prince (1996)
15. "Water Runs Dry" - Boyz II Men (1995)
16. "Rump Shaker" - Wreckx-N-Effect (1992)
17. "Whatta Man" - Salt-N-Pepa (1994)
18. "Mr. Big Stuff" - Jean Knight (1990 remix)
19. "Don't Walk Away" - Jade (1993)
20. "I Have Nothing" - Whitney Houston (1993)
21. "Unbreak My Heart" - Toni Braxton (1996)
22. "4 Seasons of Loneliness" - Boyz II Men (1997)
23. "Kickstart" - Jodeci (1991)
24. "Before I Let You Go" - Blackstreet (1994)
25. "Total Eclipse of the Heart" - Nicki French (1995)

Test Your 90s R&B Knowledge

Think you know these songs? Try the Finish The Lyric quiz on R&B Vault. We'll play a lyric and you complete it - 90s edition available.

The 90s gave us R&B perfection. These 50 songs are the proof.