12 Podcasts That Explain the ’90s

The 1990s was a transformative time that left an indelible mark on culture, technology, and geopolitics. With its vibrant pop culture, technological innovations, and geopolitical shifts, the decade was a period of immense change and growth. From Professor Anita Hill’s landmark testimony in the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings to Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” to the LA Riots and Nickelodeon’s big orange couch, the events and cultural shifts that occurred during the 90s require multiple podcasts for us to truly understand and appreciate.

In Retrospect

In Retrospect is an exciting new podcast that transports you to the iconic pop culture moments of the ‘90s (and ‘80s) to understand what they taught us about the world, and a woman’s place in it. Emmy-winning journalist Susie Banikarim and New York Times editor Jessica Bennett guide us through salacious tabloid headlines, questionable soap opera couples, and illicit student-teacher relationships. These are stories Susie and Jessica lived through (and sometimes covered) and they’ll show us how far we’ve come and how far we have to go. Guests include Pamela Anderson, E. Jean Carroll, and more. If you’re a fan of “You’re Wrong About…,” you’re in for a treat.

60 Songs that Explain the 90s

If you get excited every time you hear Alanis Morisette’s “You Oughta Know,” Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy,” or Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” 60 Songs that Explain the ‘90s will be your new favorite soundtrack to the decade. The Ringer’s preeminent music critic Rob Harvilla explains how these iconic songs defined the ‘90s, reflected the history, and shaped the soundscape of eras that followed. Rob is knowledgeable and enthusiastic about these hits, and finds something to appreciate songs that you might have been rolling your eyes at back then, but long to hear now. Rob quickly got to 60 songs but didn’t stop there, so there’s a bit of a misnomer. But we all know that the ‘90s were a turning point in music. So why stop at 60?

History of the 90s

History of the ‘90s is a rollercoaster ride taking you through the decade, from the highs of RBG and the golden age of anime to the lows of comedians we lost too soon (Chris Farley, Phil Hartman, John Candy) and Columbine. Host Kathy Kenzora is your ‘90s historian to all the pop culture, news, important historical events and quirky fun things that only the 90s could bring.

90s Disney

You know I love Disney, so you know I can’t leave out 90s Disney, a podcast that dedicates each episode to a single 90s Disney topic, like A Goofy Movie, extinct Disney restaurants, Darkwing Duck, and all the rides we’ve loved before. Sometimes I feel like this podcast was made for me, and you’ll feel like it was made for you, too, if you’re of a certain age and spent your vacations at Disney World or raced home from school to watch The Disney Channel. “90s Disney” will stir up all those memories from the Happiest Place on Earth, with a group of hosts who treat everything Disney with admiration.

Big Orange Couch: The 90s Nickelodeon Podcast

If you can finish the jingle, “Write to me, Stick Stickley, PO Box 963, New York City, New York State…” that means one thing: you were a Nick kid, and you grew up on green slime, SNICK, Nick Toons, and Nick at Nite. On Big Orange Couch, Andrew, Joey, and Ally don’t stop at the ‘90s—they dedicate entire episodes to years far more recent—but special attention is paid to Rugrats, specific episodes of Dog, favorite Are You Afraid of the Dark objects, and everything else you ran home after school to watch.

Slow Burn: The LA Riots

In 1992, four Los Angeles police officers were captured on videotape beating Rodney King, and a jury failed to convict them. This sent the city into chaos—the result of years of pent-up frustration about racial injustice and unchecked police abuse. Slow Burn is a narrative podcast that exposes neglected stories about historic events (they’ve covered Watergate, the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, Biggie and Tupac, and more). On their sixth season about The LA Riots, Joel Anderson explores the people and events behind everything that happened leading up to that day, and how the story is still playing out.

You Get a Podcast!

Few cultural artifacts define the ‘90s quite like The Oprah Winfrey Show. The products and people Oprah featured were skyrocketed into popularity; many of the show’s moments are burned into our brains; and 90s kids felt like they were raised by the Queen of Talk. Especially if our mothers were taking everything Oprah said as gospel. (How many of us were warned about “rainbow parties” thanks to Winfrey’s warnings?) On You Get a Podcast!, historians and best friends Kellie Carter Jackson and Leah Wright Riguer take us through the show’s archives to dissect the most iconic episodes, from book club controversies to diet fads.

Because of Anita

It’s been more than 30 years since Professor Anita Hill’s landmark testimony in the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings. For perhaps the first time, sexual harassment, race, and gender were on everyone’s mind and in every cultural and political conversation. Co-hosted by Dr. Salamishah Tillet, cultural critic at The New York Times, and Cindi Leive, journalist and co-founder of The Meteor, Because of Anita takes a fresh look at the story, interviewing Professor Hill and women who played key roles at the time, like journalist Jane Mayer; lawyer and Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw; scholar Dr. Barbara Ransby; and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, Kerry Washington, and “Me Too” founder and activist Tarana Burke. The show is hard to listen to, absolutely unbelievable, and important if you want to understand the climate of the 1990s, how far we’ve come, and how we haven’t progressed at all.

PEOPLE in the 90s

In the ‘90s, People magazine was America’s go-to place for celebrity content and human interest stories. For every episode of PEOPLE in the ‘90s, People’s Deputy West Coast Editor Jason Sheeler and Style and Beauty Director Andrea Lavinthal use a different issue of the magazine during the decade as a time machine, reliving celebrity interviews and cultural touchstones, with iconic guests like Paula Abdul, Tori Spelling, and Jamie Lee Curtis jumping on the mic to weigh in. Jason and Andrea have their fingers on what was the pulse, and remind us of some of the moments, styles, and trends we’ve long forgotten. It’s a nostalgia-packed reminder of the days when print magazines ruled the world.

Retronauts

For about 15 years (an eternity in podcast time!) Retronauts has been covering the history of video games—not only the ‘90s, but there’s some great ‘90s stuff in there. It’s been through some changes—hosts Jeremy Parish and Bob Mackey have been passing their mic to their friends recently. But I recommend dipping into the archive and work your way through the ‘90s with Jeremy and Bob. Not only do they have great one-game-at-a-time reviews, they touch upon topics like the many adaptations of Mario, Stephen King’s influence on games, Valiant’s Nintendo Comics, and more.

Generation S

If you can remember scribbling that weird ‘S’ symbol onto your desks and notebooks in high school, you’ll love Generation S, a nostalgic look at popular books, movies, TV shows and experiences that all ‘90s kids experienced. We’re talking movie rental culture, pro wrestling, LAN parties, and the epic home run race of 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa. There’s an episode for anyone who grew up in the ‘90s.