15 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996

Alternative rock dominated the early part of the '90s and was still going strong in 1996 and here we're giving you a look back at the 15 best alternative rock songs from 1996.

It was one of the last truly great years for alternative rock, with many alternative stations across the U.S. moving away from melodic music in favor of a heavier sound with nu-metal's big explosion two years later.

We should note that in choosing the 15 Best Alternative Rock Songs of 1996, we're excluding grunge, pop-punk and nu-metal which can all stand on their own with the dominance that each shared in the decade. So you won't be seeing Soundgarden, Green Day or Rage Against the Machine, who were all finding success in those three styles during 1996.

But you will see Smashing Pumpkins, who had moved beyond their grunge beginnings with the nostalgic "1979," a huge smash in the 1996.

READ MORE: 12 1996 Rock Song Lyrics You Still Sing Along To

The year also gave us big alt-rock songs from college rock success story R.E.M., '90s Brit-rockers Oasis, arguably the biggest act on the planet in 1996, Alanis Morissette and breakout acts such as Garbage and No Doubt. That's a pretty broad swath of styles, but it all sounded great under the alternative rock melting pot.

It was also a big year outside the music scene, where Independence Day was ruling the box office, Friends was dominating on TV and the Chicago Bulls were winning yet another NBA title.

So let's hop in that time machine, set the coordinates for 1996 and revisit the best that alternative rock had to offer.

Below we ask you to dig a little deeper into your musical memory. Do you remember these 1996 rock radio hits that you rarely hear on radio today?