re: Were the late 90's/early 2000's the worst period for music ever?

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Fall of 1991 and into 1992 began to change music into a totally new mainstream creature. Bands like Winger, Steelheart, Warrant, Mr. Big, etc. were basically more primitive and dumbed down versions of what ICP, Bizkit, Orgy, Linkin Park did to Faith No More, RHCP, and later RATM. Warrant could even be compared with a boy band since their label were slavemasters to them.

By '92, rock music was evolving into a redefinition of the late 60's and early 70's. Still, there became diversity out of the likes of Primus, Ministry (poor pop/new wave band turned metal and industrial godfathers), and Jane's Addiction -- bands who stole that bit of Sabbath and/or The Stones and made it their own after fusing with funk, thrash, new wave, rap, etc.

1992 saw acts like Madonna and Prince reach their peaks, so pop music was still a thing...just became a bit more controlled by the status quo that "Grunge" aka Nirvana and Pearl Jam were doing to society as far as fashion, lingo, sexiness, hair-styles, cars, etc. For instance, shows like Beverly Hills 90210 would use music as a means of promotions of both the show and the artists they used which ranged from Gene Loves Jizebel to Sophie B Hawkins to later the likes of Hum and Sugar Ray.

While Grunge was taking off in the mainstream, Hip-hop was now "decent" to listen to in the status quo book of standards as the east coast would be flooded with groups such as Brand Nubian, ATCQ, Naughty by Nature, and the origins of Tupac Shakur. The south would learn who Arrested Development and Eight Ball and MJG were, while the west coast flooded the NATION with ex-N.W.A. members who each found success. 1992 also saw radio-friendly hip-hop acts who sprouted and grew with a bit more from an R&B influence such as TLC, a revamped Salt N Peppa, and newbies like Joe Public. 1992 was the perfect mix of a new style of rock music (which inadvertently earned the brand of "alternative"), baby steps into hip-hop and rap, and a new type of pop that was no longer about teen mall singers and Ebony lookalikes. Metallica was now on pop radio stations, as "The Unforgiven" was likely to follow 4-Non Blondes's "What's Up?" on radio. Obviously PJ and Nirvana were beyond just music and this obsession would lead even the most casual of listeners into Soundgarden, Alice In Chains...and uh, yeah -- The Spin Doctors and White Zombie...in other words, everyone just became lumped together into "Alternative Music" as if these bands were a prevention to ear diseases. Clearly, music and MTV were not the same as they once were and 1-800-Dial MTV was not getting calls for Europe, Poison, Dokken, INXS, or Bobby Ferrin. Hell, they weren't getting any calls. Alternative Nation and Head Banger's Ball moved to decent time slots (and gave Beavis and Butt-head lovers a new taste in music).

1993-94 saw metal get a bump in ratings thanks to Pantera, Sepultura (huge South American following), and Slayer. Heavier rock was now being completely accepted by the mainstream due to Tool, Live, Smashing Pumpkins, a new version of Anthrax, and Stone Temple Pilots -- again, a lumping together effect. Rap was growing...pop was reliving itself via Meatloaf and Whitney Houston. CD sales were undeniably huge. By the summer of 1994, the average music fan had Nirvana, Prince, and Dre in the changer.

1995 and 1996 saw an explosion of "indie rock" -- basically a sound that derived from The Pixies, Sonic Youth, some here and there grunge, and My Bloody Valentine/"shoegaze" rock. The grunge look and overall atmosphere was fading, girls were cutting their hair like Courtney Cox, there was nothing majorly political that was brainwashing America other than the usual, and music was more affordable and purchased than ever before. The start of through the summer of 95, alone, saw Bush, Silverchair, Sponge, Radiohead, Veruca Salt, Joan Osbourne, Soul Asylum 311, Weezer, NIN, Beck, and Oasis merge into a teenage and collegiate soundtrack where any song from any aforementioned artist could be placed in a mix tape and given to the ditsy head cheerleader. 5 years earlier -- no chance. 1995-96 was where the 90's peaked and an inevitable fall would occur. College radio blared strong during that peak and introduced the suburbs of the U.S. to distorted guitars and loud drums, but softer vocals and less persona in the form of bands such as Hum, Failure, and Sunny Day Real Estate. Bands were not saying anything, but saying plenty. Nevertheless, every genre, by 1996 had its Alice Cooper or Madonna in the form of M Manson, Courtney Love, and well -- Madonna. Every genre that was not pop was still popular and it was not uncommon at all to turn on MTV and see a video from Spacehog or BET and receive vision and sound from Busta Rhymes. Metal still had Pantera, but to engage a mainstream audience, one needed to fuse hip-hop with metal and be a RATM or a Korn. Hip-hop had their share of blue-collar talent, but now the images of Missy Elliot, Master P, Puff Daddy, and Lil Kim dominated MTV/BET and shared limelighted status with the soon to be murdered 2Pac and Biggy Smalls. By the turn of the calendar into 1997, it was as if the world turned a bit too much. The indie rock scene and the uncool, unattractive guitar player seemed to fall back into the cracks of the sidewalks. Image and status were creeping in.

We come to 1997...a year that ended 1992-1996. MTV was now catering to a new group and image and fashion began to override sound. Roy Orbison would not have made it in 1997. Frank Black was not in demand. The Spice Girls, Hanson, Jamiroquai, the bad girl innocence of Fiona Apple, boy bands, and suave-looking hip-hop artists were in. And if you didn't have the look, you better go big and extreme like Marilyn Manson or carry frenzied techno beats in your music ala The Chemical Brothers, Death in Vegas, or The Crystal Method did. Rock, in the mainstream, was basically pop. Rap and rock mixed was in huge demand and would bring about the idea that white boys could appear "black" as Fred Durst would prove. The mega-stars of 1995-96 were finishing their tours and certainly not in the studio as NIN fans would certainly testify to. Solo careers for the likes of Chris Cornell and Jerry Cantrell were on the opposite end of the totem pole than their previous bands towered upon. Big boobs, hair, butts, and boots never really went away; however, 1997 ensured that they would never leave.

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