15 Pop Culture Icons From The 90s Who Have Managed To Stay Relevant Today

Posted by Reinaldo Massengill on Wednesday, May 29, 2024

Staying relevant sometimes can be considered a talent in itself as it's not as easy as it may seem.

The '90s was a wild decade and contained so many iconic pop culture figures. From teen sensations, iconic actors, to killer music videos, it's a decade that is close to a lot of people's hearts. Whether you were one of those people who had butterfly clips in your hair, wore platform shoes or had posters of Eminem on your wall, it's safe to say the '90s was a decade for expressing yourself.

Over the years, we've all seen celebrities be the name on everyone's lips to completely forgotten about. However, these 15 are still going just as strong as they were in the '90s and we can't get enough of them.

15 Miss Jackson If Ya Nasty

Janet Jackson rose to fame in the '70s as a member of the Jackson family as she would star in their variety television series. In the '80s, she kickstarted her music career and began her journey as a music icon. In the '90s, Jackson cemented her status as one of pop culture's most legendary performers and is still considered one today.

Fast forward to 2020 and she is still on top of her game. Later this year, the "Miss You Much" hitmaker is scheduled to embark on her "Black Diamond" world tour which will see Jackson play in huge arenas across North America. She also plans to release her 12th studio album under the same name.

14 Leonardo DiCaprio, Every Teen's Heartthrob

Leonardo DiCaprio was every teen girl's favorite actor in the '90s and still is today. After starring in Titanic and Romeo and Juliet, DiCaprio warmed everyone's hearts and became in demand.

His acting career has gone from strength to strength and he continues to secure the bag. In 2016, he won his first Oscar for Best Actor for his role in The Revenant.

13 Born To Make You Happy

Britney Spears released her debut single, "Baby One More Time," in 1998 and a star was born. Spears became an instant icon and made school uniforms cool.

The "Piece of Me" songstress is still talked about and continues to inspire the current pop stars of today. From Charli XCX to Selena Gomez, Miss Spears should be credited for their a part of their sound.

12 You're Still The One, Shania

Shania Twain is country music royalty and that's just a fact. The "You Don't Impress Me Much" chart-topper burst onto the music scene in the 1990s and ended up releasing the best-selling album of all time, Come On Over, in 1997.

Skip to 2020 and Twain is still a relevant performer. The singer is currently embarking on a new Las Vegas residency and recently scored herself a No. 1 album for her first release in 15 years with Now.

11 The Fresh Prince

Will Smith became a household name after he starred in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Along with his acting, he also had a successful music career in the 90s and scored hits with "Miami" and "Getting Jiggy With It."

Two decades later and Smith is still a popular actor who quite frankly hasn't aged at all. Earlier this year, Bad Boys for Life hit the big screen and grossed $62,504,105 during its opening. To date, it has racked up more than $204,417,855.

10 The Real Slim Shady

Eminem released his breakthrough album, The Slim Shady LP, in 1999 and changed the rap game. The "We Made You" entertainer would continue his success until the mid-2000s and before going a little quiet. Luckily, not for long.

Eminem returned to the music scene in 2009 and has continued to prove his relevancy. At the beginning of 2020, he dropped his 11th studio album, Music to Be Murdered By, which unsurprisingly became another global chart-topper.

9 We're Still Saying Queen Bey's Name

Beyonce debuted into the world of R&B as a member of Destinys Child. She embarked on a solo career in the early 2000s and has never looked back. After marrying rapper Jay-Z, the couple has become one of pop culture's most influential and untouchable duos.

As for her music career. Well. All she has to do is drop it on any day and the world would stop.

8 A Vision Of Love

Mariah Carey is one of music's best vocalists and one of the most successful recording artists in the world. The "We Belong Together" powerhouse holds the record for the most No. 1 singles (18) on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and has achieved a chart-topping hit in the last four decades.

Her iconic 1994 Christmas single, "All I Want For Christmas Is You," proved to be more popular than ever, topping the charts 25 years after its initial release last year.

7 She Used To Be Just A Girl

Gwen Stefani began her career in the punk-ska band No Doubt and has propelled into a business mogul. Stefani went on to have a successful career as a solo artist and launched her own clothing and eye range.

However, that clearly wasn't enough. The "Hollaback Girl" songstress also became a judge on The Voice where she met her boyfriend Blake Shelton.

After making fans wait 10 years for a new solo album, Stefani became the fifth woman to have a No. 1 album as a member of a band and as a solo artist with This Is What The Truth Feels Like in 2016.

RELATED: A Timeline Of Gwen Stefani's Evolution In Fashion, In 15 Photos

6 Pretty Woman

Julia Roberts kickstarted the 90s by playing the role of Vivian Ward in Pretty Woman and got off to an incredible start. Roberts won an award for Best Actress - Musical or Comedy at the 48th Golden Globe and continued to propel.

In 1999, she ended her decade with Notting Hill and Runaway Bride which were both huge box office successes.

Roberts still gets booked for many acting roles over two decades later and recently starred in Wonder which racked up more than $132 million.

5 The Age Of Innocence

Winona Ryder was a cool chick in the '90s and is still a cool chick in 2020.

After playing huge roles in Mermaids, Edward Scissorhands, and Little Women, it was clear that Ryder was here to stay.

In 2016, she debuted her main role as Joyce Byers in the Netflix hit show Stranger Things and has proved that she's still got it going on.

4  J To Tha LO

Jennifer Lopez kickstarted her career as just a dancer. However, that wasn't enough for the Latina. Lopez has continued to prove that age is just a number and that you do anything you set your mind to. The "Love Don't Cost A Thing" hitmaker has done it all from singing, acting, and endorsement deals.

Last year, Lopez starred in Hustlers and wowed critics by receiving a lot of praise. This year, she performed at the Super Bowl Halftime Show with Shakira, cementing her status as one of pop culture's biggest figures.

RELATED: 10 Roles Jennifer Lopez Should've Rejected (And The 5 Most Iconic)

3 Legally Blonde Icon

Reese Witherspoon rose to fame in the '90s and continued to build her profile.

In 1991, she showed off her talents in her debut big-screen movie, The Man in the Moon, at the age of 14 and would then book one job after the other.

From Freeway to Pleasantville, Witherspoon proved her versatility. In the 2000s she played the role of Elle Woods in Legally Blonde which remains iconic. So iconic that it was re-created by Ariana Grande in her 2018 "thank u, next" video.

2 Girl Power Forever!

Some may have thought that the Spice Girls and their "girl power" message was a whole fad. But it wasn't.

In 1996, the group took over the world with their catchy uplifting pop songs but called it day after a short four years. However, girl power still lives on.

Last year, the Spice Girls reformed without Victoria Beckham for a stadium tour and proved to be more popular than ever. According to the Independent, they broke a Ticketmaster record after 700,000 people were in the digital queue waiting for a chance to snatch themselves tickets.

RELATED: 20 Secrets The Spice Girls Don't Want Their Fans To Know

1 Everyone Still Wants The Rachel Haircut

Jennifer Aniston's role as Rachel Green in American sitcom Friends is always going to be a big part of her. After all, everyone did want the same haircut.

Whether it's her classic comedy films or sexy roles, it seems the world is still just as in love with Aniston as they were in the '90s.

NEXT: Here Is What 20 Forgotten Stars Of The '90s Look Like Today

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTErZ%2Bippeoe6S7zGhobmWgpL1ur9Slq66qlWK2pLvNrGSfqp%2BierW0xGZwaatdrLWwecearZ5lnZa7orPEnWStp12owaLFjKucpZ2mlru1edOom5qxXw%3D%3D