JANUARY
Top hit
Black Or White · Michael Jackson
Top album
Dangerous · Michael Jackson
Year
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One moment while we pull together the music from this year.
Alternative normalization
1992
Guitar bands return to the center, Dr. Dre redraws the West Coast, and the charts look like rebellion, rhythm, and reinvention sharing one dial.
Alternative Becomes Mainstream
Guitar bands return to the center of the culture — hip-hop keeps evolving, and pop learns to borrow from every corner of the map. Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic' redraws the West Coast while R.E.M. and U2 prove that college rock can still fill stadiums. The charts look like a mix of rebellion, rhythm, and reinvention. College rock, G-funk, and arena confession collide until rebellion starts sounding like the new normal.
- alternative rock
- Dr. Dre
- grunge
- R.E.M.
- crossover hip-hop
- Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic' defines G-funk
- R.E.M.'s 'Automatic for the People' becomes an alt-rock landmark
- Eric Clapton's 'Unplugged' revives the acoustic format
- Sir Mix-A-Lot's 'Baby Got Back' tops the chart
Hot 100 · weeks at #1
Top songs
Album chart · weeks at #1
Top albums
Through the year
Tap a month to drill into chart weeks.
FEBRUARY
Top hit
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me · George Michael/elton John
Top album
Nevermind · Nirvana
MARCH
Top hit
To Be With You · Mr. Big
Top album
Ropin' The Wind · Garth Brooks
APRIL
Top hit
Save The Best For Last · Vanessa Williams
Top album
Adrenalize · Def Leppard
MAY
Top hit
Jump · Kris Kross
Top album
Adrenalize · Def Leppard
JUNE
Top hit
Jump · Kris Kross
Top album
Totally Krossed Out · Kris Kross
JULY
Top hit
Baby Got Back · Sir Mix-a-lot
Top album
Some Gave All · Billy Ray Cyrus
AUGUST
Top hit
Baby Got Back · Sir Mix-a-lot
Top album
Some Gave All · Billy Ray Cyrus
SEPTEMBER
Top hit
End Of The Road (From "Boomerang") · Boyz Ii Men
Top album
Some Gave All · Billy Ray Cyrus
OCTOBER
Top hit
End Of The Road (From "Boomerang") · Boyz Ii Men
Top album
Some Gave All · Billy Ray Cyrus
NOVEMBER
Top hit
End Of The Road (From "Boomerang") · Boyz Ii Men
Top album
The Chase · Garth Brooks
DECEMBER
Top hit
I Will Always Love You · Whitney Houston
Top album
The Predator · Ice Cube
