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Do you remember these forgotten 1996 rock radio hits?<\/p>\n
You would think that songs that spent time in the Top 20 at radio would leave an imprint, especially if you were listening to a lot of radio at the time they were out. But it’s amazing what 30 years and a scarcity of modern radio play will do to your memory?<\/p>\n
While there are certain acts on this list that had short tenures in the spotlight \u2014 yes, we’re looking at you Nada Surf<\/a> and you Superdrag<\/a> \u2014 you’ll also find some pretty huge bands that have gone so far as being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame<\/a>. So how did you manage to forget a rock radio hit from Van Halen<\/a>? Tom Petty<\/a>? R.E.M.<\/a>? It was the mid-1990s<\/a>, not exactly the peak era for any of those acts.<\/p>\n So what was happening in rock radio in 1996? Grunge was on its last legs, though a number of post-grunge bands were starting to pop up. Brit-rock was going strong, as was the more melodic alternative songs. Industrial rock was having a brief resurgence and nu-metal was still about a year away from flipping the alternative rock radio playlists.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> The Best Hard Rock Album for Each Year of the 1990s<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n While this list is presented as a challenge, we’re also hoping it dredges up some nostalgia for how great rock music was in 1996. And there’s the secondary hope that maybe some radio playlists broaden with a few of these suggestions. So enjoy as we take a trip back in time to celebrate some of these forgotten 1996 rock radio hits.<\/p>\n And keep scrolling after as we revisit 40 songs that helped define rock radio in 1996.<\/p>\n They were once heavily played, but do you ever hear these songs on your radio airwaves?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Chad Childers, Loudwire<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Rock, grunge, pop-punk, alternative, metal, Brit-rock, funk rock, ska punk and more populated the airwaves in 1996.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Chad Childers<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nDo You Remember These Forgotten 1996 Rock Radio Hits?<\/h2>\n
40 Rock Radio Songs That Defined 1996<\/h2>\n