11 Albums Turning 30 in 2025
We’re currently in a unique time for ’90s nostalgia, which could be why this list of albums turning 30 in 2025 hits so damn hard. Seriously, scroll through this list and take in all of the killer albums released in 1995. It was an outstanding year for rock!
Oasis – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
Oasis followed up their classic 1994 debut, Definitely Maybe, with another classic album. Simply put: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? is Britpop perfection. Anyway… here’s “Wonderwall.”
Radiohead – The Bends
Before it became an iconic meme, The Bends was the second studio album from Radiohead. While it wasn’t a runaway commercial success in the United States, it was well-received in the band’s native U.K. (Eventually, The Bends was certified platinum in the U.S.) Additionally, it helped set the table for Radiohead’s third studio album, the classic OK Computer.
The Smashing Pumpkins – Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
Yet another monster album released in 1995, and with Mellon Collie…, that applies to both its track listing and its success. This was the third studio album from The Smashing Pumpkins and remains their lone No. 1 album, which is wild considering it’s a double album. Mellon Collie…really did construct a unique bridge that reached mainstream and alternative rock and even flirted a bit with Top 40. The album’s singles — “Bullet with Butterfly Wings,” “1979,” “Zero,” “Tonight, Tonight,” and “Thirty-Three” — are undeniable.
Alanis Morrissette – Jagged Little Pill
If you were alive in 1995, then you can atest to the fact that there was seemingly no escaping Jagged Little Pill. Its track listing practically reads like a greatest hits album. Despite it being Alanis Morrissette’s third studio album, Jagged Little Pill lauched her to worldwide superstardom overnight. It’s sold 33 million copies worldwide, with 17 million copies being sold in the United States alone.
Garbage – Garbage
Garbage, in this author’s opinion, doesn’t get enough credit for their catalog, and Shirley Manson is still crimminally underrated as a lead singer. Their self-titled debut proves you can be cool AF without being a pretentious a-hole about things.
No Doubt – Tragic Kingdom
Much like Jagged Little Pill, the track listing for Tragic Kingdom also reads like a greatest hits album. It, too, was also inescapable thanks to its singles “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs,” “Sunday Morning,” “Excuse Me Mr.,” and the megahit “Don’t Speak,” which still cuts deep all these years later.
Red Hot Chili Peppers – One Hot Minute
One Hot Minute is a unique one for Red Hot Chili Peppers fans and is often divisive. Fans either love it or they don’t; there is little to no grey area. While Dave Navarro is an outstanding guitarist, there’s just something John Frusciante brings to the Chili Peppers that no one else can.
Foo Fighters – Foo Fighters
Of all of the things 1995 gave the rock world, the one that had the most significant ripple effect was probably the self-titled debut of the Foo Fighters. Obviously, Dave Grohl was under insane scrutiny and pressure after Nirvana ended due to the death of Kurt Cobain, but who thought he’d lead one of rock’s biggest successes of the past 30 years?!
AC/DC – Ballbreaker
Ballbreaker is infamous among AC/DC fans for its tensions between the band and producer Rick Rubin. (Malcolm Young later called Rubin “not a real rock and roller” and a “phony” in a 2003 interview with Guitar World.) Sure, it’s not a classic, but even AC/DC’s sub-par records aren’t without their fun moments, and “Hard as a Rock” and “Hail Caesar.”
Green Day – Insomniac
Green Day faced a nearly impossible task with following up the insanely successful Dookie, but just over 20 months separate the release of Dookie and Insomniac, which saw Green Day double-down on darkness and their punk roots. Sure, Insomniac racked up nowhere near the amount of sales as Dookie, but the growth it showed is something that deserves a second look.
White Zombie – Astro-Creep: 2000
The final album from White Zombie, Astro-Creep: 2000 saw the band go out with a bang. It remains White Zombie’s most commercially successful album thanks to killer tracks “More Human than Human.”
