Whether it’s Justin Bieber, One Direction, Katy Perry or one of the many dreadful others, music is not what it used to be. The generation I grew up in was arguably the last generation of great music.

Instead of using their music to send a positive message and educate their fans, today we have artists singing about going to the club, drinking and sleeping around. It’s hard for me to see any different when every top 40 song reaffirms this– and it is a shame.

I try to avoid this new music as much as I can, and 90s music provides a great escape from the everyday imitation of club-pop music. Back then, more bands and artists created their own sound and style.

For example, look at No Doubt and Spice Girls. No Doubt introduced us to the idea of a female lead singer and how awesome punk rock was. The Spice Girls taught us about girl power, along with their crazy British jargon.

During the season of boy bands and female pop artists, Destiny’s Child mixed the idea of hip-hop with a female super group. They were fun, sexy and sang from the heart.

Rock bands like Third Eye Blind, Blink 182 and Goo Goo Dolls created timeless songs, which I bet if you heard one right now you’d be able to sing every word. They make me want a semi-charmed life with all the small things, while no one would know my name.

Metal band Rage Against the Machine took a political, and inevitably influential, approach to their lyrics. Linkin Park mixed rap and rock together and broke the mold using keyboards, two lead singers and their drive to explore new ways to create great music.

Rappers Tupac and Notorious BIG had songs about racism, violence and the hardship they witnessed growing up. Both artists are remembered for their great contributions to rap music, but I think their true influence has been neglected in these recent years.

In the short time that Nirvana was around, grunge thrived with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” launching them to stardom. They set the tone with their unique style of rock, loud dynamic chorus and guitar riffs.

TLC was an amazing group of ladies that went too soon. They were hip-hop with a feminine twist, reminiscent of Salt N Pepa. Listening to them, it’s pretty obvious why “No Scrubs” was my favorite song in the fourth grade.

There were so many incredible artists to listen to back in the 90s; it’s hard to look back and choose just one as my favorite. But there aren’t nearly enough artists to choose from this era, as we’re bombarded with the same people and the same type of music.

The 90s generation of music is a time capsule of all the creativity from these artists. Each genre is just as good as the next and I don’t have to pick and choose which one I want to listen to like I have to today.

I wish today’s music was just as unique and innovative, but maybe that’s what makes 90s music more appreciated. Today’s artists should look up to this generation because they have much to learn.