10 Underrated Hard Rock Albums Of The '90s

10. Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind

There's a good chance that the name Third Eye Blind gets more than a few eyerolls these days. As opposed to the more celebrated acts like Nirvana and Pearl Jam from this era, these alternative bros from California don't really get mentioned outside of the poppy Semi-Charmed Life all that often. On the other hand, that's no reason to ignore the phenomenal amount of kickass across the rest of their debut.

From front to back, this record is a perfect blend of pop smarts and creative melodies, all of which seem to fit nicely in between the sounds of Soundgarden and the Offspring. Instead of completely gelling though, these guys were on a bit of a different trip than their contemporaries. While most of the album is nothing but rock bangers throughout, these songs actually have a lot more to say than just good times, from the internal loneliness of How's It Going to Be to the near-suicide story that happens in Jumper.

Even if the poppier fare isn't really your thing, tracks like Graduate and Losing a Whole Year are still more than worth any hard rocker's time. Despite being one of the best first impressions you could possibly make, Third Eye Blind quickly fell out of favor with the public shortly afterward, never being able to reach their first heights. As it stands though, this first outing is one of those gems that deserves to be remembered for more than just a nostalgia trip.