10 Greatest Guitar Solos Of The '90s

Of all the '90s giants that come out of the post grunge era, you probably aren't going to find a more reluctant guitar hero than Jonny Greenwood. Even though Radiohead have some of the most inventive rock and roll of the last century under their belt, Jonny was always trying to deconstruct what the guitar player's role was in a band, finding different ways to mess it up like the different chunks on Creep or the weird noise that comes in the back half of Fake Plastic Trees. As they painted their masterpiece though, Jonny found just the right funnel for his trademark brand of weird.

Although Paranoid Android is already a bit of a strange song without the guitar playing, Jonny provides some of the best moments from the song's climax, building to the massive riffs in the heavy section and bending the life out of his strings before the solo. Once the proper solo starts, the first half is practically Jonny torturing his guitar, with the instrument sounding like it's pleading for mercy and screaming out in pain. When it comes back to the standard melodic phrases though, Jonny is still far from normal, playing different atonal pieces that sound like the titular robot trying to figure out how to emote for the first time.

For all of the wild left turns that come out of this one solo, it might be the definitive version of what a Radiohead solo should be, leaving you emotionally satisfied but with a lot more questions than you have answers. The more technical minded fans may still be scratching their heads, but somewhere in the ether, Frank Zappa is giving his smile of approval.