The 20 Worst Albums Of The '90s: 10-1

6. Korn
Follow the Leader (1998)
It's best to forget everything about Follow the Leader. Forget the braids, dreads, piercings, kilts, and the fact that Korn is from Bakersfield. Forget the pseudo-metal guitar riffs, banshee beat boxing, mind-numbing bass slapping, unwarranted record scratches, and horrible high-school locker room rhymes from Fred Durst and Jonathan Davis. Above all, don't attempt to decipher the meaning of the nebulous, angst-ridden "something" Davis keeps screaming about (the word appears over 40 times, but is never explained). And, if you can, forget Ice Cube rapping over "Children of the Korn." Godspeed. -Max Bell

5. Matchbox 20
Yourself or Someone Like You (1996)
What distinguishes Matchbox Twenty's bland alternative rock from every other post-grunge '90s band? Rob Thomas's nasally, faux-drawling voice. The lyrics of Yourself or Someone Like You are dullsville, save for the controversial "Push," which many mistook as an endorsement of domestic violence. Thomas rebutted the accusation by explaining that the chorus ("I wanna push you around, well I will, well I will") referred to a woman who abused her boyfriend, not vice-versa. We can vouch that this work does indeed make us want to hit people. -Linda Leseman

4. Spice Girls
Spice (1996)
"Girl Power," the mid-'90s catch phrase made famous by the Spice Girls, was first used by Riot Grrrl icons like Kathleen Hanna of Bikini Kill. So in effect Spice doesn't just embody everything wack about manufactured mainstream pop, it represents poser feminism. The group members -- picked by their management to compete with boy band mania -- offered diluted, sugarcoated R&B with all the nourishment of a mouthfull of Pop Rocks and Diet Coke. Attempts at rapping ("Last Time Lover", "Wannabe") are pretty weak, and the thin harmonies ("Say You'll Be There") can't even be redeemed by the glossy production. The shocking conclusion: The Spice Girls are not, in fact, spicy. -Linda Leseman

3. Crash Test Dummies
God Shuffled His Feet (1993)
In 1993, alt rock was so damn popular that the monotonous, depressing, grating "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" managed to climb to number four. While Crash Test Dummies singer Brad Roberts' deep baritone isn't totally uninteresting, his annoying humming of the song's hook is enough to make Canadians flee south of the border. The worst part is that the track somehow vaulted this band into the mainstream consciousness, spawning three additional singles from the album, including the even more ridonkulous title track. Considering how difficult these songs are to get out of your head, hearing one once is the aural equivalent of being waterboarded. -Daniel Kohn