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90 Trivia Questions From the 1990s (and the 2000s, if you ask nicely)

May 11, 202610 minJames Okafor
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In this article
  1. 1.Music (15)
  2. 2.Movies (15)
  3. 3.TV (15)
  4. 4.Tech & games (10)
  5. 5.World events (10)
  6. 6.Fashion & pop culture (10)
  7. 7.Bonus: 2000s round (15 questions)
  8. 8.Tips
  9. 9.Related reading

TL;DR. Ninety trivia questions from the 1990s — pop culture, music, movies, TV, fashion, tech, and world events — plus a bonus 20-question 2000s round. Sorted by category, mix-and-match for your night.

Music (15)

  • Who released “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in 1991? Nirvana
  • Which boy band released “I Want It That Way”? Backstreet Boys
  • Who sang “Wannabe”? Spice Girls
  • Which Alanis Morissette album sold 33+ million copies in 1995? Jagged Little Pill
  • Who released “…Baby One More Time”? Britney Spears
  • Which 1996 song dominated US radio? “Macarena” by Los del Río
  • Who sang “Killing Me Softly” with The Fugees? Lauryn Hill
  • What was Mariah Carey’s 1991 album title? Mariah Carey (debut)
  • Which grunge band released “Black Hole Sun”? Soundgarden
  • Who sang “Vogue”? Madonna
  • Which 1993 Whitney Houston song was the longest-running #1 single? “I Will Always Love You”
  • Who is the lead singer of Pearl Jam? Eddie Vedder
  • Which TLC album included “Waterfalls”? CrazySexyCool (1994)
  • Who sang “Wonderwall”? Oasis
  • Which 1999 album by Eminem includes “My Name Is”? The Slim Shady LP

    • Movies (15)

  • Which 1994 Quentin Tarantino film starred Travolta and Jackson? Pulp Fiction
  • What animated 1994 Disney film features Simba? The Lion King
  • Who directed *Titanic* (1997)? James Cameron
  • Which 1999 film is told entirely in reverse? (close to date — *Memento* came out in 2000); in the 90s, *Reservoir Dogs* (1992) is a strong out-of-order answer
  • Who plays Forrest Gump? Tom Hanks
  • Which 1995 Pixar film was the first feature-length CGI animation? Toy Story
  • Who directed *Schindler’s List* (1993)? Steven Spielberg
  • Which 1999 film features “I see dead people”? The Sixth Sense
  • What was the highest-grossing film of the 1990s? Titanic (1997)
  • Who plays Trinity in *The Matrix* (1999)? Carrie-Anne Moss
  • Which 1996 film features the Sanderson Sisters? Hocus Pocus (1993, but trivia varies)
  • Who plays the Genie in *Aladdin* (1992)? Robin Williams
  • Which 1994 Jim Carrey film features a green mask? The Mask
  • Who directed *Goodfellas* (1990)? Martin Scorsese
  • Which 1991 Disney film was the first animated film nominated for Best Picture? Beauty and the Beast

    • TV (15)

  • Which sitcom centered around a coffee shop named Central Perk? Friends
  • Who plays Jerry on *Seinfeld*? Jerry Seinfeld
  • What is the name of the high school in *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*? Sunnydale High
  • Which 90s teen drama starred Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling? Beverly Hills, 90210
  • Who is the mom on *Family Matters*? Harriette Winslow
  • Which animated MTV pair watch music videos? Beavis and Butt-Head
  • What was Will Smith’s 90s sitcom called? The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
  • Which 1990s sitcom featured Tim “The Toolman” Taylor? Home Improvement
  • Who plays Buffy in *Buffy the Vampire Slayer*? Sarah Michelle Gellar
  • Which legal drama starred Calista Flockhart? Ally McBeal
  • What is the X-Files’ famous tagline? “The truth is out there.”
  • Who plays Cordelia in *Buffy*? Charisma Carpenter
  • Which 90s show featured an alien named ALF? ALF (technically 1986–1990)
  • Who is the title star of *Roseanne* (1988–1997)? Roseanne Barr
  • Which long-running animated sitcom debuted in 1989? The Simpsons

    • Tech & games (10)

  • Which gaming console launched in 1994 with a CD format? PlayStation (Sony)
  • What was Nintendo’s flagship 90s handheld? Game Boy
  • Which 1996 Pokémon game was the franchise’s debut? Pokémon Red and Green (Japan) / Red and Blue (international)
  • Which company released the iMac in 1998? Apple
  • What was the original name of Google’s search engine? BackRub
  • Which 1999 search engine was a popular Google rival? Ask Jeeves, AltaVista, Yahoo!, Lycos
  • What was the first commercially successful MP3 player? Diamond Rio PMP300 (1998)
  • Which game popularised the first-person shooter? Doom (1993)
  • Which 1996 fighting game introduced sub-zero and scorpion to home consoles widely? Mortal Kombat Trilogy
  • Which 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog game launched on the Genesis/Mega Drive? Sonic the Hedgehog

    • World events (10)

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  • Which wall fell in 1989, marking the end of the Cold War era? The Berlin Wall
  • Who became South Africa’s first Black president in 1994? Nelson Mandela
  • Which 1991 conflict was led by a US-led coalition in Kuwait? Gulf War
  • The European Union was officially formed by which 1993 treaty? The Maastricht Treaty
  • Which 1997 Princess died in a car accident in Paris? Princess Diana
  • Which 1998 conflict involved bombing of Iraq by US and UK forces? Operation Desert Fox
  • Which 1994 genocide occurred in Rwanda? Tutsi genocide
  • Which 1999 currency was introduced in Europe? The euro (officially launched, physical notes in 2002)
  • Which 1995 trial captivated the US? O.J. Simpson trial
  • Who was US president for most of the 1990s? Bill Clinton

    • Fashion & pop culture (10)

  • Which 90s fashion staple was a velvet choker? Choker necklace
  • Which boy bands defined late-90s teen pop? Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men
  • Which 90s shoe brand was famously platformed? Spice Girls’ platform sneakers (and brands like Steve Madden)
  • What was Pog mania? A 1990s craze of collecting circular cardboard discs
  • Which 90s toy was a virtual pet? Tamagotchi
  • Which doll was very popular in the early 90s among teens? Barbie
  • Which talk show host dominated daytime TV in the 90s? Oprah Winfrey
  • Which 90s drink had a slogan “Obey your thirst”? Sprite
  • Which 90s candy bar advertised “Sometimes you feel like a nut”? Almond Joy / Mounds
  • What was a Beanie Baby? A small stuffed animal craze (Ty Inc.)

    • Bonus: 2000s round (15 questions)

  • Which TV show featured Tony Soprano as a mob boss? The Sopranos
  • Who is the lead singer of Coldplay? Chris Martin
  • Which 2003 reality competition crowned its first American Idol? Kelly Clarkson (Season 1, 2002)
  • Which 2003 film won Best Picture? The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • Who released “Crazy in Love” in 2003? Beyoncé
  • Which iPhone year was the first iPhone? 2007
  • What was MySpace’s peak year? 2008
  • Which 2007 film features the line “You either die a hero…”? The Dark Knight (2008)
  • Who plays the lead in *The Wire*? Dominic West (McNulty)
  • Which Mark Zuckerberg site launched in 2004 at Harvard? Facebook
  • Who sang “Hey Ya!” (2003)? OutKast
  • Which 2001 game console succeeded the PS1? PlayStation 2
  • Which 2002 reality show featured Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie? The Simple Life
  • Which Pixar 2003 film features Marlin and Dory? Finding Nemo
  • Who became US president in 2009? Barack Obama

    • Tips

    For decade-themed trivia nights, mix questions across categories so no one team dominates a single sub-genre.

    Related reading

  • How to Host a Trivia Night
  • Music Trivia Questions
  • Movie Trivia Questions

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    James Okafor

    EdTech Researcher & Instructional Designer

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