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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsThere is no definitive ranking of the best boy bands of the ’90s and ’00s. A fair comparison looks at chart impact, signature songs and albums, distinctive sound and performance, reach across regions, and lasting influence. By those measures, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Boyz II Men, Take That, Boyzone, Westlife, Five, East 17, and B2K make a strong shortlist—but the strongest choices differ by scene and style.
What counts as a boy band?
The label is broad. It usually describes a male vocal group whose members perform together as a pop act, but it can cover everything from harmony-led R&B groups to choreography-centered teen pop. Some groups fit the term more neatly than others, so a useful list should recognize the overlap rather than pretend the category has sharp borders.
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Apple Music’s overview of the era points to harmonies, choreography, and ballads, and names major acts across the United States, United Kingdom, and Ireland. Its regional sweep is a helpful starting point, not an exhaustive taxonomy of every group from the period: Apple Music’s boy-band guide.
The leading contenders, by scene and sound
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys are among the clearest choices for a defining late-’90s international pop group. GRAMMY describes their appeal as combining elements associated with Boyz II Men’s R&B-group success and New Kids on the Block’s heartthrob appeal—a useful way to understand how they bridged vocal-group tradition and teen-pop stardom. Their album Millennium was released May 18, 1999, according to the group’s official releases page.
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Their single “I Want It That Way” reached number one on the UK Official Singles Chart. Official Charts records May 15, 1999, as its first chart date and a 14-week chart run; those figures describe the UK chart, not global performance: Official Charts’ single record.
*NSYNC
*NSYNC belong in any serious US-centered account of the era. Their place beside Backstreet Boys reflects the period’s polished, youth-oriented pop sound and performance style. TIME’s 2014 retrospective called Lou Pearlman the person who “invented Backstreet Boys and ‘N Sync”; that is the magazine’s shorthand for his role in the groups’ management and early story, not a complete account of how either group formed: TIME’s “The Boy-Band Blueprint”.
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men complicate any narrow definition of boy band. Their harmony-led R&B identity differs from the more overtly teen-pop presentation of many later groups, yet their success is part of the musical context in which Backstreet Boys’ appeal developed. GRAMMY’s retrospective connects those traditions without claiming that the groups sounded the same: GRAMMY’s Backstreet Boys retrospective.
Take That, Boyzone, and Westlife
The UK and Irish scenes are essential to a cross-regional list. Apple Music identifies Take That as a major UK act and Boyzone and Westlife as Irish groups from the era. Westlife also has a specific UK chart distinction: Official Charts names “I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun” the last Official Number 1 single of 1999. That is a UK milestone, not a claim about a worldwide year-end ranking: Official Charts’ 1990s number-one history.
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Five and East 17
Five and East 17 broaden the UK picture beyond a single polished-pop template. Apple Music includes both in its overview of the country’s boy-band scene. Their inclusion matters because “best” should not collapse a varied regional history into a contest between the most internationally visible US acts.
B2K
B2K represents the later end of the period and the US scene’s continuation into the 2000s. Apple Music includes the group in its account of the era’s major acts, making them a useful choice for a list that spans both decades rather than stopping at late-’90s peak popularity.
How to compare the groups without pretending the ranking is settled
These acts are not interchangeable, and the evidence available for each is not identical. A UK chart record can establish a UK result; it cannot establish a worldwide ranking. Likewise, a group’s appearance in an era overview supports its relevance, but does not by itself prove that it outsold or out-influenced every group omitted.
| Group | Why it belongs in the conversation | Concrete evidence and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Backstreet Boys | A bridge between R&B-group appeal and teen-pop stardom; a defining late-’90s album and single. | Millennium release date: May 18, 1999, per the group’s official releases page. “I Want It That Way” peaked at UK number one, first charted May 15, 1999, and stayed on the UK chart for 14 weeks, per Official Charts. |
| *NSYNC | A central US teen-pop act of the period. | Named in Apple Music’s era overview; TIME’s 2014 retrospective discusses the group in the context of Lou Pearlman’s role. |
| Boyz II Men | A harmony-led R&B group that helps explain the broader vocal-group lineage. | Named in Apple Music’s overview and discussed in GRAMMY’s retrospective on Backstreet Boys’ musical context. |
| Take That | A major UK scene representative. | Named in Apple Music’s regional overview; no comparable chart figure is established here. |
| Boyzone | An important Irish act, often left out of US-only lists. | Named in Apple Music’s regional overview; no comparable chart figure is established here. |
| Westlife | An Irish group with a notable UK chart milestone. | Official Charts identifies “I Have A Dream / Seasons In The Sun” as the last UK Official Number 1 single of 1999. |
| Five | A UK act that broadens the picture beyond the best-known transatlantic names. | Named in Apple Music’s regional overview; no comparable chart figure is established here. |
| East 17 | A UK group representing another strand of the scene. | Named in Apple Music’s regional overview; no comparable chart figure is established here. |
| B2K | A representative of the 2000s continuation of the boy-band era. | Named in Apple Music’s overview; no comparable chart figure is established here. |
So, which were the best?
For late-’90s crossover pop, Backstreet Boys have an especially strong case: the group’s repertoire includes a major UK number-one single, and Millennium offers a clear album landmark from 1999. For a harmony-first R&B lineage, Boyz II Men are indispensable. For a view that includes the UK and Ireland, Take That, Boyzone, and Westlife belong beside the US acts, with Five and East 17 adding further range. B2K keeps the list from treating the 2000s as an afterthought.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →This is an editorial shortlist, not a measured league table. The cited sources do not establish comparable worldwide sales totals for these groups, so a sales-based ranking would overstate what can be supported. The best choice depends on whether the listener values chart milestones, vocal identity, performance, regional reach, or a particular generation’s pop memory.
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