The history of boy bands goes back much farther than you might realize. Though the term wasn't formally coined until the 1980s, the origins of the actual concept of a handful of guys singing together and making girls swoon goes back to the barbershop quartets of the late-1800s. Since the term "boy band" entered the lexicon, various other groups have been retroactively referred to as such—including what is often considered to be the first true boy band: The Beatles.

That said, there's no question that the 1990s were something of a golden age for boy bands. You had various 80s boy bands hitting their second phase, the birth of boy bands that would continue on into the new millennium, and the ones that burned brightly but faded out before the decade was over. 90s boy bands also spawned one of modern music's biggest solo pop stars: Justin Timberlake.

As nostalgia tends to follow a twenty-year rule, the 2010s has seen a ton of love for 90s music, and the boy bands of the era have been back in full force with new albums and sold-out reunion tours. So now is the perfect time to look back at the decade where it all started, when you couldn't turn on a radio or flip past MTV without hearing a four- or five-part chorus of male voices singing a perfectly crafted pop song—usually with the words "love," "heart," and "girl" in the title.

20 What's In A Name?

via Time Out

Boy bands tend to have a lot of things in common—perfectly-coiffed hair, matching outfits, songs designed to make teenage girls weak in the knees—but one particularly interesting fact that they all share is their hatred of the term "boy band."

For example, though they've since embraced the boy band label for its retro appeal, the Backstreet Boys spent the early part of their career trying to convince the world to call them a "vocal harmony group" rather than a "boy band."

And 98 Degrees' Drew Lachey once told the Chicago Tribune that being signed to Motown Records, as well as the fact that they wrote most of their own songs, were more than enough to prove that the group didn't deserve to be written off as another boy band.

19 Almost A Backstreet Boy

via The Playlist

Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling spent much of his formative years living and working alongside various future boy band members and other pop stars of the era— he was in the same Mickey Mouse Club cast as Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, and Britney Spears.

Gosling even lived with Timberlake for a time when Gosling's mother returned to Canada. Later, Gosling lived in the same apartment complex as future Backstreet Boy A.J. McLean, and the two were hanging out when McLean first started talking of the formation of what would become the Backstreet Boys. Gosling had a chance to get in on the still-forming band, but he declined, predicting that boy bands were a thing of the past. He joked that he would've joined the group, but that McLean stopped returning his calls after that.

18 NSYNC's Deleted Cameo

via TheForce.net

When Star Wars: Attack of the Clones was in production, NSYNC were just beginning to take the world by storm. As such, according to Joey Fatone and his brother, Steven, George Lucas' daughters insisted that their dad put the members of the band into the movie.

While Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass opted out, the Fatone brothers, Chris Kirkpatrick, and JC Chasez went to Industrial Light And Magic during a tour stop and filmed scenes for the movie as Jedi Knights.

Ultimately, the scenes featuring the band were cut—though some eagle-eyed viewers have claimed that the band members can still be seen in the wide shots during the Geonosis battle. It's not entirely clear why Lucas changed his mind, though the two most common theories are fear of Star Wars fan backlash, and issues with NSYNC's SAG memberships.

17 Losing A Member

via Rolling Stone

Before we proceed, we should point out that it is a source of some contention that Boyz II Men are considered a boy band, even more so than the other groups we'll be discussing in this list. But as they are frequently included in lists and articles about boy bands of the era, and many subsequent boy bands describe them as inspirations, we think it's justified to include them here.

Boyz II Men spent their first two decades as a foursome, until the departure of Michael McCary in 2003. But while the "official" reason given for McCary's exit was health issue— and he does, in fact, have back problems due to scoliosis—his bandmates would later confess that the primary reason for the split was McCary's increasing unreliability and his unwillingness to agree to a contract that would ensure he fulfill his duties within the group.

16 The Best Pipes

via Jetss

It's an oft-repeated claim that boy bands can't actually sing, and that their pipes are actually a result of studio magic. With the large number of attractive men with good voices there are in the world, it's baffling to think that a record company would go through all that trouble and expense. Why make dudes who can't sing sound like dudes who actually can, instead of just finding five cute guys with genuinely good voices?

There's no changing the minds of boy band haters.

Considering that Justin Timberlake is the only 90s boy band member to have found major solo success, it's easy to assume that he is the best singer among his peers. But to hear Timberlake himself tell it, that's not the case— he gives that honor to his NYSNC bandmate JC Chasez, who Timberlake says is not only the strongest singer in that group but among all the boy bands.

15 Across The Pond

via Fuse TV

In the United States, the whole boy band thing seemed to slow down a bit between the decline of New Kids on the Block and the ascent of the Backstreet Boys. But in Europe, it was a trend that remained strong during those years, and 90s American boy bands had to go overseas first to gain fame before they could make a splash at home.

The Backstreet Boys' first single, 1995's "We've Got It Goin' On," barely made a dent in the U.S. but was a top five hit in several European countries. The band would continue to tour and have success largely in Europe for two more years before finally landing their first American hit in 1997, "Quit Playing Games (With My Heart)." Similarly, NSYNC had their first hit song in Europe in 1996 but wouldn't cross over into the American market until 1998, two whole years later.

14 Still Going Strong

via br.eonline.com

The song "MMMBop" by sibling boy band Hanson is about futility and how something can go away as quickly as it arrives. For many, it's a fitting message for a band that seemed to hit hard with one huge song before quickly vanishing off the face of the earth—or so it seemed.

While they would leave the world of bouncy bubblegum pop behind on subsequent albums, the Hanson brothers— Taylor, Isaac, and Zac— have remained extremely prolific performers and songwriters since their mid-90s breakthrough. They eventually transitioned to a more adult-oriented indie pop/rock sound that has earned them rave reviews over their decades-long career, with nine full-length albums and fourteen EPs under their belt.

In 2017, the band embarked on a massive headlining world tour that spanned three continents— and they didn't even have to do it as part of a nostalgia group package tour.

13 Mark Wahlberg's Opportunity

via DoYouRemember? (left), and Amazon (right)

The Wahlberg boys —Donnie and Mark— each made their own distinct mark in the pop music landscape of the 80s and 90s. Donnie did it first as part of the pioneering boy band New Kids on the Block, and Mark did it as the frontman of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, best known for their #1 smash hit, "Good Vibrations."

The Wahlberg brothers very nearly ascended to stardom together.

Turns out, Jordan and Jonathan Knight weren't the first brother duo to be New Kids— Mark was an original member of the band alongside Donnie. But his time with NKOTB didn't last long— he felt the band's music was "all baloney and humiliation." Mark was long gone before the rest of the classic lineup joined, only staying on for the first few months of the group's existence.

12 Self-Made Boy Band

via US Weekly

The weird little secret about boy bands is that most of them were put together by a producer or a record company for the specific purpose of creating a blockbuster boy band. Few are comprised of a group of friends who had known each other for a long time and decided to organically start a band together.

98 Degrees, on the other hand, truly are a self-made band. The foursome of friends and brothers that make up 98 Degrees— Jeff Timmons, Nick Lachey, Drew Lachey, and Justin Jeffre— didn't audition for a talent scout or answer a flyer or any of that. They just decided to start a group, and like any initially independent band, had to pay their dues grinding it out across the country in a mobile home on their own dime playing small gigs as they made a name for themselves.

11 Backstreet Boys' Delayed Big Break

via Refinery 29 (left), and queerty.com (right)

You know who tends to really hate boy bands? Rock stars! They decry boy bands for being manufactured, for performing simplistic songs that they didn't even write, and for coasting by on good looks over genuine talent.

John Mellencamp especially hated them, though he hates pretty much everything that isn't his own music.

Mellencamp— who, let's remember, once went by the stage name "Cougar"— was so angry when he found out his then-record label Mercury Records was going to sign the Backstreet Boys that he threatened to quit over it. Mercury gave in, and BSB had to spend another year finding a new deal— which they did, with Jive Records. Ironically, for unrelated reasons, Mellencamp left Mercury Records anyway the same year that BSB's debut album was released.

Mercury giving in to his temper tantrum didn't end up paying off for them in the long run.

10 NSYNC's Naming Scheme

via nzpublic.info

For those that don't know, the name NSYNC is a reference to the first names of all of the members of the band— the last letter, to be specific. So, we have Justin, Chris, Joey, Lanceton, and JC.

Wait... Lanceton? What kind of name is Lanceton!?

It's a made-up name, of course. The actual name of the band member in question is Lance Bass, who wasn't part of the original lineup and replaced Jason Galasso (hence the actual second "N") early on in the band's life, way before they did any real recording or performing. But everyone was already in love with the name NSYNC— as well as its adorable origin that is perfect fodder for teen magazine articles— so the rest of the band jokingly gave Lance the nickname "Lanceton" in order to keep the original name scheme intact.

9 One-Hit Wonders

via thefangirlinglife.com

For every boy band that has had lasting success— as much as "lasting success" exists in the boy band world— there are a dozen more that are one- or two-hit wonders. Among the more memorable of the "lesser" 90s boy bands was Lyte Funkie Ones —AKA LFO— who is best-known for their delightfully goofy 1999 hit "Summer Girls."

You know, the song about girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch. 

In their lead-up to that breakthrough track and the debut album it was found on, LFO released a couple of non-album tracks as they fought for attention in the crowded market. One of those tracks was actually a cover of a boy band classic: "Step by Step", the 1990 hit by New Kids on the Block.

Stick with what works, right?

8 Accidental Backstreet Boys Audition

via Billboard

There is no question that the biggest boy band rivalry of all time was the one between Backstreet Boys and NSYNC— and the fact that Backstreet Boys came first definitely gave their defenders plenty of reason to name them the originators and NSYNC the copycats. What's especially interesting about that fact is that there may have never even been an NSYNC, had it not been for one of its members not passing his BSB audition.

They do say that revenge is a dish best served with hit records. As it turns out, Chris Kirkpatrick originally auditioned to be a Backstreet Boy, but didn't make the cut. Undeterred, he decided he'd just start his own band instead, and with the help of BSB manager Lou Pearlman, Kirkpatrick did exactly that. Hence, NSYNC— and a rivalry for the ages— was born.

7 Still A Major Record

via Billboard

There is one thing that nobody can take away from boy bands: they get a lot of radio play. In fact, many of the records for the longest stays at the top of the charts are held by boy bands.

In this particular department, Boyz II Men beat them all. The biggest hit of their career, their 1995 duet with Mariah Carey, "One Sweet Day," is still a record holder for longest consecutive weeks (sixteen) spent at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (last year's "Despacito" tied that record, but didn't beat it). What is tied for second-longest consecutive weeks at #1? "I'll Make Love To You," also a Boyz II Men song. Tied for third? Yep, you guessed it, another Boyz II Men song: "End of the Road."

6 Montell Jordan's Big Push

via The Sacramento Bee (left), and FACT Magazine (right)

One of the most iconic pop songs of the 90s has got to be Montell Jordan's 1995 dance hit, "This Is How We Do It." As it turns out, once Jordan transitioned from a Lower Case G to a Big G, he decided to help out other up-and-coming acts— including 98 Degrees.

Jordan and the people around him were instrumental in helping 98 Degrees break out into the mainstream. Legend has it that it was one of his dancers who passed the band's demo tape along to record company executives. The group was initially managed by Jordan's manager, Paris D'Jon, who guided the band and let them open on some of the show's on Jordan's tour. And finally, Jordan himself wrote and produced several songs on 98 Degrees' self-titled debut album.

5 The Secret Duet

via Popsugar

As chummy as the various boy bands were with the female pop stars of the era, there was surprisingly very little in the way of studio collaborations between them. This was especially strange given that they all frequently shared songwriters and producers.

Despite boy bands being the exciting thing at the time, the Spice Girls proved that the world wanted girl groups as well. But sadly, there was never a Spice Girls team-up with any of the boy bands. Well, not in the studio, anyway.

It turns out that a Spice Girl and a member of NSYNC did have a duet...just not the kind we can talk about here. "2 Became 1" in 2003 when Justin Timberlake and Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton reportedly had a relationship— but the pair bid each other "Bye, Bye, Bye" shortly after.

4 A Song That Made No Sense

via Throwbacks

Going down the rabbit hole of trying to make actual, literal sense of boy band lyrics is ultimately going to be a futile endeavor. But one song in particular have had people scratching their heads in the nearly 20 years since its release: Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way."

Is it a love song? A break-up song? Both? Neither?

The song can't seem to decide from one line to the next what it wants to be about. And as the band members recently confirmed, they knew this from the beginning. In fact, record execs who were baffled by the song ordered a rewrite, and the Boys even recorded the revised version.

But ultimately, the band decided the original, less-literal version just sounded better and had a more pleasing rhyming scheme, and they wanted it that way.

"Sometimes you overthink things," Kevin Richardson explained. Indeed.

3 The Epic Duet That Almost Was

via Billboard (left), and mjstar.co.uk (right)

By the time of NSYNC's third album Celebrity, Justin Timberlake was beginning to show a bit more of the future solo superstar he was destined to become. The track "Gone" felt like the first NSYNC song that could've easily been a solo Timberlake song, and indeed, it was meant to be a song for just a single artist— only not Timberlake.

The song was actually written for Michael Jackson.

In a 2014 interview, Timberlake delved a bit into the history of the song and how he originally penned it for the King of Pop. When Jackson passed on the offer, it became an NSYNC song. But once Jackson heard their version, he had a change of heart and wanted it back— and for it to be a duet with Timberlake (and not NSYNC). Things were too far along with the song as an NSYNC track, so the potentially huge Timberlake/Jackson duet never happened.

2 Racing The Beatles

via Amazon

Spoiler alert for a few entries on this list: NSYNC are not the best-selling boy band ever. While they were undoubtedly huge, their reign was actually fairly short coming at the tail-end of the 90s boy band era, and they didn't have the longevity to sell as well as they probably could have. But they definitely gave it their best shot.

Even though boy bands were done by the mid-2000s, a boy band album released in the first year of the decade remained the best-selling original album of that ten-year span, as well as holding the single-week album sales record for an astonishing 15 years. In fact, No Strings Attached was only outsold by one album— the Beatles' greatest hits compilation 1. If you have to be second place to a band, you can do much worse than being the Beatles' runner-up.

1 Still The Best-Selling Boy Band

via Official Charts

We have a feeling that a lot of you, if pressed, would've assumed that NSYNC were the top-selling boy band of the 90s— especially given the information presented in the previous entry about how well "No Strings Attached" sold.

What people forget, though, is that NSYNC's run was relatively short. It's very impressive how many albums NSYNC did sell during their run— 70 million albums sold across the world, despite only being active for seven years— but Backstreet Boys had a serious head start and has also released several albums since NSYNC closed up shop. All in all, the Backstreet Boys have sold an astonishing 130 million albums worldwide over their 20+ year career.

And even if you consider all boy bands throughout history, they are still in second place, surpassed only by— you guessed it— the Beatles.