The 90s were a questionable time for humanity as a whole: turtlenecks, blonde highlights for men, mullets. 90s hairstyles for men and style in general during that time were bold, daring, and extremely out there.
We’ve rounded up the hairstyles that still sort of hold up now. It’s going to be a star-studded lineup! Mostly, because not a lot of non-celebrities took their photos in the 90s (what with the lack of smartphones and all). Here goes!
1. The Neo Hairstyle
We’re starting off with probably the most successful hairstyle of the 90s – Keanu Reeves’s slicked back hair in The Matrix. This is also not the first time Keanu will make an appearance on this list.
What to ask for: Neo hairstyle, slicked back medium hair with slight part
2. The Free and Shaggy Afro
The traditional round afro was more 60s than 90s. Still, in the 90s – possibly influenced by the grunge era – the afro took a turn for more shaggy curls and a messier overall look.
What to ask for: basic afro, a bit more loose and all over the place
3. Chris Cornell’s Mullet
Going into the classic grunge looks, we’re here with Chris Cornell’s mullet – hopefully the only 90s mullet we’re going to showcase here. Why does it look good? It’s all in the face shape combined with the Van Dyke goatee and the wavy hair.
What to ask for: wavy mullet
4. Brad Pitt’s Long Grunge Look Dyed Blonde
A grey Van Dyke mustache, long straightened hair dyed in a blinding shade of blonde, all paired with those dreamy blue eyes. What could be more 90s?
What to ask for: I think you just need to let your hair down and dye it blonde
5. The Long Shaggy Keanu Reeves Bob
We told you we were going to see Keanu Reeves in this article again. The medium bob is a staple of none other than the grunge trend – of course. What else would it be? Anyway, it looks good on Keanu.
What to ask for: medium shaggy bob
6. Basic Disheveled Medium Hair
This is mostly just an overgrown mess, but it’s very 90s and it still looks decent if not actually good, depending on how you wear it.
What to ask for: basic medium haircut and let it grow out a bit
7. George Clooney’s Wavy Half-Mullet
This might be called a mullet but not really. Whatever it is, it’s incredibly stylish – so much so that even if he wore it in the 80s, it still influenced a lot of the 90s. Because of course it did.
What to ask for: George Clooney’s wavy mullet style
8. Tom Cruise’s Classic Side Part
Medium hair, side part, business suit – there’s really not much to it. A perfect shave is mandatory and that’s about it.
What to ask for: medium-short side part with clean shave
9. Long Red Hair
Metal was still trending in the 90s and we couldn’t end this list without including a long and beautiful metalhead style. It certainly looked better than many other 90s styles, despite the more conservative types labeling this hairstyle as “satanic.”
What to ask for: don’t
10. Middle Parted Voluminous Bangs
If there’s a 90s style that would make a great comeback, this is the one. Why did this go away, it’s a perfectly okay hairstyle. Fight me in the comments.
What to ask for: side swept, voluminous bangs with middle part
11. Keanu Reeves Messy Hair
Ok, this is the last one, we promise. It’s very possible that Keanu is a time traveler since this particular style from the 90s looks a lot like what’s popular today.
What to ask for: you just need long, straight, thick hair
If you haven’t had enough Keanu, we have a list of his best looks!
12. The Medium Wavy Hair with Van Dyke Goatee
Our second and last Chris Cornell entry featuring the iconic look now memorialized in the statue in front of the MoPOP in Seattle. Medium waves and goatee. Classic.
What to ask for: medium hair, slightly shaggy, with a nice clean Van Dyke goatee
13. 90’s Jude Law – Slick Hair with Long Blonde Highlights
Impressive that Jude Law had such fine hair. While we mourn, let us bask in his impeccable style in this photo.
What to ask for: medium wavy hair with long blonde highlights
14. Bobby Brown’s Asymmetrical Fro with Short Sides and Mid Fade
Talk about ahead of its time. This hairstyle is one of the edgiest, most modern on this list. Just look at that Impeccable mid fade!
What to ask for: asymmetrical shape up with mid fade
15. Ashton Kutcher’s Bangs
There are no bangs more iconic that Ashton Kutcher’s and this is our final word on the subject. This photo is newer, but the style is the same.
What to ask for: the Ashton Kutcher bangs
16. Kurt Cobain’s Blonde Medium Bob
The one and only Kurt Cobain’s hair could give lists of women hairstyles a run for their money. His medium-length grunge look for men became the industry standard in an age where being careless was cool.
What to ask for: Kurt Cobain’s medium bob
17. The Dork
Absolutely EVERY schoolboy had this haircut at some point in the 90s. We’re looking at short bangs with a taper fade. It’s almost a French crop Avant-la-lettre.
What to ask for: 90s french crop
18. Snoop Dogg’s Iconic Afro
Snoop’s had just about every black man hairstyle you could think of. First on the list is his 90s afro, a fuzzy disco fever funky kind of thing that’s as round as it is perfect.
What to ask for: that dope Snoop Dogg afro
19. Brad Pitt’s Fight Club Look
We don’t know what Fight Club is and even if we did, we’re not sure we’d tell you. Anyway, here’s a bloodied-up Brad Pitt sporting a classic 90s spiky hairstyle paired with a red leather jacket.
What to ask for: medium length spiky hair with very short goatee
20. Fringe Cut Completely Dyed Platinum Blonde
While tips were a horrible trend in the 90s, but what wasn’t horrible and still isn’t is dyeing your hair completely blonde or platinum blonde – like this dude.
What to ask for: fringe hairstyle with fade dyed blonde
21. Arsenio Hall’s Medium Shape-Up Hair with Mustache
No matter who you are, where you were, what you were doing in the 90s, you must’ve heard of Arsenio Hall. The moment the presidential candidate Bill Clinton went on live TV and played the saxophone on Arsenio Hall – that’s iconic. It’s burned into America’s conscience.
What to ask for: the medium shape up Arsenio wore in the 90s
Let’s take a break and enjoy this moment again:
22. Prince with his Impeccable Shape Up
There’s no question about it – if you want to go full 90s in style, you gotta go with Prince’s impeccable long shape up perm here.
What to ask for: the Prince shape up perm
23. Everyone’s Favorite Heartthrob Hairstyle presented by Hugh Grant
Hugh Grant may have went a bit out of the spotlight now but back in the 90s and 2000s he was all over the rom-coms and all with his iconic wavy mess that’s surprisingly on point no matter the year.
What to ask for: medium-long messy hair like Hugh Grant
24. Johnny Depp’s Long Hair
It was the moment everyone held their breaths and turned on the AC – Johnny Depp entered the spotlight in the 90s and with his iconic long hair no doubt. He eventually gave in to age and bad habits, adopting more of a bad boy look, but back in the 90s he was everyone’s go-to dream boy.
What to ask for: you don’t really need a haircut for this, just that fine, fine hair
25. Parted Bangs Medium Hair
It’s a classic 90s hairstyle inspired by The Verge and other alt-rock artists of the time. Just don’t go around bumping into people in your slick leather jacket or you might be asking for it.
What to ask for: medium cut, parted bangs
26. Snoop Dogg’s Long Straightened Hair circa 1996
We told you we’d have more Snoop and here he is in all his glory weary a pinstripe suit and a mafia hat with straightened medium-long hair. Natural hair might be on the rise now for afro-textured curls, but the long, straightened hair still looks on point!
What to ask for: long straightened hair
27. Extra Messy Forward Fringe
This style is both 90s and very modern – an interesting sign that some 90s hairstyles were arguably ahead of their time.
What to ask for: short sides, extra messy long fringe
28. The Medium Afro, Lenny Kravitz Style
It was an instant classic when Lenny Kravitz came with his medium afro and sunglasses in front of a giant American flag and busted his guitar. 1998 was a wild year.
What to ask for: medium afro
There’s a lot more to discover in terms of afro hairstyles!
29. The Enrique Iglesias Gelled Bangs
We were all singing no face, no name, no number, dressing in sports clothing in our regular day-to-day life, all while wearing extra-gelled hair – just like Enrique.
What to ask for: gelled bangs, nothing more to it
30. The DeVante Short Curls with Medium Zero Fade and Trademark Cut in the Front
Mike Tyson had it but DeVante took it a bit further with that stylish cut in the front of this 90s hair trend. The fade is also pretty modern.
What to ask for: short curls with medium zero fade and a small stylish line in the front
31. The Classic French Crop with Drop Fade
The French crop was born out of the edgy cheesiness of the 90s and evolved into a hairstyle that works for a lot of people. This guy added a drop fade and we’re there for it!
What to ask for: French crop and drop fade
32. The Walden Schmidt/Ashton Kutcher Messy Hair
Possibly the origin of the messy 90s hairstyle trend – Ashton Kutcher has an amazing hairdo here. Honestly makes me question why he didn’t wear his hair like that on a regular basis.
What to ask for: short-medium messy hair
33. Johnny Depp’s Messy Medium Hair
He may have won people over with his long hair, but his short hair look wowed everyone because guess what – he’s even hotter!
What to ask for: the choppy Johnny Depp medium hair from the 90s
34. The Beautiful Prince Curly Hairstyle from Purple Rain
While the previous Prince entry may have been more representative of 90s hairstyles as a whole, this one is more iconic for Prince. While it happened in the 80s, it still defined and influenced the 90s in a big way.
What to ask for: the Prince (the most representative one for him)
35. Snoop Dogg’s Cornrows
And we couldn’t make it to the end without including Snoop’s cornrows. Different from the traditional style, these go horizontally across his head, ending in two twists on the sides.
What to ask for: Snoop’s cornrows
Summing Up
The 90s were indeed the wildest of times in terms of style. Don’t get me wrong – I love a lot of things about the 90s, but some things are better left in the past.
However, if you’re digging these 35 hairstyles, send us your final result on our Pinterest and we might even give you a feature!
Lara has been working with us since the website launched. She is an accomplished hairstylist with years of expertise giving her clients the style they dream of. Lara is working on her own cosmetics brand and has certifications from some of the greatest hairstyling schools in her wallet. She is committed to leading an active life and specializes in men’s hairstyles, haircare, and coloring.
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