VevoAh, mix-tapes. They were how we musically defined ourselves before the days of MySpace profile songs.
In honor of the news that four of Blink-182's albums will be re-released on cassette tape, just in time for the holidays, we're looking back at our definitive mix-tape jams of the late '90s.
These were the essential pop tunes that every kid had playing in their Walkman, while riding the bus or waiting for their parents to pick them up from soccer practice.
Remember, you could only fit about a dozen or so songs on there—which led to some of the toughest choices of our young lives.
1. "All the Small Things" by Blink-182
This punk pop jam came out in 2000, but it still counts. It made us want to turn the volume on max and hop up and down for 2 minutes 48 seconds, while pretending we didn't hear our mom calling us downstairs for dinner.
2. "Summer Girls" by LFO
Arguably the worst lyrics of any '90s song, this ode to summer breathes frosted tips and hoop earrings. You know, the simpler times when our nights were all about beach bonfires and dreaming about the day we could experiment with wine coolers. Those were good times.
3. "Don't Speak" by No Doubt
Long before Gwen Stefani was a Voice judge dating Blake Shelton, she was our '90s rock goddess, getting us through the grieving stages of any tween breakup or rejection from a crush. Why didn't Shawn from Algebra 101 feel the same way?! Sigh.
4. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve
This song made us feel strangely grown up, like we had a lot of deep, philosophical thoughts in our young heads about life. This is what we'd listen to while insisting to our parents we didn't secretly watch Cruel Intentions at a friend's sleepover.
5. "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" by The Offspring
This is the one that would always get us in trouble at middle school dances.
6. "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls
For the lucky ones who actually had what a school age version of a significant other is, there were only a handful of romantic songs to slow dance to, while standing three feet apart. This was one of them.
7. "My Name Is" by Eminem
This is one of the songs we would have to listen to with headphones. The most explicit mix tape inclusion, the song dissed everyone and everything in pop culture at the time, but it was just so damn catchy.
8. "Genie In A Bottle" by Christina Aguilera
Speaking of people Eminem liked to make fun of, this is an Xtina song that we totally didn't grasp the sexual nature of, but it was fun to dance to with our girl friends.
9. "Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears
Christina and Britney go hand-in-hand on a late '90s mix-tape. We were so sassy, so confident, listening to these songs.
10. "I Want It That Way" by Backstreet Boys
Time to slow it down with one of our favorite ballads to belt. BSB, you spoke to matters of the heart like no other boy bands. (Yes, we're making bold calls. *NSYNC was great too.)
Speaking of our favorite '90s artists, watch as Nick Carter responds to those Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys joint tour rumors...