Every U2 Studio Album Released in the 90s, Ranked

When the 90s began, U2 was one of the biggest bands in the world following the incredible success of The Joshua Tree, and the subsequent album Rattle and Hum. The group decided it was time to reinvent themselves and went to a recently reunified Berlin, Germany for inspiration and found it. U2 stripped away the sound they built over a decade and, with a reckless abandon, infused electronic dance music elements and industrial sounds emerging from Europe. Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullin Jr. were ahead of the curve, embracing EDM culture and releasing a myriad of dance remixes throughout the decade and beyond.

U2 kicked off the decade with a new sound and a new attitude that caught long-time fans by surprise and also gained a new legion of followers. The quartet moved on from their love affair with America to embrace gritty European dance music and what transpired is one of the great reinventions of a band in modern history. U2 only released three albums in the decade, but crammed a lot into those sessions and created a lasting legacy with their bold musical choices. This is the definitive ranking of every U2 studio album released in the 90s.

3

‘Pop’ (1997)

U2 released Pop in 1997 at a time when grunge was coming down from its peak, Brit-pop was having its moment and electronic music was becoming more and more mainstream. The album is a strange and fearless amalgamation of songs, some of which stand the test of time, and others that are a time capsule to 90s pop music. Pop marks the group’s first foray into using samples, loops, programmed drum machines and sequencing. “Discotheque” is a straight-up dance track with a memorable guitar riff, which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Modern Rock and Dance charts. The video for the song turned off many fans with the cringey Village People-inspired choreographed dancing at the end of the clip.

The Edge said, “It’s very difficult to pin this record down. It’s not got any identity because it’s got so many.” “Mofo” is a full-blown techno track with crazy guitar sounds and “Gone” is an underrated rocker. The dance-party vibe of the record is juxtaposed with songs like the beautifully haunting “Please,” about the political instability of Northern Ireland, and “Staring at the Sun,” the most accessible song on the album. The band was not entirely happy with the final product and has remixed many of the songs for compilations and other releases. In fact, they remixed “Gone” and “Staring at the Sun” for The Best of 1990-2000 greatest hits album.

2

‘Zooropa’ (1993)

Zooropa is an underappreciated album in the band’s catalog. Originally planned as an EP, the effort was recorded in just six weeks, a stark contrast to the lengthy sessions surrounding Achtung Baby and The Joshua Tree. The effort was inspired by their Zoo TV Tour, an over-the-top multimedia extravaganza with hundreds of TVs and video screens as well as cars hanging above the stage. The title track shows off a completely different side of U2. The six-minute-long song snakes along with digital dribble until it unfolds into a sonic wonder. Lyrically, the song is dripping with ironic lines from commercials and solidifies the effort’s main theme of media oversaturation. The track takes a turn just before the four-minute mark and launches with the memorable lines: “And I have no compass / And I have no map / And I have no reason / No reason to get back.” Another great lyric from Bono in the song: “Don’t worry baby, it will be alright / Uncertainty can be a guiding light.”

“Numb” was the first single and is an industrial-inspired song featuring The Edge on monotone lead vocals. “Lemon” is a poppy dance track that further pushes U2 into electronic territory. The song launched a ton of remixes, including “The Perfecto Mix” by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osbourne, which the band used live on the Pop Mart Tour. The beautifully melancholy “Stay (Faraway, So Close)” is the best song on the album and “The Wanderer” is a stark electronic track featuring the iconic Johnny Cash on vocals. Zooropa won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Album of the Year.

1

‘Achtung Baby’ (1991)

Achtung Baby is by far the best U2 album of the 90s. Bono stated that the album is “the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree.” The album is the band’s most ambitious effort and ranks up there with the greatest creative left turns in history. U2 all but abandoned the sound they spent over a decade building and embraced the future of music with electronic, industrial and alternative influences. The Edge dropped his signature clean and delay-driven guitar for a distorted fuzzy sound on many songs that created wider soundscapes with thunderous riffs in “Zoo Station,” “Mysterious Ways” and “The Fly,” The effort is balanced with incredible ballads like the enduring “One,” and the brilliant “Ultraviolet (Light My Way).” Achtung Baby also has some amazing deeper cuts like “So Cruel,” “Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around The World,” “Acrobat” and “Love is Blindness.”

The ensuing Zoo TV tour, which saw the band play in arenas and stadiums around the world, showed off the new U2. The earnest and politically serious act changed into an ironic and multimedia extravaganza, with Bono adapting an alter ego, wearing a leather rock star outfit, exaggerating, embracing and mocking pop culture all at the same time. U2 won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album by a Duo or Group and producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno won Producers of the Year for Achtung Baby. The group celebrated the album, playing it in its entirety during their Sphere residency that opened the unique venue in Las Vegas in 2023, proving the album’s significance and staying power. Achtung Baby is an incredible no-skip album that still sounds contemporary today.