Top 10 Teen Movies of the 1990s

Everyone remembers their last year of high school. For some of us it’s the best of times, for others, it’s the worst. But the one thing that’s certain is that we never forget it. For a bunch of teenagers, the last night of school is an event to remember. It’s an alcohol fuelled fiesta with everyone trying to get in their last hurrah. For most of the teens, it’s about going out with a bang, but we’ll never forget that among it all, Jennifer Love Hewitt made us believe in love again. But the best part? Seeing how young and baby faced this star studded cast looks!

Alongside “I Know What You Did Last Summer”, this movie is now a staple in the 90s horror movie canon. As if high school isn’t bad enough, teenager Sidney Prescott has to deal with the terror of a killer targeting her and her friends. Introducing the now famous Ghostface, this movie gave us an icon we now see parading around every Halloween. From the brief appearance of Drew Barrymore to the chilling climax, this movie never fails to keep us enthralled. It took a bunch of teens who love horror movies, and put them inside of one, to point out the cliches even as each character fell right into them.

The ‘90s were filled with the dark and the occult. The second movie on this list with Neve Campbell in the credits, “The Craft” takes us into the world of teenage witchcraft, where newcomer Sarah falls in with a group of outcast girls. All she wants is new friends, but things turn sour when Sarah realises that the group might be using their magical powers for evil. Starting out as a thriller with a sense of humor, the movie drops all of the comedy to become one of the darkest teenage movies we’ve ever seen.

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With prom just around the corner, Zack has to rekindle his popularity after his popular girlfriend leaves him for a reality TV star. Claiming that any girl can replace his ex, Zack is challenged to turn dorky art student Laney into the Prom Queen. What Zack doesn’t expect is that he and all his friends will come to like Laney. This movie has plenty of fun in it, like the iconic makeover scene, and also some heartbreaking scenes like when Laney finds out about the bet. It’s not the most conventional start to a relationship, but in our heart of hearts, we all knew that Zack and Laney were meant to be.

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Widely known as one of Quentin Tarantino’s favorite films, this movie follows a rag tag bunch of teenagers celebrating the last day of school. There’s something charming about this movie that reminds us of our own teenage days. Whether it’s the humiliating hazing, our first keg party, or those alternating undertones of excitement and vague boredom that permeate the movie, we can all relate to one of the things these crazy kids get up to. It’s a coming of age story that leaves us feeling a little nostalgic, and we can’t help but be grateful that the spirit of adolescence can be captured so well on film.

Most people know Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy, the ass kicking vampire slayer, but in this movie she transforms from righteous do-gooder into Kathryn Merteuil, the beautiful but twisted teenager who treats manipulation like a sport. Egging on her playboy stepbrother, played by Ryan Phillippe, the two of them start upon a path of destruction that leaves people damaged and distraught in their wake. This is one of the darkest teen movies we’ve ever seen, and thanks to the incredible performances of the cast, also one of the best.

An iconic raunchy comedy, “American Pie” captures the quintessential emotions of being a teenager, and is the movie that made some of our favourite actors, like Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan famous. Like many movies that followed over the years, it imagines that the most important pursuit for teenage boys is the loss of their virginity. So when four friends make a pact to have sex by prom night, we know that it’s going to be hilarious, whether they succeed or not. Along the way they start to figure out who they are and what’s really important to them, so we’re left with a movie that’s one of the greatest teen comedies of the ‘90s.

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It’s hard to believe that Drew Barrymore could ever be anything other than radiant, but this movie shows us that she can also be pretty dorky. Playing Josie, a journalist, she goes undercover as a high school student for research, and is forced to relive some of the worst days of her life. Lucky for her, she has a second chance to reinvent herself. Just like her entire office who watch via a hidden camera, we can’t look away when Josie becomes one of the popular kids, or gets voted Prom Queen. And there’s nothing like the tension in that final scene when we wait to see whether Josie will ever get her first kiss.

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If you miss Heath Ledger as much as we do, you’ll know that his role as heartthrob Patrick is one of his best. Based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew”, this teen rom-com sees two very different sisters try to manage their time in high school. Popular Bianca wants to date and party, while her sister Kat wants to stay at home and read feminist literature, but Bianca can’t date until Kat does. And if there’s one movie scene we all dream of re-enacting in our lives, it’s the one where Patrick serenades Kat with the help of the marching band.

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Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few Honorable Mentions:



“Empire Records” (1995)





“Drive Me Crazy” (1999)





“Cry-Baby” (1990)

Alicia Silverstone steals the show in this cult classic as Cher Horowitz, a Valley girl with more to her than meets the eye. Playing the ditzy teenage daughter of a successful lawyer, she thinks she can argue her way out of any situation. She ends up adopting new girl Tai, and puts her on the path to popularity. This comes with pitfalls once Tai becomes more popular than her, and decides she wants to date Cher’s step brother Josh. Horrified by this, Cher realises that she herself is in love with Josh, despite their differences. With great fashion, good natured matchmaking, and true love, as if this movie could be anything but brilliant!