Top 10 Boy Bands of All Time

By Heather Huntington on October 9th, 2009

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Those raven-haired Jonas Brothers might be the sigh-inducing bedroom poster covering of choice for the tween set these days, but the concept of a boy band is far from new. Who paved the way before Disney churned out these squeaky clean dream machines?

10. The Monkees

A be-mop-topped ’60s-era Beatles take off that pioneered the boy band movement with TV.

Notable members: All of ‘em! Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith.

Notable songs: The Monkees, Last Train to Clarksville, Daydream Believer, I’m a Believer.

9. The Jackson 5

Motown? Boy band? Both.

Notable members: Michael Jackson back when he was really cute.

Notable songs: ABC, I Want You Back, I’ll Be There, Rockin’ Robin.

8. Hanson

Squeaky, squeaky, squeaky clean. See also: The Osmonds.

Notable members: Is any one of these three brothers more notable than the others?

Notable songs: That infernal MMMBop.

7. Menudo

Hilarious Puerto Rican boy band or Mexican soup made with tripe. Hmmm…

Notable members: Ricky Martin!

Notable songs: I can’t remember a damn song they did, I just remember they were popular.

6. New Kids on the Block

Was there anyone in the late ’80s/early ’90s who wouldn’t die for them? Honestly. You can admit it.

Notable members: Jordan, Joey, Donnie… sigh.

Notable songs: You Got It (The Right Stuff), Please Don’t Go Girl, Hangin’ Tough, Step by Step

5. Take That

Boy band, ’90s Brit style.

Notable members: Robbie Williams.

Notable songs: How Deep is Your Love, Back for Good.

4. Boys II Men

Are we sure crooning seductively about how they will make love to you is a good idea when their target audience was 15? No we are not.

Notable members: None. Well, at least no one who went on to have a solo career that I know about.

Notable songs: End of the Road, I’ll Make Love to You, On Bended Knee.

3. New Edition

The soul answer to the Boston boy band explosion. Someone had to give NKTOB a run for their money.

Notable members: Bobby Brown.

Notable songs: Candy Girl, Mr. Telephone Man, and later, when some of them reformed as Bel Biv DeVoe, Poison.

2. Backstreet Boys

Most famous in my head because Howard Stern did a parody of one of their songs that he played a lot.

Notable members: Nick Carter, AJ McLean.

Notable songs: Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).

1. ‘N Sync

Honestly, is there any name more synonymous with ‘boy band’? And yet I only know one of their songs. Odd.

Notable members: Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone.

Notable songs: Bye Bye Bye.