Hard Rock's 10 Best 3-Album Hot Streaks of the 1990s (Ranked)

What were the best three-album stretches of hard rock albums in the 1990s?

It's hard enough to come up with one great album. But to maintain a level of success over three straight studio albums and to do it all within a single decade means that you are pretty much at the top of your game and that the genre you're recording in is also thriving as a result.

It's hard not to look back at the '90s and think of it as some of the best times for rock. The era kicked off with the grunge explosion and concluded with nu-metal ready to take over the world. In the middle, you also saw a pop-punk revival of sorts occurring that brought he aggressively upbeat style back into the public eye.

READ MORE: 10 Best God-Tier Rock Songs of the 1990s

We're lucky in that the rock was still heavily embraced in the mainstream culture in the '90s, giving it a broader platform and bigger runway for success than some of the other decades. You had certain acts that were huge right out of the gate. Take Pearl Jam, for instance, who rode the wave of grunge's arrival for all that it was worth on Ten and then started to prepare for the genre's "expire by" date with stronger songwriting on Vitalogy.

Others needed more runway to find their breakout. Elsewhere, you had bands such as Green Day, The Offspring and Soundgarden honing their chops in the underground for a couple of albums before their big three-album stretches took off in the '90s.

So join us as we break it down with some of the biggest acts of the '90s who got there with amazing three-album stretches in the gallery below.

Below, see 15 1990s Rock Bands That Should Have Been Bigger.

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