Yup, Your Favorite ’90s Heartthrobs Are Still Lookin' Damn Good

The '90s were hands-down The Best Decade for Celebrities™—both in terms of fashion (so many butterfly clips, so little time) and heartthrobs. Celebs were truly doing the most between creating highly questionable music videos with way too many dance routines (it's called ART okay?), experimenting with denim-on-denim, and spiking their bleached hair. It's frankly a miracle they even had time to walk the red carpet! But thank god they did so this iconic era could be captured by professional photographers and preserved in like, IDK, the Library of Congress or something. (Oh, and also this gallery.)

If you're missing the '90s as much as we are, go ahead and relive some memz with your fave hunks from the decade. You know, the actors whose magazine poster inserts were readily available for you to ~browse~ at the grocery store while your mom stocked up on Lunchables? And the random boy band members you inexplicably thought were cool when you were ten and owned several NOW That's What I Call Music CDs? Them!

Come for Freddie Prinze Jr., Tyrese Gibson, and Hugh Grant, and stay for Rider Strong from Boy Meets World—who I'm deeply sorry to report no longer has floppy middle-parted hair and has seemingly moved on from oversized flannel shirts. Also yes, Paul Rudd is on this list, but I'm not not sure he should be since he hasn't aged since 1995. It's frankly alarming.

Who wasn't fawning over Freddie Prinze Jr. when he was in She's All That and even in I Know What You Did Last Summer? He was definitely every teenage girl's crush back in '90s.

Aaand the man is still a babe! Recently, Freddie has added author and chef to his resume. In early 2020, he released his cookbook Back to the Kitchen, and his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar wrote the foreword. Cute.

Way back in the '90s, Keanu held big roles in popular movies like The Matrix and Speed—which paved the way to his incredibly successful acting career. Ugh, my heart is melting with that ~smize~.

Keanu clearly ages like a fine wine because...I mean, just look at that jawline. It hasn't changed a bit. We fell in love with him in his movies decades ago, and kept on falling for him in his John Wick films. Might I add, the man can rock a-n-y hairstyle. If you haven't seen him in Netflix's Always Be My Maybe yet, um, get on it.

A rapper, singer, and an actor, Tyrese was slaying the game in the '90s. And on top of that, he couldn't help but win hearts with that perfect smile.

Yep, Tyrese is still the cutest. He's since become an author and has nabbed big roles in the Fast & Furious and Transformers movies.

No one can ever forget Paul as Josh in Clueless. It was an iconic role and he looked cute as hell. But personally, he really knocked me off my feet when he played Mike, Phoebe's love interest in Friends.

Nowadays, we know Paul as Ant-Man. Who else goes from '90s heartthrob to superhero in one lifetime? The dude really has got some fabulous genes.

Let's be real: Every. Single. Woman in the '90s imagined themselves walking down the aisle as George Clooney waited for them at the altar. In this fantasy, he was also a doctor (thanks, ER) *and* a Hollywood star, because in your daydreams he could be both.

How is this man 60 years old and still such a hottie?! Didn't know I had a thing for older guys until right now...

There wasn't anybody who didn't know LL Cool J in the '90s. He was famous for his stint in the show In the House and also for his rap career (duh) that earned him two Grammys. But people were also fans because, come on, look how dreamy he was!!

We can confirm that LL Cool J is still a dreamboat AND still a big name in Hollywood. Now he's known for his long-time role in NCIS: Los Angeles and as a host on the show Lip Sync Battle. Never sleep on this man!!!

As you’re probably well aware, James played Dawson on Dawson’s Creek—as in, *the* teen drama series from the ’90s. So you can bet that many a teenage girl had posters of his face all over their bedroom walls.

Still cute. And James hasn’t stopped working. Most recently, he had a role on the hit show Pose. Oh, and don’t forget, he also starred as DJ Diplo in the comedy series What Would Diplo Do? on Viceland.

Andrew stole the hearts of the J-14 when he starred in the classic 10 Things I Hate About You. His role as Mary’s boyfriend, Wilson, on 7th Heaven didn't hurt, either.

So Andrew’s career took a surprising, uh, turn. Following his success in the '90s, he founded his own religion called Full Circle, which was busted in 2015 for selling “illegal” kombucha (lol). Since then, Full Circle has fully shut down due to lack of funding and Andrew has been filling his time surfing and being a dad.

Who didn’t have a crush on Rider’s character, Shawn Hunter, on Boy Meets World? I mean, Cory was fine and all, but Shawn was the *real* reason to watch the show.

Rider played Uncle Shawn on Girl Meets World from 2014 to 2017 and has also been collecting credits behind the camera as a writer, director, and producer on short films with this brother.

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air launched Will into superstardom. His charm and undeniable appeal, both on the show and off, cemented Will’s status as a bonafide ’90s heartthrob.

Will is still a super-famous actor in Hollywood and is married to Jada Pinkett Smith, with whom he has two children, Jaden and Willow. As for his acting career, Will starred as Genie in 2019’s live action Aladdin, so, yeah, he’s doing fine.

Ryan’s bad-boy-turned-good-guy role in Cruel Intentions made him the crush of choice for many a ’90s teen. Also important: his gorgeous face/bod.

Famously, Ryan went on to marry (and divorce) Reese Witherspoon, with whom he has two kids. He recently starred in the USA series Shooter as well as Big Sky on ABC, and if you *really* want to know about his daily life, he’s pretty active on Twitter so check it out.

In the ’90s, Hugh and his baby blues were busy starring in classic rom-coms like Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill. Oh, and also, smizing.

Hugh is still a fixture in Hollywood. Most recently, you probably watched him on HBO's psychological thriller series The Undoing with Nicole Kidman.

Is there a better artifact from the ’90s than the long hair and center part that JGL rocked on 3rd Rock From the Sun? No, kids, there absolutely is not.

Joseph went on to star in indies and blockbusters alike, including 500 Days of Summer and Inception, and now he's focused on Hit Record, the company he founded that encourages collaboration between creatives.

Speaking of good throwback hair, Justin was another teen idol with a noteworthy, er, mane, if you can call it that. Being a member of NSYNC made JT a household name, and his three-year-long relationship with Britney Spears only added to his superstar status.

JT is still a big pop star, but he's gone a bit folksy (see: his 2018 studio album Man of the Woods) and is now married to actress Jessica Biel (shout-out to another ’90s star!), with whom he has two sons, Silas and Phineas.

Saved by the Bell’s resident cutie was Mark-Paul’s charming character Zack Morris, who lead the audience through his life at Bayside High.

Mark-Paul is still very much doing the TV thing, and has been on shows like NYPD Blue, Pitch, and Nobodies.

Back in the day, Jared fulfilled many bad boy fantasies thanks to his role as Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life. Hm, was it the leather jacket or his chiseled jawline? I'm calling it a tie.

Jared, whose face literally hasn’t aged at all (I NEED TO KNOW HIS SKINCARE ROUTINE!), went very ~fashion~ and is now a staple on the Met Gala red carpet and in Gucci ads. He’s also the lead singer of the rock band Thirty Seconds to Mars and is still acting—you may have heard that he played the Joker in a little movie called Suicide Squad?

Speaking of bad boys, Luke’s character in 90210, Dylan McKay, was the ultimate rebel, and his smoldering good looks made him a major teen idol. In fact, one time so many fans (reportedly, 10,000 teen girls, legit!) turned up to see him at an autograph-signing session at a Florida mall that he had to leave after 90 seconds so that the crowd wouldn't get too unruly.

Luke tragically passed away in 2019 at the age of 52. At the time, he was starring in Riverdale as Fred Andrews, Archie's dad.

If you were attracted to men and had a pulse in the ’90s, there was little to no chance that you weren’t into Leo, who starred in both Titanic and Romeo + Juliet. With that angelic face, none of us ever had a chance.

Not only is Leo still acting and (finally) winning a well-deserved Oscar, but he’s also very vocal about climate change. He founded the The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation to help save the planet.

Ricky was H-O-T in the ’90s, mostly thanks to his worldwide hit Living La Vida Loca. Total babe alert

As you can see, Ricky has kept it TIGHT. Besides remaining very good-looking (which, well done, mate), he’s still releasing new music. He’s dabbled in acting too, recently starring in the second season of American Crime Story.

Brendan was a big deal in the ’90s, having landed starring roles in The Mummy, George of the Jungle, and Encino Man.

Brendan disappeared from Hollywood for a while, and later he revealed that part of the reason he took a step back was because he was sexually assaulted in 2003. Recently, he’s made a TV comeback on shows like The Affair and Doom Patrol.

Obviously, I can’t mention NSYNC without bringing up their rival ’90s boy band, the Backstreet Boys, and their resident hottie, Nick Carter. Hiii, Nick.

Not only is Nick still rocking the ’90s hair gel, but he's also still touring and releasing new(ish) music with the Backstreet Boys. Some! Things! Never! Change!

If I’m going to mention Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, you know I've also gotta mention 98 Degrees, specifically “Because of You” frontman, Nick.

One could argue that Nick got even more famous in the 2000s because of Newlyweds, the reality TV show he starred in alongside Jessica Simpson, before the two eventually divorced. Nick is now married to Vanessa Lachey (née Minnillo) and they're raising their three kids together.

Saved by the Bell also gifted us Mario with a mullet! Mario’s character, A.C. Slater, was Bayside High’s star athlete, if you couldn’t tell by his abs in this pic.

Mario has pivoted from acting to hosting and has been an anchor on Extra since 2008. Same ol’ dimples tho.

While some Dawson’s Creek viewers had a crush on Dawson, others were into Pacey, Dawson’s sarcastic best friend who was played by Joshua.

Mr. Jackson starred in Showtime’s The Affair for four seasons and also played the hot dad in Hulu's adaption of Little Fires Everywhere. I'll also give you an update on his romantic life, 'cause I know you're curious: He dated Diane Kruger for 10 years before they split up in 2016.

In his heyday, everything about Usher was the definition of sex appeal: his voice, his songs, his abs. Siiiigh.

Just kidding—the "heyday" framework does not apply to Usher as he's still sexy as hell. His sexy voice and sexy abs are still making music and performing at music festivals. Lucky us!

The best thing about this band of brothers was that there were enough of ’em for you and your BFFs to each have your own favorite.

Much like many of the other ’90s musicians on this list, these three are still performing together as a band. AND I’M KINDA SHOOK BY THIS PIC, NOT GONNA LIE.

If Mario Lopez’s A.C. Slater wasn’t your kinda jock, the ’90s also provided us with Joey’s role as Joey Russo, the baseball-playing *hottie* on Blossom.

From 2010 to 2015, Joey starred on the show Melissa & Joey with Melissa Joan Hart, and he’s still making movies today.

Did you *really* think that there was only going to be one 90210 star on this list? Dylan might’ve been the Beverly Hills bad boy, but Jason’s virtuous Brandon Walsh also captured the attention (and hearts) of fans.

Jason has been starring in TV shows (like Private Eyes and Call Me Fitz) ever since and played himself in the 2019 90210 reboot called BH90210. ~Meta.~

Scott’s once-rebellious-turned-responsible character Bailey Salinger in Party of Five was dream boyfriend material—after all, who doesn’t want the reformed bad boy?

Like many other ’90s leading men, Scott is still working in television and has been on shows like Everwood and The Night Shift.

Between starring as a sexy musician on General Hospital and as a sexy family man on Full House, John was one of TV’s biggest heartthrobs. Even this pic makes me blush, tbh.

Besides trolling the Jonas Brothers whenever he has the chance, John is still starring on popular TV shows, such as Fuller House, You, and Scream Queens.

With Edward Scissorhands, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas all coming out in the 1990s, you can bet that Johnny was a box-office darling who stole the hearts of moviegoers. (And don't even get me started on that gorgeous face.)

Johnny Depp's life has taken a darker turn in recent years: He was accused of domestic abuse by his ex-wife Amber Heard, and he reportedly lost his fortune.

Truly no idea what's happening fashion-wise in this photo, but the year was 1990 and frankly who am I to judge. I was wearing oversized Sea World T-shirts and calling it personal style at the time.

Who else do you know that could pull off a messy low ponytail at the Academy Awards? Exactly.

Oh this? Just Brian Austin Green in the Beverly Hills, 90210 era. I am literally sweating.

If you're wondering what Brian Austin Green is currently up to, that would be getting somewhat salty about Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly's relationship.

Hands up if you watched Love & Basketball and immediately started a life-long obsession with Omar Epps? Exactly.

Omar is (a) still dreamy, and (b) about to star in Starz' upcoming Power prequel, Power Book III: Raising Kanan. Which! Is! Set! In! The! 90s!

Devon Sawa in Casper = the greatest casting choice of all time save for whoever cast Thackery Binx in Hocus Pocus.

Dude is up to all kinds of things, including still talking about Casper. Last year, he mused “I probably will hear, 'Can I keep you?' for the rest of my life and it’s part of me, part of my past and I'm grateful. I'm just so darn fortunate that I'm still going at this thing and that I get the opportunities that I get.”

🗣 🗣🗣 Put me in a time machine to 1994 and hang this on my bedroom wall.

I mean we all know what Matt Damon currently looks like, right? He's still famous! He's in everything! He's everywhere! Moving on!

Speaking of hot Matts, here's Matt Dillon. star of '90s classics like Wild Things, There's Something About Mary, and my personal dreams.

Based on this photo, Matt now spends most of his time being contemplative. But he's also starring in the upcoming Peter Dinklage film, American Dreamer!

Still performing, and still a heartthrob with impeccable fashion.

If you need him, you can find him yelling at people on set of the latest Mission Impossible movie.