Try to Read This List of '90s Boy Bands Without Saying "I Totally Forgot About Them"

As England's answer to New Kids on the Block, Manchester band Take That quickly blew up all over Europe after forming in 1990 thanks to hits like "Promises" and "Never Forget." Robbie Williams (their Justin Timberlake, only with a floppy middle-part instead of ramen noodle hair) chose to leave at the height of their popularity in 1995, which was the beginning of the end for the band, and they soon broke up. Although they briefly reunited in 2006, I'd be lying if I said I didn't want them "Back For Good."

Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe left '80s band New Edition to form their own new group in 1990, Bell Biv DeVoe, and I haven't been able to hear the word "poison" without immediately humming their song since. The group went on to sell over 20 million albums and nab a number of Soul Train Awards during their time together, but decided to take a break in 2002. If you've been hankering for more Bell Biv DeVoe in your life, don't worry — in 2016 they released their first new track in 15 years, "Run," and they dropped an album in this past January.

Despite their mesh button-down shirts and spiky hair, this Canadian trio claimed they weren't a "boy band," per sé, because they played their own instruments (maybe that's where 5 Seconds of Summer got the idea?). From 1993 to 2005, they churned out hits like "Ooh It's Kinda Crazy" and "Faded" (which hit number one in Canada and is coincidentally still number one in my heart).

BBMak got together in 1999, and thank the lord they did, otherwise ears everywhere would have missed out on the bliss that is "Back Here." The pop trio from Liverpool only lasted until 2003, but by then their debut album sold over 860,000 copies in the US and earned them a spot on the Billboard Hot 100. Nowadays, where might you find band members Christian Burns, Stephen McNally, and Mark Barry? Christian frequently collaborates with EDM DJs like Armin van Buuren, Stephen joined rock band 10 Reasons to Live, and if you want to listen to a live version of "Back Here" while you're pumping iron, you're in luck — Mark became a personal trainer.

Long before Zayn Malik used funky text on the back of his debut album, there was 2Ge+Her (pronounced "Together"). The boy band was dreamed up by MTV to mock popular real-life bands *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys in a TV movie with satirical songs like "U + Me = Us (Calculus)" and "Say It (Don't Spray It)." Though essentially they began as just a joke, 2Ge+Her gained a legit fandom and even opened up several shows for Britney Spears during her 2000 Summer tour. With the exception of Cribs, The Real World, and TRL (and maybe a few other things), 2Ge+Her is one of the greatest gifts MTV has ever bestowed upon us.

98 Degrees enjoyed a ton of success in the '90s, a lot of which can be attributed to heartthrob Nick Lachey's bulging biceps (and stellar choice in sweaters). Along with brother Drew Lachey, Jeff Timmons, and Justin Jeffre, the R&B foursome had girls (and boys) everywhere swooning as soon as the first notes of "I Do (Cherish You)" came on the radio. Fingers crossed they do a remix of "True to Your Heart" on the soundtrack of the new Mulan movie.

I just now remembered that "LFO" stands for "Lyte Funkie Ones," and my 11-year-old self is seething with embarrassment. My 26-year-old self is trying to figure out what a "lyte funky one" even is, but I digress. Formed in New Bedford, MA, in 1995, the pop-rap group went through two breakups and a reunion all by 2009. But overall, their penchant for singing about girls ("Summer Girls," "Girl on TV," etc.) was a winning formula, selling over 4 million records.

R&B boy band B2K (Lil' Fizz, J-Boog, Raz-B, and Omarion) reigned from 1998 to 2004, producing catchy hits like "Uh Huh" and (of course) "Bump Bump Bump." Once their debut album arrived in 2002, they went on to appear in 2004's You Got Served together (Omarion starred, while the rest of the group played members of his dance crew). Unsurprisingly, they went their separate ways soon after, citing "internal disagreements." On the bright side, "Babadoom" still holds up.

Westlife might be Ireland's most successful boy band (no offense, Boyzone), but if their name doesn't sound too familiar, you're not alone. Though they sold more than 50 million records worldwide with songs like "Swear It Again" and a cover of Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl," the group never quite broke into the US market. Fortunately, they have a very famous fan to make up for it: Robert Pattinson.

If you didn't lock eyes with your crush across the gym as soon as All-4-One's "I Swear" came on at the school dance, what were you even doing with your life? The slow jam kings from Glendale, CA might have fallen into the trap of being a one-hit wonder, but "I Swear" was crowned one of the greatest love songs of the 20th Century. That's a definite win in my book.

British band 5ive were formed in the late '90s by the same team that managed the Spice Girls, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the boys — Sean Conlon, Scott Robinson, J Brown, Abz Love, and Ritchie Neville — went on to sell 1.6 million albums and 2 million singles in the UK alone. They also went on to inspire fantasies of dancing around a bowling alley with their '90s-tastic video for "When the Lights Go Out." Those chunky turtlenecks!

All English soul and R&B boy band Another Level wanted was to be your "nasty man" and to "make your body scream." Is that so much to ask? With a handful of songs practically begging to be on '90s sex playlists ("Freak Me" and "Ain't Nothing Going On but the Sex," for instance) they carved out a niche for themselves before splitting in 2000. A very graphic niche.

Like Westlife, this pop quintet was formed in Ireland and failed to garner the crazy success of similar groups at the time in America, but you've probably heard a lot of their big singles. "No Matter What," maybe? "When You Say Nothing at All," perhaps? To give you an idea, all of their music sounds like it was written to be in Love Actually. Make of that what you will.

OK, so O-Town technically formed in 2000 as a product of Diddy's iconic TV series Making the Band, but they deserve an honorable mention in this '90s list because not including them would personally devastate me. The quintet burst onto the music scene with "Liquid Dreams," which not only topped charts but also introduced the world to the word "morpharotic." And who could forget their tear-jerker "All or Nothing"? Admittedly me, which is why I made this list to begin with. But with Ashley Parker Angel and the rest of the gang currently touring the country, it's time for all of us to dust off our old O-Town records.