Is there a sophomore slump? These ’90s rock bands successfully avoided it, thriving with their second studio albums.

It is often said that you have your entire life to create your debut album, but the real pressure comes with the second release. A timeline often emerges, and record labels or producers may try to impose their influence on the creative process, alongside your own internal biases. Do you want to replicate your first album? Do you have ideas for evolving your sound? How do audience expectations factor into your work? This can drive some artists a bit crazy.

However, there are those bands who managed to stick to their vision, tuning out the outside noise and finding that both critics and fans embraced their second releases without significant pushback. These are the bands and albums we celebrate today.

In some instances, the sophomore album arrives unnoticed because the debut was largely overlooked, making it feel like a debut. For example, Nirvana’s Nevermind exploded in popularity when there had already been a solid debut with Bleach, which received little mainstream attention. But in 1991, everything aligned and the music world finally recognized Nirvana.

READ MORE: 10 Overlooked ’90s Albums That Should’ve Been Bigger (Year by Year)

The opposite scenario involves a band that achieved massive success with their debut, such as Pearl Jam’s Ten. Eddie Vedder reportedly faced writer’s block, and the band chose to stop making music videos to avoid oversaturation and prevent a video from overshadowing the music. Despite these internal struggles, Vs. achieved the highest first-week album sales in history at its release time. The record also turned out quite solid.

The paths may differ, but the acts on this list thrived with their second albums and in some cases even surpassed their previous records.

So join us as we revisit the ’90s and explore these “sophomore slump busting” rock albums from each year.

Below, check out the best 3-album hot streaks delivered by ’90s rock bands.