I think this is a pretty comprehensive list of the major players and
you should knows of the decade. The only major absence I can think of is Alanis. Love or hate her, she was sort of a huge musical moment, but I'm not upset she isn't playing.
You oughta know her hits by now, and her catalog is a little too familiar, so she wouldn't bring anything new or exciting to the competition (assuming everyone would have voted for the
Jagged Little Pill singles, and rightly so because they are what matters).
I also think the inclusion of the late 90s pop acts should be pretty interesting. Bubblegum pop is my heart, my everything, but I did not include acts like Britney, simply because so little of her catalog was actually produced in the 90s and in that sense I do not think of her as an essential act of the 90s. What songs will people pick for her? Will we stick to the singles, or will we explore the genius of album cuts like "Email My Heart".
Let's do this thing, Cathy Dennis!