Not to put too fine a point on it, but if these songs were on the list too, I’d vote for TMBG and “Birdhouse” in a heartbeat. Great video, too.
This is right in my wheelhouse, i would have been a Junior in high school. I have always loved “Here’s Where the Story Ends”. I bought the album and nothing else caught my attention, but that is a great song.
I am surprise ‘No Myth’ and ‘Ball and Chain’ didnt make it to number 1. I think of them as significant crossover hits. Social Distortion was an odd record that seeped through all levels of high school: rockers, nerds, goth, the entire Breakfast Club collection of stereotypes were into it.
Instinctively, I’d go with The Cure or The Sisters of Mercy but none of the songs here are personal favourites.
Going from there, Depeche Mode is the next obvious candidate for me. Enjoy the Silence? Hmmm I’ve grown slightly tired of it over the the years. Policy of Truth is darker and gets my vote.
As far as I can tell, they never made it to #1 on the alternative charts. We will, however, get to vote on #1s by such classic alternative acts as Courtney Love, Blink 182, Creed, Limp Bizkit, Nickelback, Linkin Park, and P.O.D.
Just remember, Dopers - you asked for this poll series. 
(PS: Can’t recall if I mentioned this before, but the modern rock/alternative chart, like the rest of Billboard’s genre charts, is an airplay-only chart that exclusively tracks terrestrial radio stations that self-identify their format with the genre being tracked. Billboard currently tracks about 80 stations nationwide for the alternative chart, and AFAIK that number has remained fairly constant over the years.)
There’s no way I could not vote for one of the two best live acts I’ve ever seen (the other being Prince), Midnight Oil. Hence, I voted for “Forgotten Years” (saw 'em for the first time on this, their Blue Sky Mining tour, too).
I could have just as easily voted for “Enjoy the Silence”, “Policy of Truth”, “Cuts You Up”, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”, “Nothing Compares 2 U”, “Joey”, or “Here’s Where the Story Ends”.
But the Oils it is!
Word.
Off this list, I’d be tempted to vote for Mozzer or Social D. or Pixies (or Jesus and Mary Chain, even though I prefer the Pixies’ cover to the original), but I’d ultimately be, well, a fool if I didn’t vote for the Stone Roses.
Yeah, I would never put Jane’s Addiction in that group.
Finally, a list that speaks to me. I could have picked any one of about half the songs on this list and been happy with the choice.
Even so, none were my favorites of the time. I just can relate to these much better than I can the pop chart.
I picked “Cuts You Up,” but I could have easily gone with Jane’s Addiction or Concrete Blonde.
Without even having to think, Been Caught Stealing.
Tons of great tracks (Cuts You Up, Nothing Compares, Here’s Where the Story Ends), but Enjoy the Silence is one of my all-time favorite songs so there’s no way I could vote for any other song.
Interestingly, I turned 15 in 1992 and had two older brothers who were into all this music - at the time, I asked my 22 year old brother what he thought of Jane’s Addiction (I was in my “discovering music” phase) and he called it “frat boy alternative.” So, at the very least, that line of thought isn’t necessarily modern revisionism, though it’s possible it took a year or two to take hold.
See, I had to pass on the Sisters when I saw “Cuts You Up.” And I LOVE SOM.
And I’d also like more shoegaze/Madchester. 
From woodstockbirdybird 's list, I’d choose Charlatans UK - The Only One I Know. I just enjoy the hell out of that band.
I chose “Cuts you up”. And I love JA but loathe “Been caught stealing.”
Yeah - I was 20 in 1990, and definitely remember Jane’s Addiction being more popular with the frat element than, say, Morrissey or R.E.M. Definitely not as bad as Nickelback or Limp Bizkit or whoever, but definitely never my idea of what “alternative” music was. I remember hearing them for the first time in 1987 when a friend had some semi-official bootleg live recording of them before Nothing’s Shocking came out, and thinking it sounded more like the boring classic rock that modern rock was supposed to be an alternative to than the punk/post-punk-influenced stuff I was into at the time.
Yes, I confess I was among those who did ask for the poll.
I also confess I voted for Blue Sky Mining, although there were several other good choices (IMO, of course), Caught Stealing, Cuts You Up, More.
I finally confess that I like at least one song from each of the bands that Smápti posted as what seems to be his snarky “classic alternative acts” aside (I may even own CDs from Hole, Creed, and Nickelback*, but this is unverified).
*Think about it this way - I like three different songs from the Smithereens; since they have only three different song arrangements, by inference I therefore like all songs by the Smithereens. In a similar fashion, I like two different songs from Nickelback, and since they have only two different song arrangements… I guess I could say this about the Ramones too, but I’m pretty sure comparing Nickelback to the Ramones is a bannable offense on these boards.
Okay, news to me, but thanks for the info. I was never a big fan – it was a very well-educated and artistically-inclined then-girlfriend who liked Jane’s Addiction, so I associate them with her (this would have been in 1996).
Time to banish them from my digital music library… (kidding)