Entertainment

15 People Every '90s Girl Had A Crush On, Because These Heartthrobs Were So Real

by Meg Kehoe

Let me tell you a secret about myself. During the '90s, I crafted what can only be described as pre-internet fan-fiction, where I would meet my celebrity crushes, they would inevitably fall in love with me, and I would be the center of everyone's world and affections. In these stories, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Brandy, and Larisa Oleynik rotated in as my best friend, and the romance was a revolving door that often showcased the brothers Hanson. (I had no shame, y'all.) Let's revisit all the people every '90s girl had a crush on, in the name of nostalgia. (Because if you hadn't realized, Fuller House happened, and the nostalgia is tugging at my heartstrings, and at the bindings of my childhood diaries.)

I like to think my tastes were eclectic, but let's be real, the smooth operators of the '90s so often fell into one of two categories: bad boy, or golden demi-god. That's why I'm throwing in the best of the '90s girls, too. Because you're kidding yourself if you think I didn't have a massive crush on Kelly Kapowski and literally everything she did. (I was also crazy obsessed with Christina Applegate on Married With Children, judge me, I dare you.) Without further ado, here are the 15 heartthrobs everybody had crazy crushes on in the '90s.

1Jonathan Taylor Thomas

No list would be complete without the king of the '90s, JTT.

2Devon Sawa

Whether it was Casper, Now and Then, Little Giants, or something else, Devon Sawa captured our hearts.

3Leonardo DiCaprio

Yeah, we've been crushing on Leo since the '90s. It's about time he got that golden statue.

4Andrew Keegan

He broke your hearts when he played the jerk in 10 Things I Hate About You, but you can't help but keep that candle burning for him.

5Jennifer Love Hewitt

Whether you wanted to be her, or be with her, J. Love was a '90s goddess.

6The Hanson Brothers

Pick one, or just... fantasize about them all.

7Joey Lawrence

Whoa. (Yeah, that's all I'm saying about this one.)

8Alyssa Milano

Alyssa Milano really Charmed you, didn't she? See what I did there?

9Mark Wahlberg

Another one I've been dreaming about since I was six, Marky-Mark-The-Bod-Wahlberg. Nobody really calls him that. Just me.

10Jared Leto

Mother of Pearl, Jared Leto might just take the '90s heartthrob cake for me personally. Something about his illiterate babe Jordan Catalano just... spoke to me.

11Joshua Jackson

PACEY. Who didn't love Pacey? Bad boy from the Creek, Jackson has aged impeccably.

12Usher

I mean, do you remember how well he could move his body? Yes, there were dance number dreams involved in this one.

13Brad Renfro

Like a mini Ethan Hawke, he played opposite JTT in Tom and Huck (which also starred another '90s crush, Rachael Leigh Cook). Sadly, Renfro passed away in 2008.

14Freddie Prinze Jr

Still married to '90s dream girl Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr. stole your heart in campy slasher flicks and rom-coms, and never gave it back.

15Brandy

From Moesha to her singing career, Brandy had everyone under her spell.