When MTV launched on Aug. 1, 1981, the cable network significantly changed the way audiences consumed music. Videos became central to how artists were marketed, how albums were promoted and how pop culture evolved. By the end of the decade, however, the network’s brass recognized that music videos alone could no longer sate their audience’s attention, leading the programming team to find other ways to fill the channel’s schedule.

It was decided that original long-form content would solve multiple needs. Awards shows, interview series and concert specials followed. One such program, MTV Unplugged, a stripped-down acoustic performance series, debuted quietly on Nov. 26, 1989—with three acts: Squeeze, Syd Straw and Elliot Easton of The Cars—before becoming one of the network’s most enduring franchises. The format worked because it gave artists a chance to reinterpret familiar material in a more intimate setting while revealing sides of their songwriting that the original recordings sometimes only hinted at, a point noted in Grammy.com’s 2014 feature story “MTV Unplugged Turns 25.”

What separated Unplugged from most television performances of the era was the seriousness with which artists approached the format. Some used it to revive their careers, while others stripped arena-sized hits down to something far more personal and emotionally direct. A few performances became so influential they eventually stood beside—and occasionally overshadowed—the original studio recordings themselves. From Eric Clapton and Nirvana to Tony Bennett and Rod Stewart, the series produced some of the most commercially successful and memorable live albums of the 1990s.

These 12 releases are among the defining albums from the series.

Paul McCartney—Unplugged (The Official Bootleg) (Recorded Jan. 25, 1991, at Limehouse Studios, Wembley; released May 20, 1991 U.K./June 4, 1991 U.S.)

Performing at the age of 48, McCartney used no amplifiers whatsoever. Microphones were actually placed around the stage to record the acoustic instruments, a musician-friendly tactic. In true Macca fashion, the 17 tracks veered toward covers and deep cuts from oft-forgotten artists: rockabilly staples like “Be-Bop-A-Lula” and “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” a cover of Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine,” where McCartney himself sat behind the kit, and the worldwide premiere of “I Lost My Little Girl,” something he penned when he was 14.

Eric Clapton—Unplugged (Recorded Jan. 16, 1992, at Bray Film Studios, Windsor, U.K.; released Aug. 25, 1992)

Slowhand’s set to a small crowd included a new acoustic version of “Layla” re-written from its Derek and the Dominos form as a rhythmically moving melodic ballad, and a new song, “Tears in Heaven,” a tribute to his four-year-old son Conor, who died of a fall at a New York City apartment less than a year earlier, in March 1991. The album reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and was certified diamond by the RIAA in 2016, representing sales of 10 million copies in the U.S.

10,000 Maniacs—MTV Unplugged (Recorded April 21, 1993, at Sony Music Studios, New York City; released Oct. 26, 1993)

Natalie Merchant had announced to the band well in advance of the taping that she was planning on pursuing a solo career and revealed her departure on MTV on Aug. 5, 1993, in between the spring recording and the album‘s release that fall. The 14-track LP drew from their three studio albums, while featuring guest vocalist David Byrne on three other tracks that didn‘t make the cut, including a cover of the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen-written “Because the Night.” The LP peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200 and was certified triple platinum by the RIAA, representing their most successful release.

Neil Young—Unplugged (Recorded Feb. 7, 1993, at Universal Studios, Los Angeles; released June 15, 1993)

The first attempt, in the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York in Dec. 1992, was a failure. Halfway through, Young lost his temper, adlibbed a few musings and stormed off-stage, refusing to allow the footage to be shown. The second show included the Stray Gators and Nils Lofgren along with background singers Nicolette Larson and Astrid Young, and multi-instrumentalist Spooner Oldham. While he certainly played several classics including “Helpless,” “Like a Hurricane” and “Mr. Soul,” Young avoided many other signature tunes from his deep catalog, thus no “Heart of Gold,” “Old Man” or “After the Gold Rush.” He debuted “Stringman,” originally recorded during the sessions for 1977’s Chrome Dreams album (which wasn’t released until 2023). The album achieved gold status in the U.S., U.K., and several other countries.

Bryan Adams—Unplugged (Recorded Sept. 26, 1997, at the Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City; released 1997)

Adams took the format a step further than most artists, bringing along Irish uilleann piper Davy Spillane, composer-arranger Michael Kamen and a group of students from Juilliard School who performed Kamen‘s orchestrations. Three new songs (“Back to You,” “When You Love Someone” and “A Little Love”) were recorded at this session. The album starts off with “Summer of ‘69” and alternates between old and new material, with a variation of dynamics that flow from acoustic and subdued to full instrumentation and overdubs. The album sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide and indicated that the Unplugged format was now able to encompass orchestration and new material without losing commercial viability.

Rod Stewart—Unplugged…and Seated (Recorded Feb. 5, 1993, at Universal Studios, Los Angeles; released May 24, 1993)

This is said to be the first live performance by Stewart with Ronnie Wood since the break-up of Faces in 1975. Wood had co-written three of the songs performed–“Gasoline Alley,” “Every Picture Tells a Story” and “Stay With Me”–and his presence throughout lent the performance an air of a Faces reunion. albeit with just two key members. Four singles were issued, including “Have I Told You Lately,” a cover of the Van Morrison tune that became a gold-selling top 5 hit; “Reason to Believe,” originally an A-side that had featured a legendary B-side; “Maggie May,” in 1971. The album reached #2 in both the Billboard 200 and the U.K. album chart, selling over 3 million copies in the U.S. alone, and is one of the most definitive examples of the series giving a career boost.

Nirvana—MTV Unplugged in New York (Recorded Nov. 18, 1993, at Sony Music Studios, New York City; released Nov. 1, 1994)

Most insider reports of the days leading up to the taping were that the band was tense during rehearsals. While they did perform “Come as You Are,” “Something in the Way” and several others from their enormous album, Nevermind, they ended up omitting their music-changing and best known song, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Also featured in the setlist were a variety of covers such as David Bowie‘s “The Man Who Sold the World,” three Meat Puppets songs (with Cris and Curt Kirkwood playing with the band). The set’s closer was a cover of Lead Belly‘s “Where Did You Sleep Last Night.” Seven months before its release, the band was rocked by the death of Kurt Cobain. Upon release, the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and went on to sell some 14 million copies worldwide, including 8x platinum in the U.S. The band earned its sole Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 38th Grammy Awards in 1996.

Tony Bennett—MTV Unplugged (Recorded April 12, 1994, at Sony Music Studios, New York City; released June 28, 1994)

Backed by the Ralph Sharon Trio, the legend delivered a selection of Great American Songbook standards (“Rags to Riches,” “It Had To Be You”) to an audience that had spent the last year watching Pearl Jam and Nirvana. (At the time of the taping he was 68 years old.) Guests included Elvis Costello performing “They Can‘t Take That Away from Me,” and k.d. lang on “Moonglow.” The LP won a pair of Grammys including Album of the Year and introduced Bennett to an entirely new demographic.

Pearl Jam—MTV Unplugged (Recorded March 16, 1992, at Kaufman Astoria Studios, Queens, New York; released Oct. 23, 2020)

Three days after the band finished its first American tour, this brief set was mostly based on their 1991 debut album, Ten, a record that would go on to reach #2 on the Billboard 200 and sell over 13 million copies in the U.S. alone. The performance was not commercially released until Record Store Day Black Friday 2019, when a yellow marble vinyl limited-edition pressing of 13,000 copies was released worldwide; the complete commercial release came a year later, to mark the band‘s 30th anniversary.

Bob Dylan—MTV Unplugged (Recorded Nov. 17–18, 1994, at Sony Music Studios, New York City; released May 2, 1995)

This represented the only time an Unplugged performance was recorded over two consecutive nights. Dylan initially wanted to do a set of traditional folk material; under pressure from MTV he played mostly classics from his earlier repertoire (“The Times They Are a-Changin’,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Knockin’ on Heaven‘s Door,” “All Along the Watchtower” among them), accompanied by his tour band rather than as a solo acoustic artist. Nonetheless, the album peaked at just #23 on the Billboard 200, though it was certified gold (his first in some years). The performance is often considered more a typical concert than a true reinvention; Dylan‘s solo acoustic supper club appearances from the same era were generally seen as more illuminating of the songs.

Alanis Morissette—MTV Unplugged (Recorded Sept. 8, 1999, in New York City; released Nov. 9, 1999)

Four years after her Jagged Little Pill album had made its impact—ultimately selling over 33 million copies worldwide—the Unplugged rendition reexamined the album‘s music in a notably reduced, quieter manner. “You Oughta Know,” in particular, is signifcantly slowed down. The 12-track record also contained a pair of previously unreleased songs—“No Pressure over Cappuccino” and “Princes Familiar” —that she performed in her concert tours, along with a cover of the Police‘s “King of Pain.” Though the album went gold in the U.S., it peaked there at just #63.

No Quarter: Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded (Recorded spring–Aug. 1994 in Marrakech, Morocco; Snowdonia, Wales; and London; released Nov. 7, 1994)

The most geographically ambitious, musically far-reaching Unplugged release to date. The classic rock legends performed mostly Led Zeppelin repertoire at three distinct locations with a patchwork of musicians: a Moroccan string ensemble, an Egyptian orchestra headed by percussionist Hossam Ramzy, a core rock lineup and the London Metropolitan Orchestra. The release peaked at #4 in the U.S. and #7 in the U.K. and is still the most laborious production to date in the series, chronicling the journey of the acoustic format more than any other.

Many of these Unplugged recordings—and others—are available in the U.S./worldwide here, in Canada here and in the U.K. here.