| 1991 | 1989 | Strange Angels | Laurie Anderson | Album | 4 | 3 |
| 1991 | 1989 | The Sensual World | Kate Bush | Album | 3.75 | 20 |
| 1991 | 1990 | Goodbye Jumbo | World Party | Album | 4 | 9 |
| 1991 | 1990 | All Shook Down | The Replacements | Album | 4 | 8 |
| 1991 winner | 1990 | I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got | Sinéad O’Connor | Album | 4.55 | 16 |
| 1992 | 1991 | Doubt | Jesus Jones | Album | 4 | 12 |
| 1992 | 1991 | Rumor and Sigh | Richard Thompson | Album | 3.65 | 8 |
| 1992 | 1991 | Mighty Like a Rose | Elvis Costello | Album | 4.35 | 8 |
| 1992 | 1991 | Nevermind | Nirvana | Album | 4.45 | 87 |
| 1992 winner | 1991 | Out of Time | R.E.M. | Album | 3.95 | 27 |
| 1993 | 1992 | Nonsuch | XTC | Album | 3 | 14 |
| 1993 | 1992 | Wish | The Cure | Album | 4.1 | 18 |
| 1993 | 1992 | Good Stuff | The B‐52’s | Album | 4.5 | 11 |
| 1993 | 1992 | Your Arsenal | Morrissey | Album | 3.65 | 12 |
| 1993 winner | 1992 | Bone Machine | Tom Waits | Album | 4.75 | 9 |
| 1994 | 1992 | Automatic for the People | R.E.M. | Album | 3.85 | 29 |
| 1994 | 1993 | Star | Belly | Album | 4.15 | 13 |
| 1994 | 1993 | Siamese Dream | Smashing Pumpkins | Album | 4.15 | 26 |
| 1994 | 1993 | In Utero | Nirvana | Album | 4.15 | 54 |
| 1994 winner | 1993 | Zooropa | U2 | Album | 4.1 | 19 |
| 1995 | 1993 | God Shuffled His Feet | Crash Test Dummies | Album | 4 | 13 |
| 1995 | 1993 | Fumbling Towards Ecstasy | Sarah McLachlan | Album | 4.8 | 13 |
| 1995 | 1994 | Under the Pink | Tori Amos | Album | 4.65 | 20 |
| 1995 | 1994 | The Downward Spiral | Nine Inch Nails | Album | 3.2 | 35 |
| 1995 winner | 1994 | Dookie | Green Day | Album | 3.9 | 25 |
| 1996 | 1995 | To Bring You My Love | PJ Harvey | Album | 4.45 | 8 |
| 1996 | 1995 | The Presidents of the United States of America | The Presidents of the United States of America | Album | 4.15 | 13 |
| 1996 | 1995 | Post | Björk | Album | 4.35 | 27 |
| 1996 | 1995 | Foo Fighters | Foo Fighters | Album | 4.2 | 18 |
| 1996 winner | 1994 | MTV Unplugged in New York | Nirvana | Album + Live | 4.15 | 37 |
| 1997 | 1995 | Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness | The Smashing Pumpkins | Album | 4.05 | 22 |
| 1997 | 1996 | Boys for Pele | Tori Amos | Album | 4.45 | 20 |
| 1997 | 1996 | The Burdens of Being Upright | Tracy Bonham | Album | 4.5 | 3 |
| 1997 | 1996 | New Adventures in Hi‐Fi | R.E.M. | Album | 4 | 20 |
| 1997 winner | 1996 | Odelay | Beck | Album | 4.05 | 30 |
| 1998 | 1997 | Earthling | David Bowie | Album | 3.55 | 17 |
| 1998 | 1997 | Dig Your Own Hole | The Chemical Brothers | Album | 4.1 | 15 |
| 1998 | 1997 | The Fat of the Land | Prodigy | Album | 4.15 | 33 |
| 1998 | 1997 | Homogenic | Björk | Album | 4.5 | 25 |
| 1998 winner | 1997 | OK Computer | Radiohead | Album | 4.5 | 38 |
| 1999 | 1998 | Airbag / How Am I Driving? | Radiohead | EP | 3.5 | 2 |
| 1999 | 1998 | From the Choirgirl Hotel | Tori Amos | Album | 4.55 | 12 |
| 1999 | 1998 | Adore | The Smashing Pumpkins | Album | 3.85 | 14 |
| 1999 | 1998 | Is This Desire? | PJ Harvey | Album | 4.4 | 11 |
| 1999 winner | 1998 | Hello Nasty | Beastie Boys | Album | 4.55 | 15 |
| 2000 | 1998 | You’ve Come a Long Way, Baby | Fatboy Slim | Album | 4.65 | 29 |
| 2000 | 1999 | Play | Moby | Album | 4.2 | 32 |
| 2000 | 1999 | The Fragile | Nine Inch Nails | Album | 2.85 | 18 |
| 2000 | 1999 | To Venus and Back | Tori Amos | Album | 4.5 | 9 |
| 2000 winner | 1998 | Mutations | Beck | Album | 3.5 | 17 |
| 2001 | 1999 | When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He’ll Win the Whole Thing ’Fore He Enters the Ring There’s No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won’t Matter, Cuz You’ll Know That You’re Right | Fiona Apple | Album | 4.45 | 17 |
| 2001 | 1999 | Midnite Vultures | Beck | Album | 4 | 13 |
| 2001 | 2000 | Bloodflowers | The Cure | Album | 4.85 | 10 |
| 2001 | 2000 | Liverpool Sound Collage | Paul McCartney | Album | | 2 |
| 2001 winner | 2000 | Kid A | Radiohead | Album | 4.45 | 29 |
| 2002 | 2000 | Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars | Fatboy Slim | Album | 4.5 | 15 |
| 2002 | 2001 | Amnesiac | Radiohead | Album | 3.8 | 21 |
| 2002 | 2001 | Vespertine | Björk | Album | 4.25 | 26 |
| 2002 | 2001 | Strange Little Girls | Tori Amos | Album | 3.5 | 13 |
| 2002 winner | 2000 | Parachutes | Coldplay | Album | 4.1 | 27 |
| 2003 | 2001 | Behind the Music | The Soundtrack of Our Lives | Album | 4.5 | 4 |
| 2003 | 2002 | Walking With Thee | Clinic | Album | 3 | 4 |
| 2003 | 2002 | Sea Change | Beck | Album | 3.85 | 24 |
| 2003 | 2002 | Cruel Smile | Elvis Costello & The Imposters | Album + Compilation | | 1 |
| 2003 winner | 2002 | A Rush of Blood to the Head | Coldplay | Album | 3.95 | 26 |
| 2004 | 2002 | ( ) | Sigur Rós | Album | 4.4 | 17 |
| 2004 | 2003 | Fight Test | The Flaming Lips | EP | | 2 |
| 2004 | 2003 | Fever to Tell | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Album | 4.5 | 9 |
| 2004 | 2003 | Hail to the Thief | Radiohead | Album | 3.9 | 29 |
| 2004 winner | 2003 | Elephant | The White Stripes | Album | 4 | 18 |
| 2005 | 2004 | Franz Ferdinand | Franz Ferdinand | Album | 4.35 | 21 |
| 2005 | 2004 | Good News for People Who Love Bad News | Modest Mouse | Album | 4.05 | 12 |
| 2005 | 2004 | Uh Huh Her | PJ Harvey | Album | 4 | 8 |
| 2005 | 2004 | Medúlla | Björk | Album | 4.05 | 23 |
| 2005 winner | 2004 | A Ghost Is Born | Wilco | Album | 4 | 9 |
| 2006 | 2004 | Funeral | Arcade Fire | Album | 4.45 | 14 |
| 2006 | 2005 | Guero | Beck | Album | 4.15 | 13 |
| 2006 | 2005 | Plans | Death Cab for Cutie | Album | 4.6 | 15 |
| 2006 | 2005 | You Could Have It So Much Better | Franz Ferdinand | Album | 4.4 | 13 |
| 2006 winner | 2005 | Get Behind Me Satan | The White Stripes | Album | 3.75 | 10 |
| 2007 | 2006 | Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not | Arctic Monkeys | Album | 4.2 | 14 |
| 2007 | 2006 | Show Your Bones | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Album | 5 | 7 |
| 2007 | 2006 | At War With the Mystics | The Flaming Lips | Album | 3.75 | 13 |
| 2007 | 2006 | The Eraser | Thom Yorke | Album | 4.15 | 5 |
| 2007 winner | 2006 | St. Elsewhere | Gnarls Barkley | Album | 4 | 13 |
| 2008 | 2006 | Alright, Still | Lily Allen | Album | 3.5 | 13 |
| 2008 | 2007 | Wincing the Night Away | The Shins | Album | 4.75 | 9 |
| 2008 | 2007 | Neon Bible | Arcade Fire | Album | 4.15 | 20 |
| 2008 | 2007 | Volta | Björk | Album | 3.4 | 16 |
| 2008 winner | 2007 | Icky Thump | The White Stripes | Album | 4.45 | 12 |
| 2009 | 2008 | The Odd Couple | Gnarls Barkley | Album | 4 | 9 |
| 2009 | 2008 | Narrow Stairs | Death Cab for Cutie | Album | 4.2 | 11 |
| 2009 | 2008 | Evil Urges | My Morning Jacket | Album | 3.65 | 7 |
| 2009 | 2008 | Modern Guilt | Beck | Album | 4.15 | 11 |
| 2009 winner | 2007 | In Rainbows | Radiohead | Album | 4.35 | 16 |
| 2010 | 2008 | Everything That Happens Will Happen Today | David Byrne & Brian Eno | Album | 4.75 | 5 |
| 2010 | 2009 | It’s Blitz! | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Album | 4.25 | 17 |
| 2010 | 2009 | The Open Door EP | Death Cab for Cutie | EP | 5 | 3 |
| 2010 | 2009 | Sounds of the Universe | Depeche Mode | Album | 4.25 | 22 |
| 2010 winner | 2009 | Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix | Phoenix | Album | 3.95 | 16 |
