Spice Girls singing group formed : 1993
The Spice Girls were the first major British pop music phenomenon of the mid-'90s to not have a debt to independent pop-rock. Instead, the all-female quintet derived from the dance-pop tradition that made Take That the most popular British group of the early '90s, but there was one crucial difference. The Spice Girls used dance-pop as a musical base, but they infused the music with a fiercely independent, feminist stance that was equal parts Madonna, post-riot-grrrl alternative-rock feminism, and a co-opting of the good-times-all-the-time stance of England's new lad culture. Their proud, all-girl image and catchy dance-pop appealed to younger listeners, while their colorful, sexy personalities and sense of humor appealed to older music fans, making the Spice Girls a cross-generational success. The group also became chart-toppers throughout Europe in 1996, before concentrating in America in early 1997.

Every member of the Spice Girls was given a specific identity by the British press from the outset, and each label was as much an extension of their own personality as it was a marketing tool, since each name derived from their debut single and video, "Wannabe." Geri Estelle Halliwell was the "sexy Spice; " Melanine Janine Brown was the "scary Spice; " Victoria Addams was "the posh Spice; " Melanie Jayne Chisholm was "the sporty Spice; " Emma Lee Bunton was "the baby Spice." Each one of these personas were exploited in the group's press articles and videos, which helped send "Wannabe" to the top of the charts upon its summer release in 1996. If all of the invented personalties makes the Spice Girls seem manufactured, that's because they are to a certain extent.