Popular '90s Boy Band Members Who Look So Different Today

While the term "boy band" seemingly rose to prominence during the 1980s, the concept of an all-male singing group built on pop sensibilities and endless marketability has been around for much longer. Their rock roots notwithstanding, one could argue that The Beatles were one of the trailblazing boy bands of the 1960s, when they were making girls around the globe swoon with their mop tops, impish smiles, and unforgettable hooks. These days, though, the term immediately brings to mind the likes of 1990s acts like NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys.

In many ways, the period spanning from the '90s to the early and mid-2000s represents the high-water mark for boy bands, as the aforementioned groups and their contemporaries followed the road paved by the likes of New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, and New Edition to a new level of mainstream success. Over the years that have ensued, the vocal masters who made up these legendary groups have split, gone out on their own, and reunited amid their continuing journeys in show business. Along the way, their style and overall looks have changed with the march of time. Here's an update on what members of some of the biggest boy bands of the '90s look like today, decades after their initial rise.

In the Y2K era, you can count on exactly two fingers the number of boy bands that were as successful as Justin Timberlake's NSYNC: themselves and the Backstreet Boys. And while the latter group went down as the best-selling boy group of all-time, there's no denying the impact JT and Co. had, as they logged 12 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 over a four-year period from 1998 to 2002. While every fan had their favorite, Timberlake was the breakout star of the group, winning hearts with his silky vocals, dance moves, and a look that emphasized his winning smile, blonde perm, and baby-smooth complexion.

Over the years, though, Timberlake's look evolved alongside his career, which has included solo hits like "SexyBack" and lauded acting performances in films including "The Social Network," "Trolls," and "Black Snake Moan," to name a few. The boyish looks that led to his early "Mickey Mouse Club" success have given rise to a more mature, rough-around-the-edges style characterized by a more reserved hair game, facial hair, and his increasingly buffed-out body. While Timberlake has bulked up for a handful of acting roles, though, fans have been voicing concerns about the versatile star more recently. As reported by The Daily Mail in July 2025, Timberlake appeared to look tired as he stumbled through a string of performances that left some fans wanting more.

At the height of their popularity, as the 20th century hurdled toward the 21st, there was nary a person without at least a passing awareness of NSYNC. As the years have gone by, though, and members including Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Joey Fatone have continued to varying degrees of solo success and projects outside of music, one could argue that JC Chasez — like Timberlake, a "Mickey Mouse Club" alum — has kept the lowest profile of the bunch. 

Outside of a solo album in 2004 and a second release 20 years later, his activity has been harder to track than that of his cohorts, leaving some to wonder what Chasez is doing today. Meanwhile, his appearance has changed a lot as the years have flown by. In his first-ever TikTok video, posted in 2022, Chasez showed off a head full of long, gray hair and a beard to match as he joked about not knowing how to use the app and smartphone. It was a night-and-day metamorphosis from the clean-shaven, expertly styled teen idol that he was during NSYNC's heyday. 

More recently, in May 2025, the U.S. Sun reported on Chasez sporting a similar look while going about his daily routine. Don't let his transformation fool you, though — Chasez was able to parlay his boy band experience into a role as a writer and producer for other pop stars, including Diplo, Liam Payne, and David Archuleta.

Justin Timberlake's incredible post-NSYNC success notwithstanding, there was really no contest in the battle of millennial boy bands in the match-up between Timberlake's crew and The Backstreet Boys, at least in terms of who sold more records. Although Timberlake was the clear breakout star of the group, the members of the Backstreet Boys each stood out for different reasons. While Nick Carter arguably got the most media attention — at least among the Tiger Beat crowd — A.J. McLean's powerful, soul-infused vocals may actually be the best of the bunch. 

In January 2026, McLean released his first solo album since 2010's "Have It All," an indie release titled "My Name is Alexander James." And while he can still thrill a crowd with his silky smooth runs, McLean has changed a lot over the years. He has hosted Netflix's "Building the Band," been involved in myriad other TV projects, achieved sobriety, bounced back after setbacks, and evolved his image into a more mature, though still rough-and-tumble look (while apologizing for past fashion missteps). His thick beard and tattoos made him look totally different in a series of 2024 snaps by the U.S. Sun.

Nick Carter was the perfect teenage heartthrob of the mid-to-late '90s, with his boyish charm, baby-blue eyes, and big voice. He also rocked one of the most iconic and innately '90s hairdos of all time — the hair curtains, which saw his shaggy blonde locks parted down the middle and swept over his ears. It was a look not unlike that worn by Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Kurt Cobain, and others over the course of the decade (although neater, perhaps). Those looks, combined with his status as the youngest member of the Backstreet Boys, made him a veritable pin-up for teenage girls of the day.

Carter has gone on to record four solo albums, appear on reality television, lend his voice to animated projects, and pursue other showbusiness ventures. He has also been the subject of some disturbing allegations about past behavior with a fan. All the while, he has evolved from being the baby of the BSB to an elder statesman of the recording industry. 

However, a June 2025 Instagram selfie showed the singer looking thinner than ever, leaving some fans concerned about his health. "You're too thin! You have to eat a little more!" pleaded one commenter, while another wrote, "To all the defenders of Nick's universe... I think it's out of concern for most people. It's a little shocking to see such a physical change."

Well before NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys rose to prominence, the Philadelphia-based Boyz II Men rocked the Billboard Hot 100 earlier in the '90s with hits like "End of the Road," "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday," and "I'll Make Love to You." They continued to drop gems on the pop radio airwaves for the remainder of the decade. As with other boy bands, the sum of the group's talents was greater than that of its parts. However, Wanyá Morris handled much of the heavy lifting for the group vocally. He was also part of the love triangle that Adina Howard claims ended her career.

Morris and his Boyz II Men cohorts continued to record and take part in other projects well beyond their '90s heyday, but they've undergone a significant transformation in the interim. Morris' boyish looks have given way to a bald, bearded look, and a confident gaze befitting an R&B/soul legend. Little has changed about the way in which the group's fans react to them live, though, as was displayed at an NFL game between the hometown Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys in 2025 when Boyz II Men sang the national anthem. 

The New Kids on the Block first popped off during the late 1980s with the release of their second album, "Hangin' Tough." From there, they steamrolled into the early 1990s with hits including the chart-topping "Step by Step." Along the way, group members Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood were briefly some of the biggest stars in music. For his part, McIntyre was the youngest of the group, having joined the outfit as a tween in the mid-'80s. After going solo, however, McIntyre broke out of his baby phase in a big way.

Now, in the 2020s, McIntyre's years of experience are apparent in his eyes, as he sports a more weathered look. His mane remains impressive, but it doesn't quite match the '90s gusto of his curled mop top. In 2023, the U.S. Sun reported that the entertainer looked completely unrecognizable in a clip that showed him being interviewed by his teenage sons. Nevertheless, after releasing several solo albums over the last two decades, he continues to record and perform alongside his NKOTB brothers. The group's 2024 album, "Still Kids," debuted at No. 4 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart that summer.

Danny Wood may not have sung lead on the New Kids on the Block's biggest hits, but he was nonetheless an integral component of the unique vocal blend that filled arenas around the world during the early '90s. While he has arguably kept the lowest profile since the group went on its lengthy hiatus during the late '90s and into the late 2000s, he kept busy by recording a number of solo albums. 

He also founded the breast cancer charity Remember Betty in 2008, in honor of his late mother, who died of the disease nine years earlier. "We've had a lot of girls pass away," Wood explained to the Sun Sentinel in 2015. "They take a photo with us and then they're gone. It's a priority for me, and it's also connected my kids to my mother."

More recently, a buffed-out, much more mature-looking and occasionally mustachioed Wood continues to flex his creative muscles outside of his NKOTB-related activities. Wood is a chef who shares his cooking creations with fans via his social media channels. Along the same vein, Wood has also become a hot sauce baron through his partnership with Torchbearer Sauces.

Long before the "Thong Song" became a cultural phenomenon in 1999, its not-yet-silver-haired singer, Sisqó, served solely as the frontman for the Baltimore-based boy band Dru Hill, which also included Tamir "Nokio the N-Tity" Ruffin, Larry "Jazz" Anthony, and James "Woody" Green. Although the group logged a multitude of songs on the Billboard Hot 100, its lone No. 1 came in a featured spot on Will Smith's 1999 hit "Wild Wild West." For his part, though, Sisqó is undoubtedly best remembered now as the "Thong Song" guy, whose outrageous style regularly elicited double takes.

Sisqó still manages to impress with his stage looks, although he's toned down his style slightly in keeping with modern sensibilities. He still sports the well-manicured, bleached-blonde cut that has recurred throughout his career, but the years are apparent on his face despite his youthful vibes. Much like he and his powerhouse vocals have endured well beyond his Y2K-era heyday, so, too, has his signature song, which was reimagined for a Toyota ad campaign in 2025. It continues to inspire the best and brightest singers of today, including "Wicked" star Cynthia Erivo.

"The whole end section of this song is so unnecessary," Erivo said in 2025 (via Entertainment Weekly/TikTok). "You have a key change, there's a praise break at some point in this, with his voice. It's ridiculous. You don't need to sing like that, and he does."

British singing legend Robbie Williams' best work came during his solo career, when he won hearts and rocked the charts in the United Kingdom with hits like "Angels" and "Millennium." However, longtime fans of the British pop scene and boy bands in general will undoubtedly recall the time he spent as a bright-faced, smooth-haired piece of the one-time pop quintet Take That. Williams has undergone a considerable transformation over the years as he has lived with substance misuse and the ups and downs of life in the limelight.

Williams' wild story was told in theaters worldwide in the biopic "Better Man," in which he's represented as a CGI monkey. Meanwhile, the real Williams has changed in a multitude of ways since his fledgling days as a pop star. His body is covered with tattoos, and his hair has a touch of gray. He also has a full set of brand-new teeth, and he recently shed some serious weight after dedicating himself to exercise and eating right, while abstaining from substances like cigarettes, as reported by the U.S. Sun.

Nick Lachey may have been the breakout star of 98 Degrees — thanks to his dulcet tones, leading-man looks, and early marriage to Jessica Simpson. However, Justin Jeffre and the rest of the group's members combined to create vocal magic during the late '90s and early 2000s. That said, Jeffre was definitely the most low-key member of the group during its initial run. However, he put himself out there in a major way as a citizen of Cincinnati in 2005, running for mayor of Ohio's third-most populous city. While he ultimately finished fifth in a primary election, he showed that he was much more than just a background player.

These days, Jeffre looks a whole lot more like a mayoral candidate or a college professor than an R&B legend. His hair has taken on a salt-and-pepper look, and he has clearly left the fashion of the '90s behind him. He was labeled as being "unrecognizable compared to his boy band days" by Parade in 2025. 

However, fans have lauded how he has managed to age gracefully in Instagram comments. "Justin!!! you are making our hearts melt!!! you are a ladies man with a sense of humor!!! I'm loving this sooo sooo much!!!" wrote one fan in response to a 2025 video post featuring Jeffre and bandmate Jeff Timmons.

Dan Miller is a longtime member of O-Town, a group that didn't quite reach the heights of contemporaries like the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC, and 98 Degrees — and they were actually formed just after the '90s boy-band explosion. However, O-Town nonetheless became an extension of that '90s movement following the group's formation on ABC's "Making the Band." As with BSB and NSYNC, music manager Lou Pearlman was pivotal in identifying O-Town's members (after his alleged "torture" of Justin Timberlake and Co.) But after the band's first two albums, its members, Miller, Erik-Michael Estrada, Trevor Penick, Jacob Underwood, and Ashley Parker Angel, explored alternative outlets for their talents.

Nearly three decades later, Miller continues to make music and perform, occasionally alongside his O-Town bandmates. Meanwhile, he has trimmed up his millennial mop and grown a nice beard. Miller may have kept a lower profile than some of the singers on this list, but he still remembers the days when even the biggest stars knew who he was, including "Party of Five" alum Jennifer Love Hewitt. 

Speaking as a panelist at Daytona Beach, Florida's 90s Con in 2024 (via People), he recalled bumping into the actress during a concert at the Rose Bowl. "I was going to the bathroom and Jennifer Love Hewitt walked into the bathroom while I was handling my business and said, 'Oh hi Dan.' She knew who I was!" he recalled.