The ’90s was a decade that saw a surge in independent cinema, with many talented filmmakers creating edgy and innovative films outside of the Hollywood system. Each year of this decade brought us films that would go on to become cult classics and critically acclaimed masterpieces. Here is a list of the best indie movies of each year throughout the 1990s.

1990: Metropolitan – Whit Stillman’s debut feature is a sharp and witty comedy of manners that explores the lives of a group of young upper-class Manhattanites during the debutante ball season.

1991: Slacker – Directed by Richard Linklater, this film presents a day in the life of Austin, Texas, among its social outcasts and misfits, who reject the mainstream culture for an idle, post-college existence.

1992: Reservoir Dogs – Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut is regarded as a seminal film in the indie genre. This bloody heist movie eschews the actual robbery to focus on what happens before and after it, in Tarantino’s trademark non-linear style.

1993: Dazed and Confused – Another Linklater classic, this coming-of-age film follows various groups of Texas teenagers during their last day of school in 1976, filled with rock music, pot, and partying.

1994: Clerks – Kevin Smith’s black and white comedy presents a day in the lives of two store clerks who discuss movies, play hockey on the store roof, and ultimately face personal questions about their lives.

1995: The Brothers McMullen – Ed Burns wrote, directed, and starred in this smart low-budget dramedy about three Irish Catholic brothers from Long Island struggling with love and relationships.

1996: Fargo – Although produced by a major studio (Gramercy Pictures), Joel and Ethan Coen’s dark comedy remains an indie spirit champion. Featuring a stellar cast and quirky characters, it has become one of the most respected indie films ever made.

1997: Chasing Amy – Again from Kevin Smith, this romantic dramedy tackles themes of love, sexuality, and friendship as it follows comic book artist Holden McNeil who falls for his colleague Alyssa Jones.

1998: Pi – Darren Aronofsky’s directorial debut is an intense psychological thriller about a paranoid mathematician’s search for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.

1999: The Blair Witch Project – One of the most successful indie films ever made due to its return on investment. This mockumentary psychological horror captured audiences with its realism and use of ‘found footage’ to tell the story of three film students who vanish after trekking into the Maryland backwoods to film a documentary about a local legend known as The Blair Witch.