The popular revival of the Grateful Dead in the late '80s spawned a new school of improvisational rock bands. Early practitioners of the form were the Spin Doctors and Widespread Panic, who used their rock roots as a springboard for extended, interlocking solos. Vermont hippies Phish reached a level of success through constant touring and instrumental precision, which solidified the jam scene as a permanent fixture. Leftover Salmon and Medeski, Martin & Wood drew on worldbeat and Americana influences to expand the available palette of styles, while the Dave Matthews Band and Blues Traveller curbed their instrumental excesses to find mainstream popularity. The Grateful Dead continue to inspire the scene despite the loss of Jerry Garcia in 1995, originally as the Other Ones and more recently as simply the Dead.

Notable Artists: Phish, Dave Matthews, Ekoostik Hookah, String Cheese Incident