90s Color Palette – Teal, Brights, Grunge and Pastels

All 40 palettes

Teal and purple 10

Board shorts: violet on dark teal Dark teal background, violet, lime, white, hot pink accent.
Bowling carpet: purple on black Black background, purple, turquoise, hot pink, lime, yellow accent.
Bus seat: teal on deep purple Deep purple background, teal, hot pink, yellow, turquoise accent.
Gym bag: turquoise on white White background, turquoise, purple, teal, black accent.
Lunch tray: lilac on teal Teal background, lilac, cream, deep purple, orange accent.
Party hats: violet on cream Cream background, violet, teal, orange, pink accent.
Pencil case: turquoise on purple Purple background, turquoise, yellow, pink, white accent.
Scribble: teal on lilac Lilac background, teal, deep purple, white, yellow accent.
Skate ramp: turquoise on charcoal Charcoal background, turquoise, violet, lime, white accent.
Track jacket: purple on teal Teal background, purple, lilac, hot pink, black accent.

Show all 40 palettes (30 more)

Primary brights 10

Book bag: navy on green Green background, navy, red, gray, white accent.
Bouncy castle: red on black Black background, red, yellow, blue, orange accent.
Box kite: red on sky blue Sky blue background, red, yellow, white, navy accent.
Color block jacket: blue on red Red background, blue, white, lime, charcoal accent.
Jump rope: yellow on red Red background, yellow, lime, navy, gray accent.
Marker set: blue on white White background, blue, green, orange, black accent.
Plastic bricks: red on white White background, red, blue, yellow, green accent.
Pool noodles: lime on sky blue Sky blue background, lime, orange, red, blue accent.
Rain poncho: yellow on navy Navy background, yellow, green, orange, white accent.
Toy bin: green on yellow Yellow background, green, sky blue, orange, charcoal accent.

Grunge and denim 10

Corduroy: mustard on brown Brown background, mustard, forest green, cream, navy accent.
Denim jacket: navy on faded denim Faded denim background, navy, tan, rust, white accent.
Flannel shirt: forest green on maroon Maroon background, forest green, cream, charcoal, mustard accent.
Garage band: maroon on charcoal Charcoal background, maroon, denim blue, gray, mustard accent.
Plaid skirt: maroon on navy Navy background, maroon, forest green, mustard, silver accent.
Rainy bus stop: denim blue on gray Gray background, denim blue, charcoal, forest green, tan accent.
Record crate: rust on black Black background, rust, faded denim, olive, cream accent.
Ripped jeans: faded denim on denim blue Denim blue background, faded denim, cream, charcoal, rust accent.
Thrift rack: rust on olive Olive background, rust, cream, navy, tan accent.
Work boots: black on brown Brown background, black, tan, maroon, gray accent.

Bedroom pastels 10

Bead curtain: pink on lavender Lavender background, pink, peach, butter yellow, white accent.
Butterfly clips: lilac on pale pink Pale pink background, lilac, mint, butter yellow, baby blue accent.
Ceiling stars: butter yellow on navy Navy background, butter yellow, lavender, baby blue, white accent.
Cloud print: white on sky blue Sky blue background, white, baby blue, lilac, cream accent.
Daisy print: white on baby blue Baby blue background, white, butter yellow, mint, pink accent.
Diary lock: silver on lilac Lilac background, silver, pink, baby blue, cream accent.
Gel pens: hot pink on white White background, hot pink, lilac, sky blue, mint, peach accent.
Inflatable chair: baby blue on lilac Lilac background, baby blue, pale pink, white, silver accent.
Slumber party: pink on pale pink Pale pink background, pink, peach, cream, lilac accent.
Sticker book: pink on cream Cream background, pink, mint, lavender, sky blue accent.

How this list was compiled: Own work, written for Draw This Next on 2026-10-08: palettes of five or six colors in four looks that go by the name 90s (teal and purple, primary brights, grunge and denim, bedroom pastels). Every palette, name, color word, hex code and line is our own; no palette is taken from a show, a game, a brand, a printed pattern or a published palette, and the page states nothing about the decade beyond the names of its four groups. How a strip is ordered: the background comes first, the color that covers most of the rest second, and the accent last. Our own tests, not a standard: the second color and the accent are each 20 or more from the background in CIE Lab; no two colors of a palette are closer than 10 in CIE Lab; no two palettes share four codes. Color names are plain English words with no paint maker, pencil brand or color-matching system, and one word is one code everywhere on this list. Checked on 2026-10-08: every code is #RRGGBB, each color word fits the hue and lightness of its code, no palette, name or line repeats, and no palette is on another palette list of this site or of its sister sites. The hex codes are for a screen; with paint or pencils, take the nearest color. Licence: own work

How it works

Each 90s color palette here holds five or six colors in one of four looks: teal and purple, primary brights, grunge and denim, or bedroom pastels.

Read the full guide

Four 90s color schemes

The menu under the button holds the 90s color palettes of one look at a time. Teal and purple puts a teal or a turquoise and a purple, a violet or a lilac in every strip, and in most one of them is the background. In Primary brights the background can be a bright itself: Jump rope is yellow on red, Toy bin green on yellow. Grunge and denim is the muted group, with a small accent such as mustard, tan or rust.

For an aesthetic 90s color palette

Choose Bedroom pastels, mostly on a pale background such as lilac, pale pink or cream. Ceiling stars is the one dark strip of the group, with butter yellow, lavender and baby blue on navy.

Questions and answers

What colors are in a 90s color scheme?

Here: teal, turquoise and purple with hot pink or yellow; red, blue, yellow and green at full strength; maroon, mustard, olive and denim blue; and lilac, baby blue, mint and butter yellow. The four groups are our own sorting.

How do I use a 90s palette in a drawing?

Read the line under the name. The first color is the background and takes the most room, the middle colors fill the big shapes, and the last is the accent, kept for small things such as outlines, dots and squiggles.

Is a 1990s color palette here taken from the decade?

It is ours. Nothing on the list was sampled from a print, a show or a toy. Each strip was built to give one of four looks that people call 90s, then checked so that no two of its colors are easy to confuse.