I was spending a lot of time on Salt Lake valley's east side in the early-mid 90s, and the genre of jangly indie guitar pop epitomized by these songs always brings me back to those empty summer days.

The Connells: Something to Say
Perhaps the earliest of these bands, and still the archetype for what I think of as the East Side 90s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbywXmJu7mU

Toad the Wet Sprocket: Nightingale Song
They were bigger, but not, I think, better than the other bands on this list.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPzXA9qfBA8

Trashcan Sinatras: Obscurity Knocks
I actually like "Only Tongue Can Tell" better, but this footage captures the feeling I had with my friends in those days, minus the appreciative audience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1UgnpcHpvc

Ocean Blue: Cerulean
The best thing to come out of Hershey, Pennsylvania, is not cheap chocolate.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRPbMz8N5vA

The Origin: November Days
My love for this album is as pure and untarnished as my nostalgia for California road trips.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpXRFO-S9ro

Bonus: Peter Breinholt & Big Parade: So Here's to You
Maybe not quite the same genre, but associated in my nostalgia. I still feel it when I see Peter Breinholt live. I bought this CD at the release party and have never let it go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhEEZ8fctpM