We celebrate Winamp’s life by gushing about our favorite skins

I have an affinity for the 90s like few others do. That includes Winamp, the media player that’s been around since 1997, which offers its users the ability to personalize the player with user-created skins, along with a bevy of other features, including MP3 and CD ripping. 

Growing up, I not only developed a love for Winamp and its skins, but I also got into a bunch of other stuff you wouldn’t expect from a kid in the 90s and 2000s. I made a habit of tricking my room out with lava lamps, candles and incense to go along with whatever Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd or song/playlist I was listening to at the time. Picking a Winamp skin was part of this customization process. I’d often go with a skin that would match the hue given off by one of my lamps. Picking an appropriate desktop theme to match with the Winamp skin I chose was also a must.

Though Winamp has plenty of awesome skins, my tastes led me to develop a love for two Winamp skins in particular. One was called The Silence v5. Not only did it sport an awesome green/black color combination, but everything down to the font at the top of skin made it look eerie. Plus, usually I paired it with a matching Alien desktop theme. I love/loved Alien and Aliens, so finding an awesome desktop theme with a matching Winamp skin to go with all the other stuff going on in my room all those years was just gravy.

So, here’s how my desktop would often look growing up, when I combined The Silence v5 with a desktop theme dubbed Alien ’97 Commemoration.

Awesome huh? This wasn’t the only Winamp skin I was fond of. I also liked pairing a skin called MassAMP with another Alien desktop theme simply called Aliens the Movie. MassAMP’s combination of blacks, greys and blues still retained that kooky quality offered by The Silence v5, while offering a completely different set of aesthetics that still gave me the spooky feel I was going for. That’s pictured at the top.

Though The Silence v5 and MassAMP are our two favorite Winamp skins, we’re wondering what your faves are. Sound off in the comments below.