I mean, Ben Folds Five and Jamiroquai are hard to stick up for, but they're "legit" in the sense that neither would have fit on AOR radio or on the AOR charts.
Note that by the mid-90s, if not sooner, a lot of 80s alt-rock was seeping into AOR / classic rock / hard rock playlists. (Source: was a DJ on a classic rock station from 1995 through 1998. Played R.E.M., Pearl Jam, bunch of other alternative/grunge stuff alongside 60s/70s/80s classic rock. And a little bit that wasn't technically on the approved list since I was usually working midnight to 6 a.m., but that's another story.)