- 7/14/2025
From iconic albums to genre-defining moments, certain years shaped the landscape of music forever! Join us as we count down the most influential and memorable years that defined pop music across generations. When chart-toppers, cultural movements, and musical innovations aligned to create magic!
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00:00Wake me up, before you go go, cause I'm not planning on going solo
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the 10 greatest years in the history of pop music.
00:21Something special was brewing in 2009.
00:30Lady Gaga was dominating the charts after the release of The Fame, Black Eyed Peas had transitioned over to a much more anthemic electropop sound with The End, and overall, pop music was in a celebratory mood.
00:46Music didn't take itself too seriously in 2009, and whether it was telling you to just dance or that tonight was gonna be a good night, life was a lot simpler back then.
01:00Big breakthrough releases for Katy Perry, Jason Mraz, Drake, and a reinvented Miley Cyrus made this one a year worth remembering.
01:092016 was truly a landmark year for the modernization of music.
01:22All my friends are heathens, take it slow
01:26Streaming services like Spotify began to take over from radio.
01:30Huge releases from Kanye West, Rihanna, Beyonce, and Drake were just part of the reason why this one sticks in the memory.
01:47And these artists weren't just dropping great singles either.
01:50No, they each managed to put out landmark full album releases.
01:54Sure, losing David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen, and George Michael in one calendar year sucked.
01:59But the newer generation was very clearly delivering the goods.
02:03And 2016 stands alone as perhaps the greatest year for pop music of the 2010s.
02:17When it comes to underrated years in pop music, 1989 is certainly one that doesn't get mentioned enough.
02:23Living legends like Prince and Madonna were at the very top of their game.
02:34And with the growing popularity of hip hop, the range of music making its way across airwaves was never greater.
02:401989 was a melting pot of musical styles, with metal, grunge, rap, and a number of electronic genres all finding a home on the same charts.
02:53From the Pixies to Public Enemy and Chaka Khan to Lou Reed, this was a year that brought us a little bit of everything.
03:06And most of it was pretty darn good.
03:08Fleetwood Mac released Rumors in 1977.
03:19Need we say any more?
03:20This year will always be remembered due to us losing the king, Elvis Presley, to an untimely death.
03:34But in terms of pure music, there was a lot to love.
03:37Climbing up on Salisbury Hill
03:40I could see the city light
03:44Disco was hitting its stride in a huge way, especially after the release of Saturday Night Fever.
03:49The Bee Gees smash hit Stayin' Alive might just be the greatest song the Jara ever produced.
03:59If it's not, then how about Donna Summer's I Feel Love?
04:02Beyond disco, we were seeing the emergence of punk bands like the Sex Pistols and the Ramones on a mainstream level.
04:08And there was even room for big releases from hard rockers like Motorhead and ACDC among others.
04:23Prince really wasn't joking when he told us to party like it's 1999.
04:27This year was jam packed with super successful pop classics.
04:36From the R&B tinged anthems of Destiny's Child and TLC to the Latin grooves of Santana and Ricky Martin.
04:47We also got straight up pop gems this year courtesy of Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.
04:52Hip hop was also in full swing and the emergence of Eminem as a legitimate A-list celebrity brought the Jara to new heights.
05:04Sure, Woodstock 99 was a total disaster that completely missed the point of the 1969 original.
05:09But 1999 just has so much going for it that it's impossible to rank it any lower.
05:14When the world seems to get to just bring it all back to you.
05:19Number 5, 1956.
05:21Well, since my baby left me, will I find a new place to dwell?
05:271956 was an iconic year for many reasons.
05:30And the sheer amount of legendary performers who were at the peak of their powers at this time was staggering.
05:36Elvis Presley dropped Heartbreak Hotel.
05:38Johnny Cash put out I Walk the Line.
05:40Little Richard brought out Long Tall Sally.
05:42And that's only the tip of the iceberg.
05:44This was the year when the idea of pop music began to circulate.
05:55The dancing of Elvis Presley on that legendary national TV performance lit a fire underneath an entire generation.
06:01Single-handedly creating the type of pop star worship that would define music for decades.
06:06Something was changing in popular culture.
06:15And 1956 was as crucial as any year in music history.
06:19Because you're mine, I walk the line.
06:24Number 4, 1983.
06:271983 will forever be remembered as the year that MTV truly took off.
06:32But also for the way that Michael Jackson's Thriller album cycle benefited from it.
06:42MJ was just on a roll in 1983.
06:45Dropping seminal singles like Beat It, Billie Jean, and of course Thriller.
06:53But it wasn't just the king of pop who was firing on all cylinders.
06:56The police had a smash hit with Every Breath You Take.
06:59And everyone from Bob Marley and Prince to Bowie and the Talking Heads was making a dent on the charts.
07:12Music videos were becoming just as important as the song itself.
07:15And during this period, we were really starting to see musicians getting experimental with their style and overall image.
07:21Number 3, 1964.
07:26Oh yeah, I'll tell you something.
07:31I think you'll understand.
07:34Beatlemania had officially gripped the world by the time 1964 was through.
07:39And just like Elvis in the previous decade,
07:41it was a moment that kick-started a totally different level of reverence for pop stars.
07:46Come on everybody, take a real deep breath and repeat after me.
07:51Love with my baby, love with my baby.
07:55Elvis was off making movies and Dylan hadn't quite gone electric yet.
07:58But this year brought us the debut album of The Rolling Stones,
08:01the first ever onstage guitar destruction from Pete Townsend of The Who,
08:05and perhaps the heaviest single ever released to that point,
08:08You really got me by the kinks.
08:16This was a pivotal year for many genres,
08:18but 1964 will always be remembered as a major year for mainstream rock music and the British pop invasion.
08:32Number 2, 1969.
08:34The 60s were coming to an end,
08:36and no moment in musical history summed up a period of time better than 1969's Woodstock Music Festival.
08:49But the love and peace of this period would soon give way to some real political strife and tension.
08:54And you could feel this shift happening in the music.
08:56Huge releases from Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, and more laid the groundwork for the music of the 70s.
09:03Rock stars grew their hair longer, expressed themselves more aggressively on stage,
09:14and the early seeds of punk, heavy metal, and progressive rock began leaking into the sounds of some of the biggest names on the charts.
09:20Musically speaking, this might have been the most interesting year of the 60s.
09:39Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
09:421985.
09:44The year where music videos truly evolved.
09:551978.
09:56The year where mainstream music earned its punk edge.
09:591986.
10:00A legendary year for breakout pop divas.
10:191994.
10:20The year where genres truly collided.
10:221980.
10:31The year where music became larger than life.
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10:58When it comes to instant classic singles, legendary music videos, and unforgettable albums, 1984 was just on a different level.
11:06In one calendar year, Prince gave us the Purple Rain album,
11:15Wham! dropped Careless Whisper and Wake Me Up Before You Go Go,
11:18and Madonna shocked audiences with Like a Virgin.
11:27Also, Tina Turner mounted a massive comeback, and Springsteen put out Born in the USA.
11:32And we're still barely scratching the surface.
11:41Never before in music history have so many artists achieved pop genius in such a short window of time.
11:47One hit wonders, movie soundtracks, artist collaborations.
11:51It was just hit after hit after hit.
11:53And out of all the years that pop music has excelled, 1984 has truly stood the test of time.
12:06Did we leave any particularly mind-blowing years in pop history off our list?
12:09Let us know in the comments.
12:10Ooh, I'm standing on my own debate!
12:11Ooh, I'm standing on my own debate!
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