There are no inarguable terms to define rock music – or R&B, or country, or dance, or any other genre. Perhaps the most baffling, though, is pop music. Why? Because it’s an amalgam of all other genres. Just take a glance at the top ten on this list. Michael Jackson shows up with a couple of R&B/dance-oriented albums. Fleetwood Mac makes an appearance with classic rock. The Bee Gees and others give us their spin on disco. Carole King shows why she reigned supreme at the forefront of the singer/songwriter movement of the ‘70s. Alanis Morissette serves up a slice the kind of alternative rock which became mainstream in the ‘90s while Adele gives us a dose of blue-eyed British soul.
A strong effort was made to focus on albums that generated multiple pop hits, did well on the album chart, and were big sellers. While albums like the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and Led Zeppelin’s Led Zeppelin IV are monster sellers, they only generated a mere three top-40 hits between them.
Welcome to the world of pop music. All the different ingredients described above have been factored in – as well as an aggregate of a handful of lists focused on the best pop albums of all time (see sources at bottom of page) – to create the list you have before you. Hopefully there’s something here to fit your tastes. After all, pop is the great equalizer. It can bring disparate groups together because of a shared love of a particular album. Without further ado, here’s the top 100 pop albums of all time, as determined by Dave’s Music Database.
Check out other best-of-genre/category lists here.
1. Michael Jackson Thriller (1982)
2. Various artists (Bee Gees et al) Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack, 1977)
3. George Michael Faith (1987)
4. Fleetwood Mac Rumours (1977)
5. Elton John Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
6. Michael Jackson Bad (1987)
7. Whitney Houston Whitney Houston (1985)
8. Janet Jackson Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989)
9. Bruce Springsteen Born in the U.S.A. (1984)
10. Prince & the Revolution Purple Rain (1984)
11. Adele 21 (2011)
12. Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
13. Shania Twain Come on Over (1997)
14. Taylor Swift 1989 (2014)
15. Alanis Morissette Jagged Little Pill (1995)
16. Various artists (Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta et al) Grease (1978)
17. Michael Jackson Dangerous (1991)
18. Madonna Like a Virgin (1984)
19. Michael Jackson Off the Wall (1979)
20. Def Leppard Hysteria (1987)
21. Phil Collins No Jacket Required (1985)
22. Janet Jackson Control (1986)
23. Taylor Swift Fearless (2008)
24. Lady Gaga The Fame (2008)
25. Various artists (Whitney Houston et al) The Bodyguard (soundtrack, 1992)
26. Madonna Like a Prayer (1989)
27. Usher Confessions (2004)
28. Janet Jackson janet. (1993)
29. Mariah Carey Daydream (1995)
30. Katy Perry Teenage Dream (2010)
31. Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (1990)
32. Boyz II Men II (1994)
33. Whitney Houston Whitney (1987)
34. Wham! Make It Big (1984)
35. Various artists Dirty Dancing (soundtrack, 1987)
36. Madonna True Blue (1986)
37. Black Eyed Peas The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) (2009)
38. Carole King Tapestry (1971)
39. Lionel Richie Can’t Slow Down (1983)
40. The Police Synchronicity (1983)
41. Paula Abdul Forever Your Girl (1988)
42. Bruno Mars Unorthodox Jukebox (2012)
43. TLC Crazy Sexy Cool (1994)
44. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour (1967)
45. Beyoncé Dangerously in Love (2003)
46. New Kids on the Block Hangin’ Tough (1988)
47. Simon & Garfunkel Bridge Over Troubled Water (1970)
48. Taylor Swift Red (2012)
49. Destiny’s Child Survivor (2001)
50. Bon Jovi Slippery When Wet (1986)
51. Ace of Base Happy Nation/The Sign (1993)
52. Bon Jovi New Jersey (1988)
53. Mariah Carey Music Box (1993)
54. Tina Turner Private Dancer (1984)
55. INXS Kick (1987)
56. Christina Aguilera Christina Aguilera (1999)
57. Phil Collins …But Seriously (1989)
58. Journey Escape (1981)
59. Kelly Clarkson Breakaway (2004)
60. Lady Gaga Born This Way (2011)
61. Spice Girls Spice (1996)
62. Bobby Brown Don’t Be Cruel (1988)
63. Celine Dion Falling into You (1996)
64. Rihanna Loud (2010)
65. Milli Vanilli Girl You Know It’s True (aka All or Nothing) (1989)
66. Billy Joel The Stranger (1977)
67. Tears for Fears Songs from the Big Chair (1985)
68. Huey Lewis & the News Sports (1983)
69. U2 The Joshua Tree (1987)
70. Fergie The Dutchess (2006)
71. Post Malone Hollywood’s Bleeding (2019)
72. Britney Spears …Baby One More Time (1999)
73. Cyndi Lauper She’s So Unusual (1983)
74. Backstreet Boys Millennium (1999)
75. Lionel Richie Dancing on the Ceiling (1986)
76. Lady Gaga The Fame Monster (2009)
77. Drake Scorpion (2018)
78. Ed Sheeran ÷ (Divide) (2017)
79. Genesis Invisible Touch (1986)
80. Hootie & the Blowfish Cracked Rear View (1994)
81. Wilson Phillips Wilson Phillips (1990)
82. Guns N’ Roses Appetite for Destruction (1987)
83. The Beatles Please Please Me (1963)
84. Huey Lewis & the News Fore! (1986)
85. Nickelback All the Right Reasons (2005)
86. T.I. Paper Trail (2008)
87. Bee Gees Spirits Having Flown (1979)
88. Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad (2007)
89. The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
90. Taylor Swift Midnights (2022)
91. Bruno Mars Doo Wops & Hooligans (2010)
92. Justin Bieber Purpose (2015)
93. Stevie Wonder Songs in the Key of Life (1976)
94. The Weeknd Starboy (2016)
95. The Weeknd After Hours (2020)
96. Various Artists (Whitney Houston et al) Waiting to Exhale (soundtrack, 1995)
97. Billy Joel An Innocent Man (1983)
98. Foreigner 4 (1981)
99. The Beatles Help! (1965)
100. Ariana Grande Thank U, Next (2019)
Resources and Related Links:
- Dave’s Music Database: other best-of-genre lists
- Dave’s Music Database: other best-of-genre lists
- Amazon.com: “Essential CDs by Style: Pop Rock”
Now dead link.
- Amazon.com: “Essential CDs by Style: Pop Vocal”
Now dead link.
- AskMen.com (7/4/2004). “Top 200 Albums of All Time: Pop”
This was actually 20 top-ten lists, each focused on 10 albums in a specific genre.
- AskMen.com (7/4/2004). “Top 200 Albums of All Time: Soft Rock”
This was actually 20 top-ten lists, each focused on 10 albums in a specific genre.
- Barnes & Noble: “Fundamentals: Classic Pop”
Now dead link.
- Barnes & Noble: “Fundamentals: Contemporary Pop”
Now dead link.
- Barnes & Noble: “Fundamentals: Soft Rock”
Now dead link.
- Barnes & Noble: “Fundamentals: Vocal Pop”
Now dead link.
- Billboard.com: “Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums”
- Blender (April 2003): “500 CDs You Must Own Before You Die!: Pop”
List is broken down into different genres.
- Buzzfeed.com (3/26/2014). “How Many of the Greatest Pop Albums of All Time Have You Heard?”
Your guess is as good as mine as to why they created a list with the strange number of 147 albums.
- DavesMusicDatabase.com (8/3/2020). “The Biggest #1 Albums in U.S. Chart History”
- DavesMusicDatabase.com (8/3/2020). “The Longest-Charting Albums in U.S. Chart History”
- DavesMusicDatabase.com (9/11/2020). “World’s Best-Selling Albums: The Top 100+ Albums”
- MadeMan.com: “10 Best Pop Albums of All Time”
Now dead link.
- Mojo (2001). “Mojo 1000: The Ulitmate CD Buyers Guide”
The list had sections on various genres such as blues, country, jazz, soul, rock, reggae, and, of course, pop.
- NWItimes.com (4/27/2017). “The Best Pop Albums of All Time”
- Q magazine (April 2005). “The Ultimate Music Collection: Pop”
- RateYourMusic.com: “Chock Full O’ Hits: The Albums That Spawned the Most Top 10 Singles (US)”
- Record Collector (Jan. 2000). “Classic Albums from 21 Genres for the 21st Century: Pop”
BBC listeners were polled to determine the top 100 albums of all time.
- Tower.com: “Essentials: Pop/Rock”
Now dead link.
- Udiscover.com (11/15/2019). “Best Pop Albums of All Time: 20 Essential Listens for Any Music Fan”
- Wikipedia.org: “List of Best-Selling Albums Worldwide”
BBC listeners were polled to determine the top 100 albums of all time.
First posted 11/22/2020; last updated 9/1/2024. | 
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