The book Top 100 Albums of All Time was published by Dave’s Music Database in 2014. It aggregated more than 150 best-of lists from all manner of music publications and entities and crunching those figures into a database along with sales figures, chart results, critical ratings, and various awards. (Click links to see detailed sources).
The book only featured one album from the 21st century (Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP) and, frankly, if I were to revise the book I’d re-focus it just on the 20th century. Either way, this book serves as a sequel, keying in on the top 100 albums of the 21st century. Here are the results:
Also, check out annual picks for album of the year.
1. Adele 21 (2011)
2. The Strokes Is This It (2001)
3. Eminem The Marshall Mathers LP (2000)
4. Amy Winehouse Back to Black (2006)
5. Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
6. The White Stripes Elephant (2003)
7. Taylor Swift 1989 (2014)
8. Green Day American Idiot (2004)
9. Radiohead Kid A (2000)
10. Arctic Monkeys Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006)
11. Norah Jones Come Away with Me (2002)
12. Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)
13. Arcade Fire Funeral (2004)
14. Eminem The Eminem Show (2002)
15. Kendrick Lamar Damn. (2017)
16. Beyoncé Lemonade (2016)
17. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
18. Kendrick Lamar Good Kid m.A.A.d. City (2012)
19. Adele 25 (2015)
20. OutKast Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (2003)
21. Usher Confessions (2004)
22. Taylor Swift Fearless (2008)
23. Frank Ocean Channel Orange (2012)
24. Ed Sheeran ÷ (Divide) (2017)
25. Radiohead In Rainbows (2007)
26. Lady Gaga The Fame (2008)
27. The White Stripes White Blood Cells (2001)
28. U2 All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000)
29. Kanye West The College Dropout (2004)
30. Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001)
31. Linkin Park Hybrid Theory (2000)
32. OutKast Stankonia (2000)
33. Alicia Keys Songs in A Minor (2001)
34. Coldplay Parachutes (2000)
35. Taylor Swift Red (2012)
36. Arcade Fire The Suburbs (2010)
37. Franz Ferdinand Franz Ferdinand (2004)
38. O Brother Where Art Thou (soundtrack, 2000)
39. Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour (2018)
40. Bilie Eilish When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019)
41. Chris Stapleton Traveller (2015)
42. Jay-Z The Blueprint (2001)
43. Sufjan Stevens Illinois (2005)
44. David Bowie Blackstar (2016)
45. 50 Cent Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003)
46. Coldplay X & Y (2005)
47. Eminem Recovery (2010)
48. Katy Perry Teenage Dream (2010)
49. Beyoncé Dangerously in Love (2003)
50. The Killers Hot Fuss (2004)
51. Frozen (soundtrack, 2013)
52. Lin-Manuel Miranda (composer) Hamilton (musical, 2015)
53. Drake Views (2016)
54. Olivia Rodrigo Sour (2021)
55. Beyoncé Beyoncé (2013)
56. Brian Wilson Smile (2004)
57. Taylor Swift Midnights (2022)
58. Kings of Leon Only by the Night (2008)
59. Justin Timberlake FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)
60. Justin Timberlake Justified (2002)
61. Frank Ocean Blond (2016)
62. Bruce Springsteen The Rising (2002)
63. LCD Soundsystem Sound of Silver (2007)
64. Drake Take Care (2011)
65. Nickelback All the Right Reasons (2005)
66. SZA SOS (2022)
67. Coldplay Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
68. Bruno Mars Doo Wops & Hooligans (2010)
69. Rihanna Anti (2016)
70. Kanye West Late Registration (2005)
71. Beck Sea Change (2002)
72. Mumford & Sons Sigh No More (2009)
73. Ed Sheeran X (Multiply) (2014)
74. The Libertines Up the Bracket (2002)
75. Morgan Wallen One Thing at a Time (2023)
76. U2 How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004)
77. Mariah Carey The Emancipation of Mimi (2005)
78. Mumford & Sons Babel (2012)
79. Post Malone Hollywood’s Bleeding (2019)
80. Lana Del Rey Born to Die (2012)
81. D’Angelo Voodoo (2000)
82. Taylor Swift Folklore (2020)
83. Evanescence Fallen (2003)
84. PJ Harvey Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
85. Bob Dylan Love and Theft (2001)
86. D’Angelo & the Vanguard Black Messiah (2014)
87. Avril Lavigne Let Go (2002)
88. Taylor Swift Speak Now (2010)
89. Ariana Grande Thank U, Next (2019)
90. James Blunt Back to Bedlam (2004)
91. Lady Gaga Born This Way (2011)
92. Keane Hopes and Fears (2004)
93. Kanye West Graduation (2007)
94. Drake Scorpion (2018)
95. Vampire Weekend Modern Vampires of the City (2013)
96. Lorde Melodrama (2017)
97. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss Raising Sand (2007)
98. Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes (2008)
99. Morgan Wallen Dangerous: The Double Album (2021)
100. Sam Smith In the Lonely Hour (2014)
Resources and Related Links:
First posted 12/13/2020; last updated 2/4/2026.
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Hi, are your lists based on US or worldwide?
ReplyDeleteLists on this site are generally aggregates from multiple sources, although mostly from US and UK-based sources. Sales figures, which also factor into many of the lists on this site, are typically based on worldwide sales. Chart data factored into lists is largely from the US, although I also incorporate the pop charts from the UK, Canada, and Australia.
DeleteAre compilation albums, such as 1 or curtain call, included in this list?
ReplyDeleteI decided to focus just on studio releases. Otherwise both the albums you cited would make the cut.
DeleteAre there any more and where would they rank if they were included? I do get the exclusion though, most big compilation albums all have music from the before the 21st century on them
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