Paste Magazine's ranking of the best pop records of the 2010s

A new ranking from Paste magazine, entirely dedicated to pop music of the new millennium, specifically the 2010s. “The entire 21st century,” Paste writes, “is proving to be a golden age for pop music. Thanks to the emergence of artists from communities that until recently were underrepresented—such as the LGBTQ community, the Latin diaspora and the reggaeton scene—the pop landscape has changed dramatically compared to thirty years ago. The very face of pop music has been transformed, and today there is no longer a single model of artist capable of dominating the charts. The 2010s marked the culmination of this evolution, giving rise to one of the richest, most varied and most exciting decades since the explosion of new wave before the MTV era. The spread of so-called poptimism in music criticism has also helped get the artistic worth of performers like Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen and Ariana Grande recognized, artists capable of achieving both commercial success and critical acclaim at once. We are thus leaving behind an era in which certain forms of pop music—like boy bands or teen stars—were considered culturally less important or artistically inferior. Just think of figures like Lizzo, Clairo or Billie Eilish. 2019 marked the end of an extraordinary, at times chaotic, decade for a genre that keeps endlessly reinventing itself.”

So here, then, is the ranking of the best 30 pop albums of the decade, according to Paste magazine (full feature here). On OndaRock, meanwhile, you can read our own Ranking of the Best Albums of the 2010s.

30. Justin Bieber – “Purpose” (2015)
29. Adele – “25” (2015)
28. Ariana Grande – “Sweetener” (2018)
27. St. Vincent – “Masseduction” (2017)
26. Lady Gaga – “Born This Way” (2011)
25. Empress Of – “Me” (2015)
24. Christine and the Queens – “Chris” (2018)
23. Miguel – “Kaleidoscope Dream” (2012)
22. Paramore – “After Laughter” (2017)
21. Justin Timberlake – “The 20/20 Experience” (2013)
20. Florence + the Machine – “Ceremonials” (2011)
19. Tegan and Sara – “Heartthrob” (2013)
18. Perfume Genius – “No Shape” (2017)
17. Lana Del Rey – “Norman Fucking Rockwell!” (2019)
16. Katy Perry – “Teenage Dream” (2010)
15. Robyn – “Honey” (2018)
14. Kali Uchis – “Isolation” (2018)
13. Charli XCX – “Pop 2” (2017)
12. Lorde – “Melodrama” (2017)
11. Sky Ferreira – “Night Time, My Time” (2013)
10. Grimes – “Visions” (2012)
9. FKA twigs – “LP1” (2014)
8. Lorde – “Pure Heroine” (2013)
7. Adele – “21” (2011)
6. Taylor Swift – “1989” (2014)
5. Janelle Monáe – “Dirty Computer” (2018)
4. Rihanna – “Anti” (2016)
3. Beyoncé – “Lemonade” (2016)
2. Robyn – “Body Talk” (2010)
1. Carly Rae Jepsen – “Emotion” (2015)

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