Pearl Jam, all albums ranked from worst to best: Far Out Magazine's list

“Music is the greatest art form there is. I think people listen to it for different reasons, and that it can serve different purposes. The best songs are the ones that manage to make you feel something”. These words from Eddie Vedder, reported by Far Out, sum up well the philosophy that has accompanied Pearl Jam throughout more than three decades of career. “Emerging from the Pacific Northwest scene, Pearl Jam quickly turned into a worldwide phenomenon thanks to their own personal take on alternative rock, underpinned by Vedder's unmistakable voice and by songwriting able to combine emotional intensity, social tension and guitar power. Key players in the grunge explosion at the start of the 90s — Far Out further recalls — they helped revolutionize the language of rock, shifting its focus away from the glossy aesthetics and spectacular excesses of the 80s towards rougher, more direct and authentic sounds”.
Unlike many of the leading figures of that era, the magazine goes on to recall, the Seattle band managed to build a career of extraordinary longevity, weathering line-up changes, shifts in the record market and new musical trends without ever giving up their own identity. “Across twelve studio albums, Pearl Jam have alternated records of huge commercial impact with more introspective and experimental works, moving from the urgency of their debut 'Ten' to the sonic explorations of 'No Code', all the way to the more mature productions of recent years. A rich and wide-ranging discography, where generational anthems, intimate ballads, punk outbursts and political reflections all coexist”.

So, here is the ranking of the best Pearl Jam albums according to Far Out Magazine (full feature here).

12. Riot Act (2002)
11. Gigaton (2020)
10. Dark Matter (2024)
9. Binaural (2000)
8. Lightning Bolt (2013)
7. Pearl Jam (2006)
6. Backspacer (2009)
5. No Code (1996)
4. Yield (1998)
3. Vitalogy (1994)
2. Vs. (1993)
1. Ten (1991)

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