Billboard’s Greatest Pop Stars: The 10 Best Years For Modern Pop Stardom

(In 2018, the Billboard staff released a list project of its choices for the Greatest Pop Star of every year, going back to 1981 — along with a handful of sidebar columns and lists on other important pop star themes from the period. Find one such sidebar below recapping the 10 most unforgettably eventful years of the modern pop era, and find our Greatest Pop Star picks for every year up to present day here.)

Not all years in pop music are created equal — sometimes, the stars just align. Here are our picks for the 10 absolute starriest. 

10. 2003

Why One of the Best? Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake broke out as solo superstars, 50 Cent debuted and “Hey Ya!” reigned supreme. 

And Don’t Forget About: Crunk’s turn in the spotlight, thanks to Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz and the Ying Yang Twins crashing the mainstream with the No. 2-peaking “Get Low. “

9. 2010

Why One of the Best? Katy Perry, Kesha and Rihanna made pop radio exciting again, while Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj worked on building the Young Money empire. 

And Don’t Forget About: Bruno Mars’ introduction to top 40, guiding B.o.B (“Nothin’ on You”) and Travie McCoy (“Billionaire”) to heavy rotation with guest hooks, then scoring his first solo No. 1 (“Just the Way You Are”). 

8. 1993

Why One of the Best? Grunge and G-Funk’s brightest stars were all at their peaks, as Mariah Carey and Janet Jackson held it down for top 40. 

And Don’t Forget About: The epic Aerosmith trilogy of Alicia Silverstone-starring, MTV-conquering Get a Grip videos: “Cryin’,”“Amazing” and (the next year) “Crazy.” 

7. 1989

Why One of the Best? Just ask Taylor Swift: A year of incredible pop imagination from the likes of Madonna, Paula Abdul, Bobby Brown, and again, Janet Jackson. 

And Don’t Forget About: The year of Young M.C., both with his own pop-rap breakthrough smash “Bust a Move” and as writer of Tone Loc’s two top 10 hits “Wild Thing” and “Funky Cold Medina.”

6. 1997

Why One of the Best? The mid-decade’s pop doldrums gave way to Hanson and the Spice Girls, plus the Bad Boy Family took hip-hop to new heights on radio and MTV.

And Don’t Forget About: Lilith Fair tour founder Sarah McLachlan, and first-year-performers Jewel, Paula Cole and Fiona Apple — all singer-songwriters who had huge crossover years in ‘97.

5. 1983

Why One of the Best? MTV officially came into its own, spawning countless new wave stars and aiding Michael Jackson’s rise to historic greatness. 

And Don’t Forget About: Donna Summer, biggest pop star of the disco ‘70s, scoring her greatest video-era hit with the working woman’s anthem “She Works Hard For the Money.” 

4. 2009

Why One of the Best? Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and Justin Bieber reinvented pop superstardom for the YouTube era, and Taylor Swift and Drake prepped for their next decade of dominance.

And Don’t Forget About: The year’s two longest-reigning Hot 100 No. 1s both belonging to electro-rap goofballs The Black Eyed Peas (“Boom Boom Pow,” “I Gotta Feeling”)

3. 2016

Why One of the Best? Huge releases from Beyoncé, Kanye West and Rihanna changed the way we think about pop albums in the streaming age, while Drake and Bieber ran radio.

And Don’t Forget About: Memes becoming rap kingmakers, with both Rae Sremmurd (“Black Beatles” with Gucci Mane) and Migos (“Bad and Boujee” with Lil Uzi Vert) seeing singles go viral late in the year. 

2. 1999

Why One of the Best? The TRL era went supernova, with Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys taking teen pop to a new level, and Eminem and the nu-metal explosion providing valuable counter-programming. 

And Don’t Forget About: The Latin Pop explosion crashing U.S. shores, with Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, Enrique Iglesias and Marc Anthony all becoming enormous Stateside stars.

1. 1984

Why One of the Best? Michael. Madonna. Prince. Bruce. Tina. Cyndi. Lionel. George. Enough said. 

And Don’t Forget About: The Cars, Van Halen and ZZ Top: Three ‘70s rock bands who successfully made the transition to MTV and enjoyed their biggest pop year in ‘84. 

(Read on to our Greatest Pop Star of 2021 here, or head back to the full list here.)

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