Rolling Stone has unveiled a list of what it believes are the 250 best albums of the 21st century so far — and Beyoncé tops the list.
Queen Bey has multiple albums on the list, but #1 is her 2016 masterpiece Lemonade, about which Rolling Stone writes, “In all she’s accomplished, she has yet to meet the world as vulnerably as she does here … Lemonade solidified her status among the best musicians of all time.”
The other Beyoncé albums on the list include her 2013 self-titled “surprise” album, 2022’s dance music history lesson Renaissance and 2024’s country project, Cowboy Carter. She and Taylor Swift are the only artists to have four albums on the survey.
As for Taylor, her album folklore is her highest rated, coming in at #5. Rolling Stone declares it her “very best album” that “points the way to the next segment of an already long career, as she leans into the sultry lower end of her singing voice and steps away from autobiography into pure fiction.”
Red, meanwhile, is at #36, 1989 is at #72 and Speak Now is #196.
Other artists with multiple entries: Adele, whose albums 21 and 25 are #17 and #77, respectively; Lady Gaga, whose Born This Way and The Fame Monster are #82 and #20, respectively; and Lorde, whose album Pure Heroine is #119 and Melodrama is #25.
Here are some other iconic and recent pop albums that made the list:
31. Billie Eilish, WHEN WE ALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
35. Charli XCX, Brat
39. Olivia Rodrigo, SOUR
41. Chappell Roan, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
61. Ariana Grande, thank u, next
67. Harry Styles, Harry’s House
74. One Direction, Four
80. Britney Spears, Blackout
88. Madonna, Music
91. Alicia Keys, Songs In A Minor
120. Justin Timberlake, FutureSexLoveSounds
134. Katy Perry, Teenage Dream
141. Mariah Carey, The Emancipation of Mimi
150. Destiny’s Child, Survivor
155. Billie Eilish, Happier Than Ever
176. Shakira, Laundry Service
220. Pink, M!ssundaztood
225. Avril Lavigne, Let Go
230. Miley Cyrus, Bangerz
235. Dua Lipa, Future Nostalgia
250. *NSYNC, No Strings Attached
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
