Top 10 Worst Decades for Music
From classical to pop, there have been countless genres and styles of music throughout history. While some decades are remembered for their iconic hits and innovative sounds, others are often criticized for their lackluster contributions to the musical landscape.
So, what are the worst decades for music? It's a tricky question, since opinions on what counts as "bad" music can vary widely. Some might argue that the 1970s were a low point for music, with its abundance of disco and soft rock. Others might point to the 1980s, with its excesses of hair metal and synthpop. Still others might say that more recent decades, like the 2010s, were full of generic, formulaic pop songs.
No matter what your opinion is, one thing is for sure: everyone has their own favorite and least favorite musical eras.
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2010s
Music suddenly became awful right after MJ died, in my opinion. Millennial slop is always topping the charts, always sounding the same, with boring and formulaic tunes, etc.
Also, @olliv, your comment is valid. Music artists such as Tennis, HAIM, LEISURE, Benny Sings, Izzy Bizu, and the early hyperpop musicians were really being thrown under the bus by Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, Demi Lovato, Hailee Steinfeld, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars, and you know the pop crap formulaic musicians.
However, the 2020s overall are just as bad, but at least 2020, 2021, and 2022 were decent. The 2010s did not have a year that was decent for music. But don't get me wrong, the 2010s had awful music but was nothing compared to the atrocities of 2023-present. If 2026 gets even worse, I'll place the 2020s above the 2010s as the worst music decade.
- DiellziGashi
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1980s
I remember seeing the "Top Ten Best Decades for Music" list and seeing the '80s at #1. Why? A lot of big bands at the time (like Guns N' Roses and Aerosmith) were making songs about inappropriate topics. And pop? Don't get me started on that. Most of it had the same kind of feel and similar sound. It was okay but too boring, yet it got so much love.
The 1980s had some great bands, but 90% of '80s pop was horrible, soulless, plastic crap. This was the decade where electropop was invented, and now, 30 years later in the 2010s, electropop still hasn't died. So blame this decade for all the pop crap on the radio today.
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2000s
The 2000s must have been the beginning of the end for music. It just got worse from this decade on.
So commercialized and soulless, particularly after the early years.
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1950s
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1960s
Before the 1960s, it would have been considered the best decade for music and had a revolutionary counterculture era along with the early 1970s. The early 1960s for music was not very good. I only like a few songs from that era. I believe that music restarted and changed in 1965.
I voted for this one because, for me, this is the least interesting decade of all time. There are literally five songs from this century that I like, A Day in the Life, for example, or Babe I'm Gonna Leave You from Led Zeppelin.
The earlier part is just a leftover from the '50s, but the middle to late part is very diverse. It is responsible for the development of new music genres.
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1940s
Well, we are not trying to be rude to the older generation, but it's just that the decade didn't age very well. While I love nostalgia, I am not used to music from that far back, like the stuff before the 1960s.
Most songs from this decade didn't age well.
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1930s
I can't name any songs from the '30s, which pretty much says it all.
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2020s
I used to think this was a better decade for music than the last decade until this year (2025). When I heard songs like "Not Like Us," "Luther," "What I Want," "Sigma Boy," and more redneck music taking over, it lowered my faith in this decade's music.
It started off great with disco and nostalgic dance music flourishing. 2020 and 2021 were good, 2022 was alright, 2023 and 2024 were mediocre, and 2025 just feels bad.
Tate McRae fell off with her duet with Morgan Wallen. (Why did you collab with this racist redneck, Tate?) Even the dance music fell off in 2023 with the rise of this terrible nostalgia-bait-core trend that should be left back in 2010-2013.
- avaTARmx
Awful 70s disco comeback. I don't like it, but it does fit in some songs like Person of Interest.
The rest of disco music sucks. Horrible disco comeback, and Nile Rodgers and Purple Disco Machine are to blame.
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1990s
The most overrated decade of all. There are many good songs from this decade. It is still good, but there are bad songs as well.
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1970s
It was a great decade, but the worst part is that they had horrible disco.
Most boring, old-fashioned granddaddy music from this decade.
Retirement village music at best.
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1910s
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1900s
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1920s
