Top 10 Worst Years for Music
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2014
I feel that 2015 was a really great year for modern music, especially compared to other recent years. The worst of these years (or possibly second worst, thanks to 2016) is 2014. There was so little variety. The charts seemed to stand still for weeks on end. At least three songs were played over and over again, with no escape: Happy, Shake It Off, and All About That Bass.
This year also marks the mainstream debut of Meghan Trainor, famous for writing one of the worst songs in recent memory: Dear Future Husband. Oh, and Tove Lo was there too, with her intolerable song. Then there was Bobby Shmurda, Maroon 5's incredibly underwhelming comeback, and Jason Derulo... I could go on. 2017 doesn't look much better, unfortunately, but it's only April so who am I to judge?
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2015
I agree with a lot of reviewers that music in general has taken a dramatic downward spiral, notably since 2010, with no imagination or very little put into what is released. But my God, how bad was 2015? There were so many bad records released that sold in huge quantities.
From a UK perspective, these dire songs hardly moved in the charts throughout the year. Surely 2015 must have the lowest number of new releases making an impact on the top 10 since records began. It's hard to pick a figurehead to sum up the pure crappiness of 2015. Justin Bieber would be a natural choice, though he is pipped to the post by what could well be the worst record ever recorded, Silento with Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) (or whatever it's called). Thank you for destroying my faith in music.
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2017
It's Everyday Bro, Mi Gente, Sam Hunt, and inescapable earworms that I didn't really like, such as What About Us and Praying (which this site calls the best song of the year, though I didn't feel the craze for it). Previously acclaimed artists also started making bad "music," proving there is no hope for music if we do nothing.
Many musicians of yesteryear (when music was REAL) died this year, just like in 2016. Oh, and Kelly Clarkson came back again with her worst (and most overrated) song yet, "Love So Soft," which was the inevitable consequence of letting artists prioritize making catchy songs over making good songs.
The year of bad albums. I never liked Suicide Silence, but they just got worse with their recent album. Fall Out Boy is selling out more than ever with their new EDM song. Linkin Park put out a very mediocre album.
And other than that, there are no real releases that are going to come out soon or that have come out that are really worth listening to. PVRIS is coming out with a new album. It better be good.
Trap music is killing music, though. It's everywhere, even the rock music is trap now. Music is depressingly bad these days.
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2013
I hate the fact that the excellent Moby released "Innocents" this year, which was fantastic, only to have every review compare it with "Random Access Memories". Nothing wrong with "RAM", but that's imbecilic. And there was still "What Does The Fox Say", which is more annoying than having mosquitoes nesting in your wardrobe, and crap like "Roar" and "Wrecking Ball", which I simply won't bother with.
In my opinion, 2012 was a decent year. It had Gotye, fun., Adele, Ellie Goulding, and other good artists. 2014 has been average so far, but 2013 was garbage. It was a huge letdown after the indie rock explosion of 2012. I can think of about 12 good hit songs of 2013.
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2018
2018 sucked for music big time! Mumble rap and depressing pop music were still polluting the airwaves. Of course, pop music didn't sound like pop at all. This year was mostly dominated by rap music. People started listening to 6ix9ine, Kodak Black, and XXXTentacion, who were terrible rappers and terrible people.
Drake was dominating the charts this year, and he kept being featured on other songs made by unknown artists - they get popular. Don't get me wrong, I am a fan of Drake, but he just keeps trying to find ways to stay relevant, and his songs this year weren't that great! I got sick and tired of hearing Drake's boring, monotonous voice on every song. And the In My Feelings challenge was just stupid and annoying! So I'm not a big fan of Drake anymore. What else...
Oh yeah, some pop artists were trying to get into the trap sound, and they come out as mediocre to just plain terrible! Of course, 2018 was also a bad year for the Billboard country chart. Meant To Be, which is not a country song, ruled the chart for 50 weeks! It also became the biggest country song of all time. This just shows that 2018 will be remembered as one of the worst years for music, and I stand by that. This year should be on top of this list!
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2016
Music lost its meaning. Rap began to overshadow, and they all soon became about the same things. Pop songs were becoming more EDM, and they were all just theme songs of love. Coldplay was no longer Coldplay, just Chris Martin. Even Adele and Rihanna were getting repetitive. And this was truly the year where I really started to hate Twenty One Pilots.
We also lost two of the greatest rockers ever: Bowie and Prince. On the bright side, Green Day came back full throttle, Metallica was hitting harder than ever, and Bowie released a masterpiece before his death. Terrible year for the modern artists, but older artists helped to fix it a bit.
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2012
While Whitney Houston, Donna Summer, and Hiroshi Sato passed, brostep was tearing through my ears. One of the worst genres ever and a disgrace to dubstep. Also, dance music was poorly produced. Millennial trash all around, and soulful music was dead while generic, boring dance music took over.
I hate Maroon 5, Chris Brown, Pitbull, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, and LMFAO with a burning passion. Disco was dead. I hate that the only good EDM artists, such as Swedish House Mafia, were quickly kicked out of the charts, and boring music artists like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, LMFAO, and Pitbull dominated in a terrible way.
Taylor Swift (she got much worse after), Calvin Harris, Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Avicii, and Carly Rae Jepsen (she's a great singer, but Kiss contained my least favorite material from her) were okay. Soul was dead, disco was dead, and more nonsense.
Tame Impala, Gotye, and Kimbra at least made this year good. It was the third worst year for music behind 2011, in my opinion.
- DiellziGashi
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2005
I was warned by a friend about 2005. Actually, they were right. 2005 was an awful year in mainstream music. Rap was infamous during that year due to the genre being infested with creepy sex songs or strip club songs. Listen to Wait (The Whisper Song) by the Ying Yang Twins, Some Cut by Trillville, or Play by David Banner (uncensored versions), I dare you. Hip-hop sex songs were insufferable that year.
Rock was also bad that year, except for Green Day, as Nickelback songs invaded the charts. Pop was also making a transition. But it's a mixed bag, as the pop music of that year was just watered down with useless samples. It was a good year for underground music, with Gorillaz having one of the best songs of that year. But that's it. Avoid this year at all costs.
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2010
The year that the aftereffects of the Summer of Death and the Black Eyed Peas led to complete, mind-destroying garbage. "Baby", Usher's "OMG", "California Gurls", "Teach Me How to Dougie", Young Money's "BedRock" (complete with that infamous "grocery bag" line), Ke$ha's first few singles, Enrique Iglesias' turn towards club music, Chris Brown's "Deuces", "Dynamite", "Like a G6", "Whip My Hair", "Imma Be", and even Santana collaborating with Scott Stapp.
Just because artists like Justin Bieber and One Direction weren't good that year doesn't mean the entire year is defined by them. There were other good songs in 2010, you know.
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2009
Katy Perry, Kesha, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Jay-Z, The Black Eyed Peas, Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, Young Money, Keri Hilson, Jamie Foxx, and 3OH!3 all released bad songs this year which were all very overplayed on mainstream radio. This was also the year when mainstream radio started to play the same 10 songs over and over again, unlike in the past when they'd throw in a mix of older songs.
Not only were there many bad songs released by bad artists this year, but even the "good" artists started going downhill. And let's not forget this was the year when Katy Perry and Kesha were most popular, Lady Gaga released bad music, and Nicki Minaj released her first single.
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2025
still the generic mainstream pop crap we had since 2010, except this year this trend is at its worst in my opinion. Sick of my boy is popular and its my least favorite song of all time. Even each year since 2010 always had good mainstream songs but were mostly overshadowed by trash. Love Me Not, Revolving door, Abracadabra, Where Is My Husband, No One Noticed and Dracula were all good , but weren't enough to save 2025. The slop put out by Betsy, Morgan Wallen, Benson Boone, Chris Brown, Jessie Murph, Alex Warren and Doechii are just NO. Everyone treats Die With a Smile you will never hate that song unfortunately tend to agree with @judy442 it sounds like a whiny song on Capcut. The song Golden & KPDH barely deserve that popularity, the girls voice is incredibly screechy & sounds too simular to "I Am" by IVE another Kpop song except its much better. Then there is Sabrina carpenter falling off, she was alright in 2024 but her MBF era sucks in my opinion , too generic and tasteless. Lastly Taylor Swift should go back to her 2020-2023 era she was actually good for a brief moment , she is extremely generic this year & the diss track on Charli XCX & a generic version of Love Story included. 2025 was my new least favorite year for music. Sad music is still getting worse and simpler overtime & will never get a recovery
- DiellziGashi
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2024
If people like trash such as Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter, music is doomed.
Chappell Roan is absolutely obnoxious. Her songs "Good Luck, Babe!" and "Hot to Go!" make my ears bleed. She sounds just as obnoxious as Toni Basil. If people keep recommending her to new pop fans, music is truly doomed. Why not introduce Madonna, Lady Gaga, Lana Del Rey, or Kesha instead?
Sabrina breathes heavily in her music and is such a dumb ripoff of Carly Rae Jepsen. She made the worst music video ever - the "Feather" one. If people keep introducing her to those looking for modern pop recommendations, music is doomed for real.
How is 2024 not number one? It is so bad. Most of the mainstream music this year is regrettable.
What is this whiny, breathy crap Sabrina Carpenter is making? Her songs are gross and unoriginal. Great singers like Carly Rae Jepsen and Harry Styles (the "As It Was" hitmaker) are sadly no longer relevant. Instead, we have Ice Spice making immature "Miss Poopie" garbage, which continues the downfall of hip-hop.
I'm sick of country music topping the charts. I hate it, especially songs like "Love Somebody" and "A Bar Song" that just keep getting old. I don't think there was a single good song that hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year, except for "I Had Some Help" (despite Morgan Wallen being plain annoying) and "Lose Control."
On the bright side, Charli XCX was the only good musician this year. Her new Brat album was good, and songs like "Apple," "360," and "Girl So Confusing" stood out. However, "Guess" was disappointing.
Other than Charli XCX, there isn't a single good mainstream musician in 2024. They all seem to have disappeared. Oh, and Billie's new song is gross (though "Chihiro" is a good track). Overall, 2024 has been terrible for music!
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2006
2006 was indeed the worst year for music, at least for metal and rock. Now let me tell you something: before 2006, these two genres were at the top of their peak. Metal, or nu-metal at least, was still going strong, and rock was still at its best. For some reason, 2006 started the decline of the two genres, and the sudden rise of pop and rap music began to skyrocket.
Now, in the present, we have horrible pop and rap music, and it still gets rewarded. Metal and rock get none, and you barely see a metal or rock song in the top charts. It's sad how music is today, all because of that year.
2006 was basically the worst year for music in the 2000s, in my opinion. Much like it was a bad year for gaming, this was a continuation of the bad stuff we got from 2005, with even more hip-hop sex songs making their way onto the charts.
The two number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100 list of that year were D4L's "Laffy Taffy" and Fergie's "London Bridge". Both songs are abrasively bad in different ways. Yep. These songs had bad production and bad performances, with D4L's frontman sounding like he's crying and Fergie being... well, Fergie. This was a sellout move for her, and it continued until her retiring from the Black Eyed Peas.
There was a ton of good stuff, like Gnarls Barkley and RHCP, but that's about it. Just screw 2006. God, this year was terrible for music!
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1960
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2008
Music was alive and well... until Katy Perry destroyed it. Now everyone thinks mainstream music is crap. Yes, there may have been some bad music before, but mainstream music still had its critically acclaimed moments. Now we have a critically bashed singer making several number ones (either by payola or people are just plain stupid).
This was the year where everybody was leaning towards auto-tune and pop-like records. Prime example, take a hardcore gangster rap group like Three 6 Mafia. 2008 brought us Three 6 Mafia songs like "Lolli Lolli (Pop That Body)". And Kanye tried singing to us in 2008. This is just part of the reason why this is one of the worst years in music.
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1999
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2007
What other year has great musicians like Daughtry, Nickelback, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Hinder, Soulja Boy Tell Em and great songs like Party Like A Rockstar, This Is Why I'm Hot, A Bay Bay?
I was being sarcastic. Mainstream music (at least in the USA) in 2007 was dreadful. Maybe indie/alternative was good that year, but too much trash polluted the airwaves. Only a handful of songs I would consider decent.
Michael Jackson did not release anything. Also, this was the time Justin Bieber started uploading videos to YouTube...
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2019
Why is this not higher than 2018 or 2017? I don't even know where to begin. I mean, this year already sucked without the music, then the music had to be absolutely trash. 2018 was actually a good year for music, then we get stuff designed for freaking 10-year-olds.
This was a bad year for rap music because a lot of it was just low-key trash and was too obnoxious to hear on the radio. As for the rest, music is starting to sound pretty good.
I personally hated this year for music because none of my favorite artists released anything. So yeah, kind of a lame reason, but it is what it is.
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1990
And yes, this was the year that Styx tried to make a comeback with their album "Edge of the Century"... and failing, as a result. It tried to sound heavy, like what other rock artists were doing at the time and all the while Tommy Shaw was still in the group Damn Yankees. I have to say, Glen Burtnik was pretty much the poor man's Tommy Shaw.
The album generated a few crossover hits in the next year, such as "Show Me the Way" (which is a decent song, if you ask me) and "Love at First Sight", but the singles stalled on the charts and people didn't seem to care about the rock bands of old. Other groups like Little River Band and Chicago were suffering from the same effect, as well.
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1961
1966 on the lower end of the sixties? 1966 was way better than 1961. Just listen to all those US garage bands and English Freakbeat bands from 1966. 1961 was when rude, raw, and rebellious rock and roll of the fifties faded more into pop. They were great songs in 1961, but I think it deserves a place on this list. Other years of the sixties were better.
It's good that the British Invasion happened in 1964, cleaning up the nasty leftovers that the 50s left from 1960-1963. The music of the early 60s was a mixed bag. On one hand, you got really good and energetic rock 'n' roll and jazz. On the other hand, you got boring, easy-listening stuff and depressing teenage tragedy songs that you can't get through without being shocked at the end and say, "What were people thinking back then?"
Overall, the early 60s were just... bland and tasteless.
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1952
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1994
To restate my past comment (the four-word one): Often considered "the worst year in music" due to Kurt Cobain's suicide and Justin Bieber's birth, but what else was there? Grace Slick aims a gun at a policeman, Ace of Base enters the height of their fame, and some idiot kid refuses to obey the pre-show disclaimer before Beavis and Butt-head started and burns his home down. But hey, there was some good in this world that year - we had lots of classic albums, mainly alternative ones!
Kurt Cobain shoots himself and a poor baby Justin Bieber doesn't even know he will be slagged off by people on here decades later in the 21st century.
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2021
Olivia Rodrigo ruined it. Thankfully, Levitating was a good song and topped the year-end chart, but that didn't save the year. Almost everything else on the 2021 year-end list was a disaster. Ugh. 2022 and the following years were even worse.
2020s whiny girl pop became popular. Olivia Rodrigo made pop go downhill with her awful song "Drivers License."
Country music began to rise on radios, and it sucked. There were good songs, such as "Leave The Door Open," but that wasn't enough to save this year.
Still, it was better than 2022, 2023, and 2024, though.
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2002
Not that it was very bad for mainstream music, per se, but one must note that American Idol debuted and pretty much accelerated any annoyance that is persistent in the music industry. All the singers that come from the show are pathetic if you ask me.
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2020
Oh my gosh! The music was so bad that year! I really hate some trashy rap music they come up with, with the worst and fastest beats. I do, however, like Taylor Swift and some other artists' music that year. The rest of them are so annoying and disgusting.
This year actually had a promising start. Of course, the first big song to come out this year was from...wait for it... Justin Bieber! He came out with this song called Yummy, and it was pretty bad! I actually thought this song was catchy, but the immature lyrics ruined it for me. (Yeah, you got that yummy yum, that yummy yum.) Man, this song is so dumb and embarrassing that it could've been written by a five-year-old. At least it didn't hit number one, thanks to Roddy Ricch's The Box taking the top spot instead! Of course, this was just the beginning...
As this year had its fair share of good songs, it still wasn't that great of a year so far. Just like last year, a bunch of songs got popular off of TikTok, with some that are good and some that are bad. On the rap side, there were still some mediocre and terrible trap songs charting. And somehow, Chris Brown and 6ix9ine had to come back with more music! What has the world gotten itself into? These guys should just retire already.
Also, I should mention that because COVID-19 spread around the world, some artists had to come out with new hits based on the situation that was going on, especially Drake. He supposedly released this song meant for TikTok called Tootsie Slide. When I saw the title of this song, I thought it was gonna suck, and I was right. It's just a boring, sleep-inducing trap song that has zero impact on me. Drake doesn't even teach anyone to dance. This is just an example of Billboard not caring for the quality of a song, only the streaming numbers and TikTok usage. Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber released their duet Stuck With U, and it's boring as hell. It's yet another charity single made to help people who are being quarantined. In the next year or so, I'll probably forget these songs ever existed. So far, this year was just below average for music.
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2000
When things began to go downhill rapidly. I noticed that then...
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1998
The year nu metal first got popular.