@Azra Utkan

Contemporary electronic dance music dates back to the birth of house and techno in the '80s, but for many years it was a comparatively underground phenomenon. That all changed in the '10s, as a handful of elements—a new generation of fans, a rising tide of tech-savvy talent, a global explosion of festival culture—intersected, resulting in a worldwide resurgence. The movement, known simply as EDM, had roots in previous decades of trance and progressive house, but a spirit of newness prevailed: new faces, like Skrillex and Calvin Harris, brought a refreshing dose of personality to the stage. New sounds, like dubstep and big-room, were charged with an air of sonic progression. And a new spirit of crossover fused club energy with pop songwriting, paving the way for an unprecedented back-and-forth between the airwaves and main stage.

Hip-hop in the ’90s went from the voice of the streets to the sound of the nation, taking over the charts, film, fashion and more. Dr. Dre’s 1992 solo debut <I>The Chronic</I> changed rap’s pulse: blaring drum loops were exchanged for lush low-rider funk; gangsta rap was now indistinguishable from pop. Though the spotlight moved to Los Angeles, New York rappers like Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep and Nas made a grimy strain of “boom bap” that was gritty, vividly bleak and lyrically intricate. Regional sounds slowly infiltrated the airwaves, including E-40’s slick “mobb music” (the Bay Area), the rapid-fire “chop” of Bone Thugs (the Midwest), the boom of 8Ball & MJG (Memphis), the crawl of UGK (Houston) and, most notably, the left-field rap of Atlanta’s Outkast. By decade’s end, Puff Daddy’s Bad Boy empire monopolised the charts and New Orleans labels No Limit and Cash Money turned DIY hustle into uncompromising sensations.

Depending on your vantage, the 2010s were the decade where alternative went pop, or pop went alternative. As seasoned acts like Coldplay continued to evolve with the times, an emergent breed of alt-rock acts—Imagine Dragons and AWOLNATION among them—retrofitted angsty bluster for a post-EDM universe. At the same time, the likes of Lorde, Halsey and Billie Eilish forged the model for a new kind of pop star more spiritually in tune with the outsider ethos of alternative music than the upbeat energy of Top 40 radio. However, veteran rockers like Foo Fighters and The Black Keys ensured that loud guitars still had a place in the alt-nation, while a growing cadre of suspender-sporting reactionaries—Mumford & Sons, The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men—steadfastly rejected the technological advances of the era to embrace the timeless sound of foot-stomping folk.

Rediscover the chart-toppers, classics and lost favourites of the ‘90s. Our editors regularly update this playlist—if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

For the rockers who swaggered and strutted through the ’70s, bigger nearly always meant better. Songs that were built to have maximum impact in stadiums and arenas somehow sounded even larger on home hi-fis thanks to multitrack recording technology and other studio advances that made the drums of Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham and The Who’s Keith Moon sound like cannon fire. Even the mellower, headphone-ready sounds of Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and the Eagles boasted unprecedented breadth and richness. Yet the decade’s sound was defined just as much by leaner, meaner takes on rock fundamentals, courtesy of artists such as AC/DC and Alice Cooper.

Whether what you hear is one of Beyoncé’s fierce statements of autonomy, an inspiring act of consciousness-raising by Kendrick Lamar, an unstoppable party jam by Cardi B or an oh-so-emo expression of vulnerability by Drake, the best hip-hop and R&B of the 2010s is marked by a boldness and urgency that help these artists cut through all of our culture’s noise and chatter. In terms of sound and impact, the ’10s represented a golden age for individuals out to change the game. Just as remarkable is the eagerness of standard-setters like Kanye West and Rihanna to continually rethink what they do, all while recombining a vast array of musical styles and ideas. From hard-hitting trap beats and dancehall rhythms to synth-heavy soundscapes and throwbacks to old-school glories, it all makes for music that keeps pace with fast and unpredictable times.

An irresistible synth melody. A snare drum loaded with reverb. A guitar line that’s tight and powerful. If the song you’re listening to has at least one of these things, it may be from the 1980s, the decade when disco waned and hip-hop emerged, Madonna blew up in the US, the hitmaking team of Stock Aitken Waterman pumped out smash singles for Rick Astley and Dead or Alive, and Michael Jackson broke sales and chart records around the world. Of course, thanks to MTV, this was also a decade when the biggest stars weren’t just heard but also seen, as the music video gave artists a new medium to explore. Peter Gabriel mastered the form with psychedelic mini-masterpieces to complement his vibrant art-pop, while Prince, in the midst of reinventing rock ’n’ roll, turned out two feature-length film masterpieces with classic soundtracks to match.

Rock ’n’ roll may have been born in the ’50s, but it was in the ’60s that it reached its zenith as the voice of youth culture. After all, the decade produced many of the music’s most iconic artists, beginning with The Beatles, who along with the rest of the British Invasion (The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Kinks) delivered refreshingly new sounds to a world reeling from violence and upheaval. Yet rock in the ’60s wasn’t solely a pick-me-up; it also reflected the turmoil of a generation questioning war, racism, even consciousness itself. Bob Dylan, serving as a bridge between topical folk music and snarling rock ’n’ roll, delivered a string of fiery protest anthems; Jimi Hendrix unleashed a mind-bending soundtrack for hippies exploring psychedelia; and, at decade’s end, Led Zeppelin invented heavy metal with a crushing, blues-informed style as loud as bombs.

Latin music isn’t just a genre but a multifaceted culture that knows no boundaries, and the 2010s reflect how its wide-ranging styles branch out globally. The decade began with the electro-cumbia craze going strong, led by Bomba Estéreo’s tropical dance movement. In Chile, Javiera Mena’s unapologetic synth stabs sparked a disco-pop reverie across the southern continent. Meanwhile, Carla Morrison’s wounded pop and Natalia Lafourcade’s bolero brilliance elevated the romanticism of the singer-songwriter even higher. And lest anyone forget, the Mexican cumbia virtuosity of Los Ángeles Azules and Maná’s stadium pop-rock kept those well-established genres thriving. But the biggest success story of the decade was reggaetón’s second awakening, fronted by the likes of J Balvin, Ozuna and Maluma, who catapulted the genre to worldwide prominence. The urbano movement—the trap, hip-hop and new reggaetón now synonymous with Latin pop—disrupted the music industry with “Despacito”, which changed the entire game when it became the most streamed-song in internet history.

In the wake of the Summer of Love, troubadours turned their attention inward and upward, using their ample talents to champion causes both romantic and existential. The spare, outspoken political folk that occupied singer/songwriters throughout the ’60s gave way to lush, mellifluous ballads and rowdy rave-ups in which artists examined matters of the heart and soul from multiple angles. Armed with little more than a six-string, poet/philosophers like Cat Stevens and Joni Mitchell helped listeners make sense of everyday chaos, while charismatic crooners like Billy Joel and Elton John sent worries scurrying away on a cascade of piano chords.