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Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

Created with FreeYourMusic.com where you can transfer playlists to Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and others

A modern love song can be communicated through any musical means. Sentimental boy band ballads, frenzied banjo whirlwinds, ice-cool rap, glitchy R&B, twinkly piano heart-stoppers; it all cuts us right to the core.

Although the definition of “dance pop” expanded and shifted throughout the 2010s, its ability to get bodies moving never waned. As the decade began, electro-pop was a chart-ruling force, with artists such as Lady Gaga and Kesha ruling dance floors with beat-heavy, hook-studded hits. The rise of EDM led to more crossover between the clubs and the charts, with superstar DJs like Zedd hooking up with A-listers to create massive hits. Dance pop also became more global in the 2010s, with Bad Bunny, PSY and others opening English-speaking listeners’ ears to the idea that beat-heavy pop is a truly global language.

Great summer songs don’t just capture a mood, they soundtrack our memories—where we were, who we hung out with, the freedom we felt, the good trouble we got into. In that spirit, here’s a playlist of tracks that not only helped shape music in the new millennium, but plugged into the celebratory spirit that connects summers across space, time and style. From fizzy dance-pop and EDM to hip-hop and indie rock, here’s the sound of the 2010s, summer-style. Our editors update things here now and then, so if you hear something you like, add it to your library.

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.

The only rule for pop in the ‘10s? Trusting your instincts can do wonders for your star power. Take Lady Gaga, who shape-shifted from hard-edged diva to big-voiced balladeer multiple times during the decade, or Ariana Grande, who kept fans guessing with surprise drops and coded lyrics. The 2010s were a wild time on the charts, with pop divas, hip-hop stars and guitar-strumming crooners all making their own way to the top. Adele belted her way through heartbreak and triumph; Drake got in his feelings over street-sourced beats; Taylor Swift shared her innermost thoughts with millions; and Shawn Mendes made the leap from viral-video star to world-conquering pop icon. Groups hit it big, too, whether they were singing in sweet harmony like the boy banders of One Direction or revamping themselves alongside the times like the soul-poppers in Maroon 5.

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.

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.

The decade when hip-hop could claim its first billionaires was marked by Kanye West’s ambitious productions, Drake’s game-changing swirls of melody and Future’s bummed-out Auto-Tune croon. Thanks to producers like Mike Will Made-It and Metro Boomin, Atlanta became hip-hop’s home of musical research and development, musicians across genres embracing trap music’s skittering hi-hats, cavernous boom and lyrical curlicues. Rappers started singing more and more, but the technical prowess of artists like Kendrick Lamar, Nicki Minaj, J. Cole and Run the Jewels kept traditional bars alive in distinct ways. Toward the end of the decade, charts started reflecting streaming plays more than physical album sales, meaning home-brewed, home-recorded sensations like Lil Pump could compete with the majors. And a new, democratised world of social media and streaming meant artists like Chance the Rapper and Cardi B could pave untraditional paths to stardom.

In the ‘10s, country hit an intriguing divide. On one side of the fence, there was the full flowering of hip-hop and R&B influences; on the other were the mavericks stirring things up by combining old-school roots and a kind of neo-outlaw stance. If Luke Bryan's stomping "That's My Kind of Night" and Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" represent the club bangers, then Kacey Musgraves' gently subversive "Follow Your Arrow" and Chris Stapleton's burly "Tennessee Whiskey" exemplify the other side. And with such 20-somethings as Kelsea Ballerini and octogenarian Willie Nelson alike earning attention in the era, ’10s country had something for everybody.

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.