What Have Been The Top Songs Of the 2020s?

Opinion:

The decade is not even nearly over, but in my opinion, it’s been kind of a dud for music! The nostalgic energy of the 2010s seems to have been extracted in favor of something dull and manufactured. Blame streaming? Who knows? See what you think! Here are the top 5 biggest hit singles of the 2020s, and you might be surprised: there is no Taylor Swift!

Methodology: Longest running number one SINGLES on Billboard's streaming charts.

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#5: Golden {Huntrix} (2025)

Basically a stupid song from a stupid movie I did not watch. The song comes from KPop Demon Hunters, a movie where a K-Pop girl group kills demons on their side quests. Their number one rivals are a boy band called the Saja Boys, who secretly are demons themselves. The movie only spent 1 week at the top spot in the box office, but the theme track spent 12 weeks at the summit!

When I first heard the song, I believed it was AI-generated due to its plastic sound, grating beat, and high-pitched vocals.Just a nightmarish pile of slop. However, the song won Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 68th Grammy Awards.

#4: The Box {Roddy Ricch} (2020)

You don’t need a good song for a social media sensation, just a good sound effect! What? The Box by Roddy Ricch soared to the top of the charts based on a sound effect the aforementioned rapper makes at the beginning. The song begins with him going “ee-er” “ee-er”, which led to TikTok challenges pairing it with opening a squeaky door or using windshield wipers. The song was recorded in 15 minutes in the middle of the night and sounds just like another disposable rap track to me!

#3: Last Night {Morgan Wallen} (2023)

Morgan Wallen’s ‘Last Night’ was when our country’s massive shift from the dominance of urban hip-hop to a rural country sound solidified. The ‘rap’ lifestyle had been in style for too long, and Americans were looking for a fundamental change. Morgan Wallen’s country blockbuster spent 20 weeks at the top, thrust country music front and center, and changed the direction of 2020s popular music permanently.

Although it comes nowhere close to the glories of George Strait or Tim McGraw, I found the catchy tune infectious and engaging compared to the songs ruling the charts in the years prior. One of the major upsides is that I could finally play a current hit on guitar! They were back in style.

#2: All I Want For Christmas Is You {Mariah Carey} (2020-2026)

It almost seems unfair that Christmas songs can compete with ‘non-Christmas’ tracks on the music charts. I was waiting for the Christmas where fans would get tired of her, but it just doesn’t happen for some reason. Mariah soars back to #1 nearly every December with the same song, putting up 27 total weeks this decade.

Nobody under 40 seems to remember anything else she made. The sad thing is I think I might enjoy the song if it wasn’t for its constant overexposure. It has everything you’d want in a pop song, but it’s become more of an annoyance. Oh well.

#1: Choosin’ Texas {Ella Langley} (2026)

Ella Langley was not only the dark horse of the year, but the dark horse of the decade. With one country song, ‘Choosin’ Texas’, she wrote the number one song of the year, the decade, and all time! No song has ever racked up 34 weeks at number one, more than 60% of the calendar year.

Well, I guess we can say country music has completed its takeover of the music scene. While the song is pleasant, it is nowhere near number one territory, let alone number one for 34 weeks.

Takeaways

A grating K-Pop song, a rap song with an irritating sound effect, overplayed Christmas slop, and 2 average, pleasant country songs… that’s where music is going in the 2020s. Could we be headed for another Elvis Presley or British Invasion? I sadly doubt it.