From the 1950s through the late ‘60s, pop music was synonymous with rock ‘n’ roll. After Billboard began listing the 200 top-selling albums in 1967, rock bands like The Beatles and Led Zeppelin had some of the earliest record-breakers. (Here’s a list of the most popular album every year since 1960.)
In the ‘70s and ‘80s, soul, disco, R&B, and funk began to influence the charts, with multiple hit albums from Michael Jackson, as well as chart-toppers from Prince, the Bee Gees, and Lionel Richie. The ‘90s brought both rap and country into the mainstream, including four top albums from pop country star Garth Brooks — well-represented among the 40 most popular country music albums of all time.
24/7 Tempo has compiled the 50 best-selling pop albums since Billboard started keeping track. Of the top 100, a quarter are by female musicians (counting bands with a female lead singer). Country crossover stars Shania Twain and Taylor Swift each boast three on the list. The sub-genres of pop represented in the list span the spectrum from country to rock to rap to R&B. An outlier on the list is the 1994 soundtrack to Disney’s “The Lion King,” featuring multiple songs written and performed by Elton John.
Click here to see the best-selling pop albums of all time
To determine the 50 best pop albums of all time, 24/7 Tempo developed an index based on three metrics: the number of weeks an album spent on the Billboard 200; its positions on the chart (one week at No. 1, for instance, being worth 200 times more than a week spent at No. 200); and total certified U.S. album sales according to the Recording Industry Association of America. All metrics were evenly weighted.
50. CrazySexyCool (1994)
> Artist: TLC
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 119
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49. 25 (2015)
> Artist: Adele
> Certification: 11X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 183
48. The Woman In Me (1995)
> Artist: Shania Twain
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 107
47. Come Away With Me (2002)
> Artist: Norah Jones
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 164
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46. Pieces Of You (1996)
> Artist: Jewel
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 114
45. No Jacket Required (1985)
> Artist: Phil Collins
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 123
44. Yourself Or Someone Like You (1997)
> Artist: matchbox 20
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 121
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43. Millennium (1999)
> Artist: Backstreet Boys
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 93
42. Falling Into You (1996)
> Artist: Celine Dion
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 113
41. Purple Rain (Soundtrack) (1984)
> Artist: Prince and the Revolution
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 143
40. Fearless (2008)
> Artist: Taylor Swift
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 261
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39. All The Right Reasons (2005)
> Artist: Nickelback
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 206
38. Doo-Wops & Hooligans (2010)
> Artist: Bruno Mars
> Certification: 6X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 519
37. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
> Artist: The Beatles
> Certification: 11X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 232
36. Hysteria (1987)
> Artist: Def Leppard
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 136
35. Physical Graffiti (1975)
> Artist: Led Zeppelin
> Certification: 16X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 48
34. Wide Open Spaces (1998)
> Artist: Dixie Chicks
> Certification: 4X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 134
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33. Breathless (1992)
> Artist: Kenny G
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 214
32. …Baby One More Time (1999)
> Artist: Britney Spears
> Certification: 14X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 103
31. Take Care (2011)
> Artist: Drake
> Certification: 6X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 427
30. 1989 (2014)
> Artist: Taylor Swift
> Certification: 9X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 334
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29. [Hybrid Theory] (2000)
> Artist: Linkin Park
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 256
28. Ropin’ The Wind (1991)
> Artist: Garth Brooks
> Certification: 14X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 132
27. Nevermind (1991)
> Artist: Nirvana
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 523
26. Supernatural (1999)
> Artist: Santana
> Certification: 15X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 103
25. Whitney Houston (1985)
> Artist: Whitney Houston
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 176
24. Backstreet Boys (1997)
> Artist: Backstreet Boys
> Certification: 14X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 133
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23. Tapestry (1971)
> Artist: Carole King
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 318
22. The Eminem Show (2002)
> Artist: Eminem
> Certification: 10X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 396
21. Saturday Night Fever (1976)
> Artist: Bee Gees
> Certification: 16X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 137
20. Abbey Road (1969)
> Artist: The Beatles
> Certification: 12X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 409
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19. Ten (1992)
> Artist: Pearl Jam
> Certification: 13X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 264
18. Born In The U.S.A. (1984)
> Artist: Bruce Springsteen
> Certification: 15X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 143
17. Boston (1976)
> Artist: Boston
> Certification: 17X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 138
16. Jagged Little Pill (1995)
> Artist: Alanis Morissette
> Certification: 16X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 127
15. Double Live (1998)
> Artist: Garth Brooks
> Certification: 21X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 56
14. Appetite For Destruction (1987)
> Artist: Guns N’ Roses
> Certification: 18X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 249
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13. No Fences (1990)
> Artist: Garth Brooks
> Certification: 18X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 224
12. Cracked Rear View (1994)
> Artist: Hootie & The Blowfish
> Certification: 21X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 129
11. The Wall (1979)
> Artist: Pink Floyd
> Certification: 23X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 157
10. Come On Over (1997)
> Artist: Shania Twain
> Certification: 20X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 151
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9. 21 (2011)
> Artist: Adele
> Certification: 14X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 507
8. The Beatles [White Album] (1968)
> Artist: The Beatles
> Certification: 24X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 215
7. The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
> Artist: Pink Floyd
> Certification: 15X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 957
6. Hotel California (1976)
> Artist: Eagles
> Certification: 26X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 132
5. Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
> Artist: Led Zeppelin
> Certification: 23X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 283
4. Metallica (1991)
> Artist: Metallica
> Certification: 16X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 606
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3. Rumours (1977)
> Artist: Fleetwood Mac
> Certification: 20X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 423
2. Back In Black (1980)
> Artist: AC/DC
> Certification: 25X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 462
1. Thriller (1982)
> Artist: Michael Jackson
> Certification: 33X multi-platinum
> Weeks on Billboard 200 chart: 469
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