Pop Eras: Madonna to Sabrina

Pop runs in eras. Each one has a few stars who set the look, the sound and the way people talk. Here’s the cheat sheet.

1. 1982–1984

   The King and the Queen

   Michael Jackson’s Thriller becomes the best-selling album ever, and Madonna breaks out with Like a Virgin. She reinvents herself every era and earns the title Queen of Pop.

2. 1990s

   The divas

   Whitney Houston’s "I Will Always Love You" (1992) and Mariah Carey’s five-octave range define the decade. Mariah’s "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (1994) first hits No. 1 in 2019 and keeps coming back every December.

3. 1998–2001

   Teen pop

   Britney Spears drops "…Baby One More Time". Boy bands Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC (with a young Justin Timberlake) fight for TRL. Christina Aguilera joins the race.

4. 2000s

   Beyoncé, Rihanna, Gaga

   Beyoncé goes solo with "Crazy in Love" (2003). Rihanna turns into a hit machine. Lady Gaga arrives with The Fame (2008), and shows up to the 2010 VMAs in a dress made of meat.

5. 2010s

   Streaming pop

   Taylor Swift goes fully pop with 1989. Ed Sheeran’s "Shape of You" becomes Spotify’s most-streamed song for years. In 2020, Billie Eilish sweeps the four biggest Grammys at 18.

6. 2020s

   TikTok pop

   Olivia Rodrigo’s "drivers license" (2021) explodes overnight. 2024 becomes brat summer thanks to Charli XCX, while Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter ("Espresso") break out. The Weeknd’s "Blinding Lights" takes over as Spotify’s most-streamed song.