51 songs that rocked the Millennial generation (2024)

The biggest songs of the Millennial generation, including 50 Cent, Gwen Stefani, Britney Spears, Rihanna and more.

Troy L. Smith, Cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – If you've followed along to our Millennials series, which counted down the movies andTV shows that effected a generation, you know Millennials have their own unique taste.

Thus, when it comes to music, it’s quite diverse. The songs that shaped the Millennial generation range from hits to underground anthems. They go from the MTV TRL era to the modern pop dominance of artists like Taylor Swift and Drake.

These are the songs that rocked the Millennial generation (people born between the mid-1980s through the year 2000), that we're still listening to today.

Spice Girls - "Wannabe" (1996)

Virgin Records

The MTV-led pop craze of the late 1990s was still a few years away. But it really starts here, with the emergence of the Spice Girls. The group’s massive success with young audiences gave Simon Cowell the blueprint he needed to create a show like “American Idol.”

The Verve - "Bittersweet Symphony" (1997)

Hut

Alt-rock angst was everywhere in the 1990s. But The Verve was ushering it into a new generation with “Bittersweet Symphony,” a song that would score the final moments of the movie “Cruel Intentions.”

LFO - "Summer Girls" (1998)

Arista

LFO was really ahead of the boy band craze, thanks to Rich Cronin’s lyrics referencing an abundance of pop culture fixtures, including an emerging clothing company called Abercrombie & Fitch.

Semisonic - "Closing Time" (1998)

Photo from MCA Records

The song that's really about giving birth, but has served as the go-to anthem for the end of a party for the past 20 years.

Barenaked Ladies - "One Week" (1998)

Reprise

Given its novelty aspects, “One Week” appealed to teens everywhere. So much so that the song hit the soundtracks of films like “American Pie” and “10 Things I Hate About You.”

Blink-182 - "What's My Age Again?" (1999)

Photo: MCA Records

Perhaps no song describes the attitude of older Millennials during the late 1990s than Blink 182’s anthem “what’ My Again?” which contained the go-to line “Nobody likes you when you’re 23.”

TLC - "No Scrubs" (1999)

LaFace

TLC’s comeback album was led by the ultimate female kiss-off anthem to guys hanging in the passenger side of their best friend’s ride, trying to pick up a date (as if that was the ideal way to do it).

Britney Spears - "Baby One More Time" (1999)

Jive

The ultimate star is born moment of the late 1990s and early 2000s changed everything. Britney Spears emergence with “Baby One More Time” adjusted the pop music landscape.

NSYNC - "Bye Bye Bye"/Backstreet Boys - "I Want It That Way" (1999)

Jive

This is why our list sits at 51. We simply couldn’t choose between the two greatest boy band songs of their era, as NSYNC and Backstreet Boys took turns sitting on top of the pop world.

Eminem feat. Dido - "Stan" (2000)

^f'r^

Eminem has had bigger songs than “Stan.” But few were more influential, showcasing a new rhyme genius at the center of hip-hop. The track also incorporated another popular Millennial anthem by sampling Dido’s “Thank You.”

Destiny's Child - "Say My Name" (2000)

Columbia

“Say My Name” was really the song that set the stage for the kind of pop-influenced R&B that would saturate the 2000s. It also launched the career of Beyoncé, one of the biggest solo stars of all time.

Sum 41 - "Fat Lip" (2001)

Island

At the start of the 2000s, emo hadn’t fully emerged yet and people preferred their pop punk with emphasis on the punk. Enter Sum 41’s “Fat Lip,” the ultimate party song for defiant teens ready for school to end.

Christina Aguilera - "Beautiful" (2002)

RCA Recods

Christina Aguilera had already made a name for herself with “Genie in a Bottle,” but her career reached new heights with “Beautiful,” an empowerment anthem embraced by the LGBT community.

Jimmy Eat World - "Sweetness" (2002)

Dreamworks

“The Middle” was Jimmy Eat World’s big hit. But there was something about “Sweetness” that felt even more special and still stands as Jimmy Eat World’s most beloved song. It was a mainstay on college radio and the song that suggested the power pop influence that would consume pop punk.

Nelly - "Hot in Herre" (2002)

Universal

Nelly wasn’t the most gifted rapper. But he knew how to craft a hook. With help from production duo The Neptunes, “Hot in Herre” became the ultimate sweat-inducing dance floor anthem.

Justin Timberlake - "Cry Me a River" (2002)

Jive

Justin Timberlake was always the standout in NSYNC. But it wasn’t until he release “Cry Me a River,” a song we’re pretty sure was about Britney Spears cheating on him, that he became the world’s biggest male pop star.

R. Kelly - "Ignition (Remix)" (2002)

Jive

You know a song’s remix is huge when no one remembers the original version. R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” is the kind of song that will cause sing-alongs all day long on your Facebook page. Post it if you dare.

Avril Lavigne - "Complicated" (2002)

Arista

Skater-punk angst wasn’t limited to the boys; something Avril Lavigne proved when she scored a massive hit with “Complicated” when she was just 17 years old.

50 Cent - "In Da Club" (2003)

Shady/Aftermath

Not only did 50 Cent gift us one of the biggest hip hop songs of all time with “In Da Club.” He also gave Millennials a new song to play at someone’s birthday celebration.

The Killers - "Mr. Brightside" (2003)

Island

The Killers “Mr. Brightside” felt at once both familiar and completely new. The song became the biggest hit of the new wave/post-punk revival that was coming about in indie circles.

The Postal Service - "Such Great Heights" (2003)

Sub Pop

The Postal Service’s “Such Great Heights” was the ultimate indie pop anthem of its time and embodied the kind of songs that would popular soundtracks like “Garden State” (A cover of the song was featured in Zach Braff’s film).

Beyonce feat. Jay-Z - "Crazy In Love" (2003)

Columbia

They're the ultimate music it couple and it all began here, with Beyoncé strutting down that street to the sounds of "Crazy In Love." The song was named by Spotify as the most popular song with the Millennial generation.

Linkin Park - "Numb" (2003)

Warner Bros.

Linkin Park’s powerful song “Numb” has taken on new meaning after the suicide of singer Chester Bennington. But like it did in 2003, the song remains a sadly relatable anthem about pain and loneliness.

Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz feat. Ying Yang Twins - "Get Low" (2003)

Photo from TVT Records

If you think the current mumble rap craze is puzzling, think back to 2003 when Lil Jon scored one of the most unlikely hits of the 2000s with “Get Low.” “From the window to the wall” is still heard at weddings, despite the meaning of the lyrics being R-rated.

Jay-Z - "99 Problems" (2003)

Rocafella/Def Jam

Jay-Z has had his fair share of hip-hop anthems. But rapping about sticking it to the cops during a traffic stop over an old-school rock beat added to his icon status in 2003.

The White Stripes - "Seven Nation Army" (2003)

Photo from XL Recordings

Using a semi-acoustic guitar, Jack White created one of the most unique rock hits of the 2000s and gave Millennials an unlikely sports anthem still used at games today.

Outkast - "Hey Ya!" (2003)

LaFace

Outkast was already on its way to becoming one of the greatest rap groups in history. But a double shot of chart-topping singles – “They Way You Move” and “Hey Ya!” – made them mainstream icons. The duo had everyone shaking it like a Polaroid picture.

Green Day - "American Idiot" (2004)

Reprise

Green Day is one of the rare rock acts that could make this list along with a list of top Generation X songs. The band started out with a punk spirit that turned into a political commentary on a song like “American Idiot,” aimed at the George W. Bush administration.

Usher - "Yeah!" (2004)

Arista

“Peace up, A-town down!” Even if you didn’t know what it meant, you know the dance floor was about to get crowded. Usher’s smash hit “Yeah!” only needed one word to take the industry by storm.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - "Maps" (2004)

Interscope

You’d be hard pressed to find a more subtly heartbreaking song than “Maps.” The Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ indie rock powerhouse builds to its emotional peak, highlighted by Karen O singing the lyrics, “Wait! They don’t love you like I love.” It’s a please don’t go for the ages.

Maroon 5 - "She Will Be Loved" (2004)

Octone

Maroon 5 scored a bit hit with “This Love.” But it was “She Will Be Loved” that endeared them to millions. It’s the kind of song that makes you feel beautiful every time you hear it.

Kelly Clarkson - "Since U Been Gone" (2004)

Jive

“Since You Been Gone” is pure indie rock at its core (think Liz Phair). But in the hands of Kelly Clarkson, it served as a mainstream hit that everyone – from hipsters to jocks – could sing along to.

Gwen Stefani - "Hollaback Girl" (2005)

Interscope

In 2005 Gwen Stefani and the Neptunes teamed up for an attitude-laced female anthem. Of course the line about “BANANAS” hooks you, but the song really hits home once you learn it was Stefani’s response to an older female rock star calling her a cheerleader. How rude.

Fall Out Boy - "Sugar, We're Going Down" (2005)

Fueled by Ramen

Fall Out Boy’s “Sugar, We’re Going Down” was the ultimate song for the pop-punk boom of the mid 2000s. And Pete Wentz was like Shakespeare to a generation of teens who just wanted him to sing them to sleep on their bedroom speakers.

Gnarls Barkley - "Crazy" (2006)

Downtown Records

Looking back, it’s rather unbelievable that “Crazy” was such a big hit. But Millennials weren’t about reaching for the norm. Gnarls Barkley’s song was just off-kilter and catchy enough to be embraced by the youthful masses.

Rihanna feat. Jay-Z - "Umbrella" (2007)

Roc Nation

Rihanna was an established pop star. But “Umbrella” elevated her to a Millennial R&B/pop hero. Backed by Jay-Z, Rihanna gave us a song that became a hit on the strength of a few syllables.

M.I.A. - "Paper Planes" (2008)

Photo from XL Recordings

M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” was out of this world. Of course it was catchy (the hottest rappers in the game would sample the “Swagger like us” line). But really, M.I.A. was being as punk as could be, blasting off about teenage angst and frustration.

Coldplay - "Viva La Vida" (2008)

Parlaphone

All "40 Year-Old Virgin" jokes aside, Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" was the uplifting, emotional song you couldn't escape in 2008, even if you wanted to.

Katy Perry - "I Kissed a Girl" (2008)

Capitol Records

Who knows if Katy Perry’s debut single made anyone actually experiment? But what it did was give Millennials another “edgy” pop star to look to for future hits to come. “I Kissed a Girl” was just naughty enough, but still okay to embrace.

Miley Cyrus - "Party in the U.S.A." (2009)

Hollywood Records

Before Miley Cyrus went all “Wrecking Ball” she was a young pop star singing about bumping Jay-Z and Britney Spears. I mean, how Millennial is that?

Black Eyed Peas - "I Gotta Feeling" (2009)

Interscope

It was played so much that it ultimately became corny. But Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” proved valuable as the ultimate party anthem for a generation that needed a break from all the angst heading into a new decade.

Lady Gaga - "Born This Way" (2010)

Interscope

“Born This Way” was more than a song. It was a movement. The song’s hook became a catchphrase for women and the gay community, and made Gaga’s corresponding The Monster Ball Tour quite an experience.

Kanye West - "Runaway" (2010)

Def Jam

Kanye was down and out at the start of 2010, coming off his stealing of Taylor Swift's microphone. But "Runaway" was the song that brought him back. The genius track was an honest ode to the d-bags and West's own inner struggles. It is emo rap's peak.

Fun feat. Janelle Monae - "We Are Young" (2011)

Fueled by Ramen

“We Are Young” is a stadium rock anthem for the Millennial generation. But lyrically, it’s Fun singer Nate Ruess singing about having the wildest night of your life after drinking way too young.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - "Same Love" (2012)

Macklemore LLC

Regardless of what you think about rapper Macklemore, “Same Love” was a bold move. Established as one of the biggest stars in the music world, Macklemore (with Ryan Lewis) released a beautiful song about gay and lesbian rights.

LMFAO - "Party Rock" (2011)

Interscope

The ultimate get drunk and party for the sake of partying anthem that Millennials latched on to.

Justin Bieber - "Boyfriend" (2012)

Island

And all of a sudden the Biebs was all grown up. "Boyfriend" is the song that transitioned Bieber into an adult pop star. And whether you love him or hate him, it appears he's here to stay.

Pharrell Williams - "Happy" (2013)

Columbia

It would have been easy for a song like “Happy” to give everyone a sweet tooth. But Pharrell plays it so cool. The clap-happy song brought a smile to everyone’s face and spawned a ton of parody videos.

Drake - "Started From the Bottom" (2013)

YMCMB

Want to sum up rap music over the past 10 years? Look no further than Drake’s “Started From the Bottom,” a song that classifies the bottom as working at a drug store or getting yelled at for borrowing your mom’s car.

Taylor Swift - "Shake It Off" (2014)

Big Machine

Taylor Swift’s transition to pop music was one of the most talked about things in recent memory. While she’d dabbled in the genre, “Shake It Off” was a blunt pop force that christened her as the world’s biggest pop star.