Best Decades For Music (1950s - 2010s)

[Ghost Of Mascevanje]

What do you believe are the TWO best decades for music? (Because just choosing one would probably be much too difficult for some music enthusiasts). Keep in mind that for this thread/poll we're only counting the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s. You can either rank all of the decades to your personal preference or just simply state your favourite two.

I have noticed that the grand majority of my favourite music releases were recorded and released in either the 1980s or the 1990s. As a result, those are the two decades that I select as being the greatest (I can't decide which one I like better though, so it's actually a tie between the two). If I had to rank all of the decades in order of my personal preference, it would probably go something like this:

FIRST TIER

1980s, 1990s (Again, it's a tie between the two)

SECOND TIER

1970s & 2000s (Both are also kind of tied)

THIRD TIER

1960s, 2010s, 1950s (Precisely in that order)

 

[xSuperMario64x]

I said 80s because
1. at least 85% of the music I like is made up of 80s songs
2. my favorite music genres are synthwave (a modern style based on the "futuristic 80s") and synthpop
3. there are very few 80s songs that I actually dislike, whereas with the other decades it ends up being a lot more that I'm not a fan of
4. it basically sums up my entire vibe lol

I honestly don't know what my second favorite would be, I guess 70s cause classic rock from that decade is perfection.

 

[Alienfish]

1960s-1970s since that's what I'm listen to the most. Folk/political/psychedelic stuff side by side with good pop beats. I can appreciate some 50s but if I listen to later than 60s-70s it's basically Johnny's pop boys.

I mean worst is definitely 2010-2020s if we go that far. Way too much try-hard pop or just bad rap beats and as for JE j-pop not a fan of their later things let alone Naniwa Danshi but they're more classic as of yet anyway.

 

[Plume]

first tier: 1980s (although I'm not wild about what most people think of as "80's music," I find that most of the music I love was born in the 80s) and 1990s are also first tier! a lot of the music I loved in the 80s still played in the 90s
second tier: 1960s (I voted for 3 before I read the desc and realized we're only supposed to vote for 2!), 2000s
third tier: 1970s, 2010s

 

[Ghost Of Mascevanje]

Oops, I guess I forgot to pick the limited option! (No big problem though, I just changed it to be only two).

EDIT: Alright, for some reason the poll doesn't actually change when I save it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[daringred_]

2010s. (and then 2000s, since we were allowed two votes.) more specifically 2012. the first five or so years of that decade pushed out banger after banger. there's a 2012 playlist on spotify, and playing it gives me so much nostalgia, and i recognize almost every song on it. i mean. call me maybe? payphone? lights? we found love? set fire to the rain? where have you been? titanium? party rock anthem? give your heart a break? the one that got away? someone like you? domino? everyone went off.

anything pre-2000s, i generally can't stand. (and most stuff past 2019.) there are a couple of songs from, like, the 80s that are good -- namely heaven is a place on earth and total eclipse of the heart -- but that's it. my girlfriend likes queen and abba, for example, and i think all of their music is meh at best. same goes for other popular artists like prince and michael jackson. i just really don't care for it

 

[Nunnafinga]

Overall,I think the 1960's was the best decade for popular music.So many great bands were at their peak or got their start during the '60s:The Beatles,The Who,Jimi Hendrix,Led Zeppelin,The Beach Boys,The Greatful Dead,The Doors,The Byrds,The Rolling Stones,Creedence Clearwater Revival,The Kinks,The Temptations,Smokey Robinson and the Miracles,The Supremes,The Allman Brothers,Pink Floyd,Jefferson Airplane and many others.However,I was in my late teens and early twenties during the 1980's so that decade is my personal favorite.I remember being planted in front of the television watching MTV for hours at a time when it was still new and seeing so many bands that I probably wouldn't have known about if MTV wasn't there to broadcast their videos.A lot of my favorite music that I still listen to today came from the 1980's.

 

[-Mars-]

-

 

[LadyDestani]

I voted for the 1980s and 1990s. That is when I grew up so there's a lot of nostalgia involved. I listened to more music during those years than any other time in my life and so many songs are linked to my memories of growing up, first loves, friends, and more. Some of my favorite bands were at their peak during those years. Megadeth's Rust in Peace and Metallica's And Justice For All came out during those decades. Metal, rock, and alternative music was my favorite and there were a plethora of great songs in those genres, but I also found myself liking songs from the 80s and 90s in other genres that I don't typically follow, including rap, pop, and country.

My second favorite era for music would probably be the 1960s and 1970s. I love classic rock. Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, and Pink Floyd are all amazing. Many of these musicians influenced some of my favorite music in the 80s and 90s so I have to give them credit for the huge contributions they made to music.

In the early 2000s, I was still following some bands and finding new ones to enjoy, so that era would be my third favorite. But I dropped off sharply after that. I think at some point I just reached an age where I didn't feel the need to keep up with new music. I was happy with the music I knew and loved and that was good enough for me. So I know hardly anything from the 2010s to current.

I never cared much for music from the 1950s.

 

[Millysaurusrexjr]

Man it's hard to choose. I voted 00's and 10's because I think those make up the majority of my current music library. 90's would be top 3 for sure. I grew up watching a ton of music videos in the 00's and it's just such a nostalgic era for me. and 2010's are when I became an adult, went to college, and really discovered what kind of music I truly like.

90's are a bit more hazy since I was born in '93 but the music still makes me super nostalgic, most of all "Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls" by TLC.

I also love a lot of 50's music and earlier, thanks to the Fallout video game series! Billie Holiday might be my favorite from that era.

60's music is pretty great, I was obsessed with Jimi Hendrix in high school lol.

80's has some artists I love listening to like Michael Jackson and Madonna, and a lot of one hit wonders.

70's is my least favorite probably.

 

[visibleghost]

2000s emo/punk rock/pop punk will never get old. the newer music many of the active 2000s bands make is good as well but i think late 90s and the entire 00s were the chef's kiss of punk rock/pop punk/emo music.

edit: i barely listen to music from before the 90's so i can't comment on the music from those times tbh.

 

[CrankyCupcake]

Having grown up in the 70s and 80s (from being a child to being a teen and then a young adult), these decades were, for me, the best years of music.

In the 70s, I spent a lot of time listening to the radio. I listened to all kinds of music but particularly loved rock. From David Bowie and Elton John to Queen and the Electric Light Orchestra. The 80s were great! Def Leppard, Billy Idol, The Police, Tears for Fears, The Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Phil Collins, Don Henley, Robert Palmer, to name just a few. Their music made me forget how hard I was struggling in real life.

 

[Croconaw]

I listen to country, but I’m mostly a fan of older country and some of the newer country. I prefer the 1990’s and the early 2000’s. Those would be my top two.

 

[Beanz]

i voted for 2000’s and 2010’s. i was only alive to hear late 2000’s music and i remember a lot of the early 2010’s music. im specifically talking about pop music, the songs on the radio relatively sounded the same but they were all bops. the majority of late 2010’s just sucks lol, i hate those trap incorporated beats in this era of pop music.

 

[DaisyFan]

This is a tough one. Music in every decade is great, love them all. However, for this thread, I vote for 90s and 00s.

The 1990s music was great (well, I was born in that decade ). I grew up in the 2000s, and the music from that time was nostalgic to me.

Other decades are honorable mentions.

 

[Kitsuragi]

i think i love the 80's most, and the 00's right after. and maybe the 10's very closely after that.

 

[Envy]

Top Tier: 1960s, 1970s
Mid Tier: 2000s, 1950s
Bottom Tier: 1980s, 1990s

(I don't listen to enough music from the 2010s to judge that. I mean I listen to music from then, but my knowledge is more limited seeing as I completely turned modern radio off by that point)

The 60s and 70s? Well, I will say that in my enjoyment of music, instrumentation is of utmost importance to me. Also, I am picky on which electronic instruments I find appealing and do not. The electric guitar, bass, and hammond organ I range from fine with to love (hammond organ is amazing). However, synths, autotune, and drum machines I generally can not stand (light use of early synths can be okay, as is present in some 70s music).

Also, I love orchestral instruments. The 60s and 70s had plenty of trends where they used orchestral instruments. There's lots of brass, lots of woodwinds, lots of bowed strings. Also the harpsichord. <3 This makes the 60s and 70s very appealing to me. From Baroque Pop, to Soul/R&B (Philly Soul, as well!) to Brass Rock, to... well orchestral instruments were everywhere in 60s and 70s music.

The music from those decades just feels...more real. IDK.

1950s have some great music, but they also have some irritating music. Really hard to describe that decade. lol. Of course many of the great trends in the music of the 60s were very present in the 50s. So, yeah, mid tier.

I don't know if I need to describe why 80s is bottom tier for me. It took everything great about the decades before and threw it all in the trash for flashiness and cheesiness. Otherwise you had heavier music become more prominent, which isn't my cup of tea (save from a very few exceptions).

I grew up in the 90s and 00s. Never felt any connection to 90s music beyond a few here and there. It just feels like the most forgettable decade. However, the early to mid 2000s has lots of memorable music for me. Perhaps because then I was a teenager and was doing what was trendy. Whatever the reason, I have a soft spot for the 2000s - yes, even the mainstream music. The 2000s also has lots of fantastic underground or less mainstream artists.

 

[Xara]

i voted for the 2000s and 2010s because those are the decades of music that i grew up with and that most of my favourite songs came from.

 

[Neb]

For popular music I think the 70s were the best. A lot of songs had the time were rich in terms of instrumentation without having the corniness of many 60s hits. Audio recording technology also improved a lot that decade. Unlike most music from before, music from the 70s still sounds pretty crisp.

I also voted for the 2010s since it was the start of indie music becoming mainstream. Thanks to sites like YouTube and Spotify, many talented new musicians were able to create a platform for themselves.

 

[TurnipBell20]

I personally would say the 1980s and 2000s. The 80s had some great music with artists like Madonna, Michael Jackson, Guns N‘ Roses, Billy Idol, Europe, Queen, the Scorpions, Bon Jovi, and many more.

I voted the 2000s as the second decade because in my opinion the 2000s were the last decade with good music. Most genres were represented. Famous artists included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Evanescence, Destiny‘s Child, Avril Lavigne, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down, and more.

(Not all the artists I mentioned for the 80s and 00s were present for the first time in the respective decade.)

I like 90s (especially Grunge Rock) and 60s/70s music (especially Psychedelic), too, but I prefer the 80s and 00s.