While several musicians influenced music culture for millennials and were popular during their childhood, there are several others millennials view as the most popular of all time.
Many of the artists here rose to popularity long before millennials were born. But this generation still views them as popular due to the influence they had on the generations before them. Millennials were raised on music from the baby boomer and Generation X groups. To their parents, artists like The Beatles, Queen, and Johnny Cash were largely popular. Additionally, Gen Xers were listening to Whitney Houston, Nirvana, and Michael Jackson.
Other artists on this list rose to fame and shaped the music industry for millennials while they were growing up. From Rihanna to Linkin Park and Lady Gaga, the music industry saw many changes during the early 2000s. The millennial generation covers anyone born from 1981 to 1996, so older millennials may view the popularity of musicians differently than younger millennials. (For more reading on popular musicians, check out the all-time favorite country artists of millennials.)
To create this list, 24/7 Tempo reviewed a survey conducted by YouGov. This survey includes the overall popularity of an artist, followed by the popularity from a millennial viewpoint. Here are 20 of the most popular all-time music artists among Millennials.
1. Johnny Cash
After his rise to fame in the mid-1950s, Cash shaped the music industry forever. As a country singer-songwriter, Cash had hits like “Ring of Fire,” “I Walk the Line,” and “Folsom Prison Blues.” While Cash’s career began to decline in the 1970s, he continued to record music through the early 2000s. Cash passed in 2003, but his hits have impacted several generations, leading to millennials agreeing he’s the most popular music artist of all time.
2. Whitney Houston
Voted in 2023 by Rolling Stone as the second-greatest singer of all time, Houston rose to fame in the 1980s. During her career, Houston had 11 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Her most popular hits include “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Higher Love,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Houston was also known for on-screen appearances, including her role in the 1992 Blockbuster hit “Bodyguard” opposite Kevin Costner. With her music and acting career spanning into the early 1990s, Houston is well-known to millennials. Many mourned her sudden death in 2012 when she passed at the age of 48.
3. Dolly Parton
UNSPECIFIED - JANUARY 01: Photo of Dolly PARTON (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns)
With a career that’s spanned over 50 years, Parton is considered one of the most well-known country music singer-songwriters and actresses throughout history. Parton rose to fame with her debut album “Hello, I’m Dolly,” which was released in 1967. With other hits like “9 to 5” and “Jolene,” Parton has earned 11 Grammy awards. She’s also experienced an extensive career as an actress appearing in films “Steel Magnolias” and “Rhinestone.” Today, Parton continues to record music and appear in films.
4. Frank Sinatra
Though Sinatra’s rise to fame was long before millennials were born, his huge popularity spanned many generations. Sinatra’s first album was released in 1943. He continued to record music throughout the 1940s before entering an acting career in the 1950s. Sinatra recorded music well into later decades before passing in 1998. Even after his death, Sinatra continues to influence later generations. He was listed as one of Time magazine’s Persons of the Century in 1999.
5. The Beatles
Formed in 1960, The Beatles first rose to fame in England before the “British Invasion” reached the United States. Their hits include “Let It Be,” “Here Comes the Sun,” and “Yesterday,” among many others. More important than their music releases, however, is how this band influenced numerous other music artists in the generations that followed them.
6. Bob Marley
As a singer-songwriter from Jamaica, Marley was known for his influence in music and pop culture. Marley became popular with his group The Wailers, which rose to fame in the 1960s. Later changing their name to Bob Marley and the Wailers, the group became known for their reggae sound. Their biggest hits included “One Love” and “Could You Be Loved.” Unfortunately, Marley’s career and life were both cut short after he passed from melanoma at the age of 36.
7. Michael Jackson
Beginning his career as part of the Jackson 5 with his brothers, Jackson’s career rose to new heights as a solo artist in the late 1970s. His first album, “Off the Wall,” was released in 1979 and included hits “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You.” Throughout the ’80s and into the ’90s, Jackson continued to release music with 13 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. His death due to an overdose in 2009 shocked the world and his televised funeral is believed to have been viewed by about 2.5 billion people.
8. Rihanna
Rihanna’s first album, “Music of the Sun” was released in 2005. While she’s less known to generations older than millennials, Rihanna has continued to rise to fame and release music throughout the 2000s. Her No. 1 hits include “Umbrella,” “This is What You Came For,” and “We Found Love.” With 14 No. 1 hits and 250 million records sold worldwide, Rihanna continues to be popular among millennials and younger generations. Her Super Bowl LVII halftime show has even become the most-watched show of all time, according to Billboard.
9. Nirvana
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
Known for their alternative and grunge rock sound, the band Nirvana is most popular among Gen X. However, their biggest hits arrived in the early ’90s, meaning this group was also well-known to millennials. Their hits included “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Come as You Are” before the band’s rise to fame was cut short with the death of the lead singer Kurt Cobain. Though the band was only in the mainstream for three years, they’ve still sold 75 million records, affecting several generations of music culture.
10. Elton John
Rising to fame in the 1970s, John is a singer-songwriter and pianist from England. John began his career by forming a band before leaving the group to pursue a solo career in 1967. As a solo artist, John has seen success worldwide, including nine No. 1 hits in both the UK and the U.S. Additionally, John has received five Grammy awards as well as an EGOT, among several other awards. His top hits include “I’m Still Standing,” “Rocketman,” and “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”
11. Queen
Originally formed in the U.K., the band Queen saw large success in the United States throughout the 1970s. Known for their heavy metal sound infused with synthesizers and their rock-glam look, Queen had hits like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love.” When frontman Freddie Mercury passed in 1991, the band released their final album in 1995. The group’s story was retold in the 2018 film “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which starred Rami Malek as Mercury, garnering the actor several awards.
12. Stevie Wonder
Entering showbiz at the age of 11, Wonder has produced music across several genres including R&B, soul, pop, and jazz. Though Wonder has been blind since birth, he’s seen as a prodigy for his musical talent. His rise to fame began in the 1960s but continued to rise throughout the 1970s with hits like “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours),” “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” and “For Once in My Life.” Wonder has also earned 25 Grammy awards and has been inducted into more than one hall of fame. And, while Wonder’s career has slowed in recent years, he continues to collaborate with other artists and leaves a lasting legacy.
13. Jimi Hendrix
Though his life was tragically cut short in 1970 at the age of 27, Jimi Hendrix influenced rock and roll for numerous generations. Hendrix was known for his talent on the electronic guitar and saw fame with his hits “All Along the Watchtower” and “Purple Haze,” which was performed with his band Jimi Hendrix Experience. Though his career was short-lived, Hendrix got the opportunity to headline Woodstock in 1969 during his peak of fame.
14. Linkin Park
Formed in 1996, Linkin Park was a rock band that rose to fame in the early 2000s. Their debut album “Hybrid Theory” was released in 2000 and saw large success with hits like “In the End,” “One Step Closer,” and “Crawling.” The group continued to mix their heavy metal sound with electronic and pop as they released albums in the 2000s. However, the band entered a hiatus following the unexpected death of lead vocalist Chester Bennington in 2017.
15. Adele
Hailing from London, Adele entered the music scene with her debut album “19” in 2008. As a solo artist, Adele has received 16 Grammys as well as 12 Brit awards so far in her career. Additionally, her 2011 album “21” became one of the top-selling albums of the year, selling more than 31 million copies. Today, Adele continues to produce music, with her most recent album “30” released in 2021.
16. Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr., known in the music industry as Snoop Dogg, saw a rise to hip-hop fame in the early 1990s. Before setting out to record and release a solo album, Snoop Dogg was featured on Dr. Dre’s 1992 album “The Chronic.” The rapper’s hit songs include “Young, Wild, & Free” featuring Bruno Mars, “Gin and Juice,” and “Nuthin’ But A ‘G’ Thang.” Snoop’s music career has also led to several acting and TV hosting opportunities over the years. Today, Snoop continues to make on-screen appearances as well as record music.
17. Celine Dion
Dion’s career began in her teens as she rose to fame in Canada with French albums in the 1980s. Her first English album “Unison” was released in 1990, gaining Dion international fame. Her greatest hits include “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” and “The Power of Love.” Additionally, Dion became a household name to millennials when her hit “My Heart Will Go On” was featured in the 1997 Blockbuster movie “Titanic.”
18. Louis Armstrong
Born in 1901, Armstrong’s musical career spanned decades before his passing in 1971. His rise to fame began in the 1920s as he became famous for his trumpet playing and vocals in jazz music. Iconic hits from Armstrong include “What a Wonderful World,” “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” and “La Vie en Rose.” Armstrong also saw a career in film throughout the ’50s and ’60s including “Hello, Dolly!” and “High Society.”
19. Pink
Reaching double platinum with her debut album in 2000, Pink (also known as P!nk) has established herself as a singer-songwriter and pop icon. Pink, whose birth name is Alecia Beth Moore, began performing at the age of 15. After releasing several records in the 2000s, she’s been able to earn three Grammy awards for her hits including “Raise Your Glass” and “So What.” Today, Pink is known for her iconic concert products as she continues to record music, releasing her latest album in 2023.
20. Lady Gaga
Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in New York City, Lady Gaga is known for her iconic techno-pop and rock sound. Her debut album “The Fame” was released in 2008 and reached instant success. Some of Lady Gaga’s most popular songs include “Poker Face,” “Just Dance,” and “Bad Romance.” Additionally, Gaga is known for her talent on-screen. In her breakthrough role as Ally opposite Bradley Cooper in “A Star Is Born,” Gaga earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Today, she continues to produce music and act. (For similar reading, click here to see the most popular all-time TV shows among millennials.)