The 50 Best Albums of 2001

Jennifer Lopez beat the sophomore slump when her semi-eponymous album cemented her status as a hit-maker. Naming the record after herself was a fitting move, as it gave listeners a glimpse of herself outside of the spotlight. Despite receiving mixed reviews at the time, the record went on to sell over eight million copies worldwide, earning a quadruple Platinum certification. Twenty-five years later, it's safe to say that J.Lo features some of the pop singer's best work, having literally become synonymous with her persona. – Sun Noor

Led by the bangers "Area Codes," "Rollout (My Business)," and "Move Bitch," Ludacris' second major label album transformed him into a bona fide superstar. The Atlanta rapper's undeniable charisma and unorthodox delivery proved him adaptable to a wide assortment of beats, ranging from a signature, off-kilter Timbaland instrumental to the smoother, soulful production of Jazze Pha. Through his outlandish lyrics and tongue-in-cheek skits, Luda expanded the almost cartoonish pimp persona that later made him a Hollywood player.  — Eddie Fu

The spirit (pun intended) of Michelle Branch's "Everywhere" and the rest of her major label debut lives on through successors like Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. Co-written entirely by Branch, the record's hooky, pop-rock melodies and emotive lyrics signaled a shift in the music landscape, as bubblegum pop made way for the confessional singer-songwriter. In addition to the hits, tracks such as "You Set Me Free" bridged the gap between radio-friendly pop and Branch's classic rock influences. — E. Fu

Addiction and abuse followed Mary J. Blige for most of her life, but with No More Drama, she put a halt to the spectacle of her chaos. Not only that, Blige — christened the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul for her 1992 debut — re-introduced herself at a time when acts like Aaliyah and Destiny's Child were turning out futuristic, pop-adjacent bops. Instead of following the crowd, Blige put her foot down creatively, writing almost every song on the album and choosing to share the depths of her life. Most of the songs hone in on the specific task of overcoming, but the bumping "Family Affair" sees Blige fully letting loose and celebrating the life she turned around. — Kiana Fitzgerald

The first of eight albums he'd produce with the "Never Ending Tour" road band, "Love and Theft" found Bob Dylan in a career upswing, following 1997's Time Out of Mind and his 2000 Oscar win for the Wonder Boys original song "Things Have Changed." Heavily rooted in Americana, folk, and country, it's an album driven by heavy guitar sounds and that signature rasp, a rich tribute to the original inspirations that formed Dylan as an artist. Fun fact: Originally recorded for Time Out of Mind, Dylan offered "Mississippi" to Sheryl Crow for her 1998 album The Globe Sessions before recording it for "Love and Theft". — L.S. Miller

8701 was Usher's opportunity to mature in the spotlight. The singer-songwriter had awkwardly entered the music business at 15 years old, singing songs that were good, but too grown for him. While 1997's My Way saw him coming of age, it wasn't until 8701 that Usher finally took off the footed pajamas and put on the silk robe. With plenty of songs that start with the letter U (very subtle, Usher), 8701 found him thoroughly realizing he's that guy. "U Remind Me" and "U Don't Have to Call" stayed on replay on every music video countdown, but it was the wistful mega single "U Got It Bad" that solidified Usher as an incoming king of R&B. — K. Fitzgerald

Has there ever been a mission statement so direct, so succinct, so utterly profound as the opening lines of "Party Hard?" Coming in hot after a 90-second tone setter — also party-centric, of course — an otherworldly voice explains Andrew W.K.'s entire ethos with just a handful of words: "When it's time to party, we will party hard." With 36 minutes of pure, maximalist party-metal, W.K.'s I Get Wet debut delivers on that awesome promise. There are hooks to kill (literally on "Ready to Die"), bombastic love stories ("She Is Beautiful"), and hedonistic, life-affirming rallying cries ("Don't Stop Living in the Red"). Listening to I Get Wet is to experience the sublime via party. — J. Krueger

Adam Green and Kimya Dawson were among the key figures of  the late-'90s anti-folk movement coming out of New York City, standing in contrast to bands such as The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs who were on the rise at the time. Tender cuts like "Anyone Else But You" and more outlandish songs like "What Went Wrong" perfectly encapsulate the duo's quirky yet heartfelt lyricism. The album's charm lies in its raw and unpolished characteristics, all emotional expression and four-track fuzz. – S. Noor

Though a couple of decades had passed between The Beatles' Revolver and Circulatory System's epic, kaleidoscopic debut, there's a sonic and aesthetic throughline that's nigh undeniable. Will Cullen Hart's indie rock/psychedelic project took the Fab Four's harmonious, ear-candy psychedelia and updated it for the new millennium, ironically bringing the subgenre from "Tomorrow Never Knows" to "Yesterday's World." Few albums of that year — or of the last 25 years, really — are as wonderfully produced, playfully constructed, and dazzlingly enveloping as Circulatory System. — J. Krueger

Still a few years from their definitive lineup cohering, At Dawn gave many fans their introduction to My Morning Jacket and the first clear sign that they were destined for bigger stages than the Kentucky grain silos they recorded in. Fan favorites like “Lowdown” and “Xmas Curtain” are arena-ready jams, and “Phone Went West” was made to be sung by a chorus of thousands — which it frequently is at MMJ shows to this day. Fittingly though, Jim James may have said it best: ”It’s just the way that he sings/ Not the words that he says or the band/ I’m in love with his soul/ It’s a meaning that I understand.” — Tyler Franklin

Origin of Symmetry found Muse scaling up and lifting off, tapping into what would become their most celebrated style and playing each song with expressiveness and panache. The trio's early era ambition made every Origin track feel like a big swing, whether that's the filthy "Feeling Good" cover, the winding proto-Guitar Hero riff on "Plug-In Baby," or the classical-progressive opus that is "Citizen Erased." Matthew Bellamy aches and howls with absolutely no regard for sounding "cool," stretching his range to absurd highs and lows. Origin provided a framework for Muse to truly become Muse; there's a reason they'd go on to be one of the biggest bands of the 2000s, and the evidence is riddled throughout their second album.  — P. Ragusa

By the time David Berman was putting together the songs of Bright Flight, Silver Jews' fourth LP and the follow-up to the immaculate American Water, he had already established himself as one of indie rock's premier lyricists. Importantly, he had also made his way to Nashville, and the twang that had always bubbled underneath his low-fi guitar tunes finally surfaced in full. Bright Flight is a project of stories and images familiar to Silver Jews fans — love, despair, absurdity, mundanity, existence — painted with a slightly refreshed, even more honky tonk palette. To the surprise of nobody, those shades fit Berman exceedingly well. — J. Krueger

Sounding more like a greatest hits compilation than a solo debut, Rockin’ the Suburbs established Folds as not just a virtuosic ivory-tickler but a truly generational talent. Just reading the names Annie, Zak, Sara, Fred, Stan, Lisa, and Cathy conjures up more memorable melodies than most musicians will make in a lifetime. Timeless tracks like “Still Fighting It” and “Not the Same” feel as fresh today as ever — maybe fresher. “The Luckiest” has grown to be a perennial couples song, but with so many single-worthy tracks, here it’s just the album closer. — T. Franklin

Injecting new techniques like rapping and guitar-tapping to the tried and true pop punk formula, Sum 41 found a sound that set them apart from their peers and skyrocketed them to the top of TRL. Enduring bangers like “Motivation,” “In Too Deep,” and “Nothing on My Back” made this a permanent fixture in many sun visor CD cases, while the infectiously catchy “Fat Lip” demands to be included in the karaoke hall of fame. It’s the sheer amount of energy and sense of fun contained in this 32-minute album that keeps us coming back again and again. — T. Franklin

One wonders how many of those five customers Rob Gordon got to buy The Three E.P.'s returned the next year to pick up Hot Shots II. They would have found a more focused Beta Band anchoring their zaniness without abandoning their ramshackle approach. Although the Scottish crew pruned some of their more adventurous detours, in their place is the most cohesive artifact of their career. For all the cheekiness of its title, the album's a mesmerizing masterclass of folktronica, meditative synths and samples encircling hypnotic electro-percussion in a blueprint for indie-tronica to come. "Dry the Rain" may have moved units, but Hot Shots II moved spirits. — Ben Kaye

Now ubiquitous thanks to the virality of cuts like "Avril 14th" and the mind-bogglingly massive "QKThr," drukQs might just emerge as the retroactive zoomer pick for Aphex Twin's magnum opus — quite a feat for a project that sits next to records like Selected Ambient Works 85-92, Selected Ambient Works Volume II, and Richard D. James Album. An epic, sprawling double-LP that at any given moment could be hauntingly nostalgic, ominously contemplative, jittery and spastic, or simply beautiful, drukQs breadth is matched only by its uncompromising ambition. — J. Krueger

We all love Jason Isbell, and his later contributions indeed resulted in some incredible records, but Southern Rock Opera will always be Drive-By Truckers' first masterpiece. On paper, it almost sounds insane — a double-LP, loose concept record of gritty, drunken southern rock that was self-funded and obsessed with the ghost of prime Lynyrd Skynyrd. And yet, the songs were so compelling, both in their storytelling and the pure kickassery of the Southern-fried guitar work, that it not only justified its ambitions, it forced itself and the band into the Southern rock canon. — J. Krueger

After “Du Hast” made Rammstein a global sensation, the German industrialists returned with what would be arguably their greatest album. Front-loaded with a whopping six singles — highlighted by “Links 2 3 4” and “Sonne” — Mutter dominated German and European charts while garnering widespread acclaim the world over. Producer Jacob Hellner helmed the sessions, which saw the band introducing more orchestral elements into its base sound of electro-industrial metal. In retrospect, the album stands as a sonic marvel for its gold-standard drum tones — unrivaled percussive concussions that still sound utterly massive to this day. — Jon Hadusek

This is Blink-182 in their imperial phase and at the peak of their pop-punk powers. Post-Enema of the State, the trio had become unlikely superstars. So instead of buckling at the increased scrutiny, taking a hard left turn, or rendering their sound inaccessible, Blink doubled down and made some of the purest and most lovable music of their career. It's hard to ignore the instant dopamine from "First Date," "Reckless Abandon," and "The Rock Show," or the anthemic majesty of "Stay Together for the Kids" and "The Anthem Part 2." Take Off Your Pants and Jacket is certainly juvenile in all ways Blink-182, but when you perfect the formula, who needs to grow up? — P. Ragusa

Having "matured" — as stuffy music writers like to call it — from the rawer, punkier sounds of their first few releases, Unwound's swan song, Leaves Turn Inside You, helped cement them as one of the most influential acts of 90's and early 00's post-hardcore (that's post-hardcore in the Fugazi/Slint sense and less the Dance Gavin Dance/The Used sense, mind you). Patient, dynamic, and oozing with the smoky, rainy atmosphere of the Pacific Northwest, Leaves Turn Inside You continues to be a foundational text of outsider rock music to this day — and thank god for that, because this thing fucking rocks. — J. Krueger

Arguably Slipknot's best album (we put it at No. 1 on our ranking of the band's albums), Iowa is a force to be reckoned with. It's as heavy and dark as the masked band has ever gotten, with percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan once saying, "When we did Iowa, we hated each other. We hated the world; the world hated us." All that hate led to now-classics like "People = Shit," "Disasterpiece," "The Heretic Anthem," "My Plague," and the Grammy-nominated "Left Behind." Vocally, Corey Taylor was at his most unhinged, delivering the songs' vitriolic lyrics with a rawness and intensity that's rarely been matched. — Spencer Kaufman

Ironically for an album called Stay What You Are, Saves the Day's third LP found them actively changing their sound — and, as a result, the course of third wave emo. Downshifting the caffeinated post-hardcore of previous efforts, the New Jersey pioneers let melody lighten their pop punk tunes. Juxtaposed alongside the visceral emotion of Chris Conley's macabre lyrics ("As Your Ghost Takes Flight," "This Is Not an Exit"), Saves the Day helped map the DNA of the next decade's worth of emo. Mileage on their sonic successors may vary, but with tracks like "At Your Funeral," "Freakish," and "Cars & Calories," these forebears ensured the scene would never stay the same. — B. Kaye

Basement Jaxx’s second studio album opens with the heart-pumping funk of "Romeo" and only escalates from there, the insanity peaking with the iconically dizzy "Where's Your Head At?" (Always an excellent question to ask.) Those are far from the only standout tracks from the British electronic duo, though: The slightly mellower "Broken Dreams" slows the tempo to match ethereal vocals by Sha, and "Do Your Thing" is an incredibly infectious dance track with big band influences. From beginning to end, Rooty demands that the listener boogie, and it's hard to deny. — L.S. Miller

Opeth crafted three albums alongside producer Steven Wilson between 2001 and 2003 — an iconic run of recordings that saw the Swedish death metal band taking a cue from Wilson’s prog-rock work in Porcupine Tree. The first of these LPs, 2001’s Blackwater Park, is the best (and perhaps the band's magnum opus), as it sees Opeth operating predominantly as a death metal band, albeit with a high degree of prog, as showcased by the marvelous instrumental workouts throughout the album. Wilson’s influence would take more of a hold on the two follow-ups, but here, the artist and producer compliment one another perfectly. — J. Hadusek

Before being known for anthemic pop-rock anthems and the intense aerobatic stunts of her live shows, P!nk entered the scene more aligned with late-'90s R&B. Her sophomore album marked the turning point of her career as she embraced a more pop-forward sound and added tougher guitar riffs into the mix. The record features quintessential post-Y2K bops such as "Get the Party Started" alongside vulnerable cuts that read like diary entires ("Family Portrait," the Steven Tyler-assisted blues number "Misery"). Demanding and achieving more creative control over her artistic vision while helping revitalize Linda Perry's songwriting career, M!ssundaztood laid the groundwork on which P!nk built one of the pop's most enduring legacies. – S. Noor

When you find out that Morning View was written and recorded in Malibu, California, it makes so much sense. The album infuses Incubus's alt-rock/new metal sound with a gentler, beachy tone, one that makes postcard-ready song titles like "Wish You Were Here" and "Nice to Know You" extremely apt. The result is a mellower vibe than the band's previous three albums — Morning View didn't outsell the band's more iconic Make Yourself, but it did represent an impressive artistic evolution of their sound. — L.S. Miller

Released via El-P's Definitive Jux label, Cannibal Ox's debut album sounds just as futuristic today as it did 25 years ago. Vast Aire lives up to his name with his seemingly breathless delivery that contrasts Vordul Mega's more aggressive flow as the Harlem natives spit over gothic El-P production that's both spaced-out and steeped in boom-bap tradition. True to their B-boy origins, the duo chronicle their New York upbringing with lyrical precision that captures both nostalgia for their past and the claustrophobic stress of being raised in the Rotten Apple. — E. Fu

James Mercer’s old bandmates in Flake Music heard some of these songs and told him it didn’t rock hard enough. They’ve had 25 years to kick themselves right in The Shins. “New Slang” was so catchy that the single alone got Mercer's new band signed to Sub Pop, and combined with “Caring Is Creepy,” The Shins became a whole plot point in Garden State. What stands out now are the delicious oddities, with song titles like “Know Your Onion!” and sharp lyrics that kept tunes such as “Pressed in a Book” from feeling twee. Oh, Inverted World defined right-side-up for a whole generation. — W. Graves

After years of releasing albums that were dictated by other people, Aaliyah finally wrestled control with her self-titled project, also known as The Red Album. The singer took a more hands-on approach because of her relationship with her fans, who had staunchly supported the singer throughout career challenges, including problematic men, label difficulties, and a five-year hiatus. Aaliyah served as a preview of the music landscape to come, largely experimental and wholly dedicated to cool. "We Need a Resolution," "Rock the Boat," and "More Than a Woman" couldn't have been more different singles — from sleek and futuristic to warm and balmy to rugged and direct — but they all fit under the umbrella of Aaliyah's trendsetting ways. — K. Fitzgerald

Since I Left You contains nearly 3,500 samples across just one hour of music. It's a detail that bears repeating, because the sheer amount of sounds, genres, and styles blended throughout is bewildering. Since I Left You is new and novel by embracing the glory of older music and recontextualizing it; there's a fearlessness in attempting to combine disparate sounds under a unified umbrella, which explains why so much of the album is weird, off-kilter, and yet immensely satisfying. And like the best dance albums, Since I Left You provides an entire world to inhabit and can be looped over and over again, each movement giving way to the next. There wasn't much like it before, and there hasn't really been anything like it since. — P. Ragusa

Missy Elliott is one of the most confident MCs we've ever had the pleasure of listening to, and for good reason. Since her debut album, 1997's Supa Dupa Fly, Elliott has been committed to establishing new norms and surpassing expectations. Miss E... So Addictive continued that career path, with Elliott expanding her already-storied sonic textures ("One Minute Man") and vocal acrobatics ("Lick Shots"). Her honeyed crooning is more present here than her abrasive bars, but she manages to fold each experience into the other, melding her powers. The monster single "Get Ur Freak On" explodes from this album, underscoring Missy Elliott's dedication to getting us out of our comfort zones — and out of our seats. — K. Fitzgerald

Fugazi is one of those bands where any given fan's personal ranking could look wildly different — and yet, they'd all be equally justified. Argue (ha!) that their final LP, The Argument, is their best, and we'd have a hard time telling you otherwise. A little artsier, more open-ended, and more contemplative than, say, the immediacy of "Waiting Room" or the songs of Repeater, songs like "Life and Limb" and "The Kill" put on display what Fugazi had grown to be capable of, retaining all of their furious power even when trading in some of their intensity for dynamism, mood, and — frankly — weirdness. What a way to go out. — J. Krueger

Alicia Keys' Songs in A Minor directly reflected the pianist/singer-songwriter's struggles to be seen for who she was. Keys' one-time label, Columbia, was dead set on immediately molding her into a radio-friendly pop star. A determined artist from jump, Keys instead embraced her signature blend of classical piano, soul, hip-hop, jazz, and R&B. Her debut single, "Fallin,'" saw Keys taking her first steps toward building her world of heartfelt storytelling. Other album highlights showcased Keys' classical chops ("Piano & I," "Caged Bird"), while the dusky boom-bap beats she grew up hearing in Hell's Kitchen also made themselves known ("Girlfriend," "Jane Doe"). — K. Fitzgerald

While understandably overshadowed by its icy predecessor/sister release, 2000's Kid A, Amnesiac might just be the Radiohead Rosetta Stone. Capturing the iconic band during its most scattershot, restless period, what the album lacks in a consistent sonic language is more than makes up for in creative experiments, emotionality, and damn fine songwriting. More than that, perhaps better than any other record in their acclaimed discography, it put their new approach on full display. They hadn't committed themselves to the bleeps and the bloops like some feared post-Kid A — as guitar-forward rockers like "I Might Be Wrong" and "Knives Out" prove, as does the jazzy closer "Life in a Glasshouse" — they had merely reimagined what Radiohead could be. — J. Krueger

Amidst label drama and digital leaks, Wilco self-released Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in the fall of 2001, a breath of fresh air unafraid to experiment with genre, style, and instrumentation in the quest to break our hearts. (That's the explicit goal, according to opening track "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.") For the record, the lyrics "Tall buildings shake/ Voices escape singing sad sad songs" were written well before 9/11, not to mention the songs "War on War" and "Ashes of American Flags." Despite that eerie prescience, it's still a perfect lazy Sunday afternoon album, with standout single "Jesus, Etc." highlighting Jeff Tweedy's searching, existential energy. — L.S. Miller

Converge’s masterpiece Jane Doe is widely considered the greatest metalcore album of all-time, helping define the genre by harnessing an extremity that exceeded the confines of adjacent post-hardcore and emo while still appealing to those scenes. When it was released 25 years ago, everybody agreed — even the metalheads: Jane Doe was badass. That’s why the album has had such a wide ranging influence across all of modern heavy music — especially its sonic properties, with guitarist Kurt Ballou since becoming a cherished producer of metal and hardcore of all styles. Even today, as modern metalcore shifts toward alt-pop and prog, Converge still seem like the only band that can pull this off, as hinted by the intensity of their new material. — J. Hadusek

The way Björk manages to make melodies feel both familiar and otherworldly is well on display in Vespertine, one of her most beloved and texturally-specific works. Classical and analog instruments chafe against synthetic ones (especially the drums), but Björk's voice binds these disparate timbres into a strangely serene experience. There are touches of brilliance everywhere, from the choir that emerges at the urgent conclusion of "It's Not Up to You" to the overactive harp that guides "Pagan Poetry." Vespertine is gigantic and intimate, nostalgic and futuristic, erotic and unnerving — dichotomies that Björk has courageously embraced throughout her storied career. — P. Ragusa

Leaving the tired "is it emo?" debate behind, Jimmy Eat World's Bleed American was 2001's definitive "scene" crossover hit. Much of that is credited to the chart/MTV success of "The Middle," but the LP's consistency means any of its 11 tracks could have been a single. Anthemic alt-rockers like the title track and graceful slow-burns like "Hear You Me" are loaded to the rafters with airtight power-pop structures and direct, earnest lyricism. Underpinned with an outsider optimism encapsulating turn-of-the-millennium sentiment, the album's infamous rechristening as a self-titled collection post 9/11 cements it as a time capsule that remains worth cracking into over and over. — B. Kaye

Gillian Welch's Time (The Revelator) — perhaps fittingly, given its title — is a paradox, an anachronism of an album. On the one hand, there are songs obsessed with the musical tradition of the past, like "I Want to Sing That Rock and Roll," "Elvis Presley Blues," and the "Ambulance Blues"-esque closer "I Dream a Highway." On the other, there are deeply of-its-time, even profoundly prophetic tunes, like the modern classic "Everything Is Free." All the while, the harmonious instrumentals embody the storied but timeless role of the traveling, society-dissecting songwriter with merely a six-string, their voice, and a strong perspective to their name. The result is something layered, universal, and hard to pin down, though all the more effective for its subtle elusiveness. In other words, it's just about a perfect work of folk. — J. Krueger

White Blood Cells served as The White Stripes' deserved breakthrough record, and 25 years later, it rips just as hard. While 2000's De Stijl served as something of a thesis statement for the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, White Blood Cells is even more assured and immediate. The harder tracks, like the fuzz-laden take on classic pop "Fell in Love with a Girl," are urgent, chaotic, and sticky sweet — but it's the album's softer songs, like "We're Going to Be Friends" and "Now Mary," that demonstrate the cross-genre dynamic range that Jack White continues to boast today. It's no wonder White Blood Cells remains a blueprint for every garage rock revival act since. — P. Ragusa

Poke around indie music circles and online music forums, and you'll likely run into The Microphones' The Glow Pt. 2 in just a handful of clicks. The album has ascended to the type of mythological heights for music nerds that only a handful of records experience (ubiquitous, subgenre-defining, "canonized" releases like In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Spiderland, or Loveless). And yet, for all of the praise it's received over the past quarter century, it probably deserves even more. Boundlessly creative, devastatingly raw, perfectly rough around the edges, and without a shred of fat, The Glow Pt. 2 is an immaculately singular achievement. Even when the album's imitators (of which there are many) manage to sound like The Glow Pt. 2, none feel like The Glow Pt. 2. It's a special kind of lo-fi, deeply personal magic that is at once profoundly intimate and infinite. — J. Krueger

Tool were on top of their game when they recorded their third album, Lateralus, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with more than 500,000 copies moved in its first week of release. The masterful musicianship of guitarist Adam Jones, drummer Danny Carey, and bassist Justin Chancellor is on full display throughout the album, as singer Maynard James Keenan's hypnotic vocals soar over complex rhythm changes. Songs like "Schism" (which won a Grammy for Best Metal Performance), "Lateralus," "The Grudge," and "Parabola" have become classics in Tool's discography, while the LP has firmly established itself among the best metal albums of the 21st century. — S. Kaufman

Destiny's Child's breakthrough album, The Writing's on the Wall, was also the group's most successful effort. By the time they were crafting their follow-up, Survivor, they'd weathered multiple lineup changes, and a trio of victors remained. Instead of shying away from the drama that came with their personnel change, Destiny's Child leaned into it. Survivor became their opportunity to speak their truth, through singles like the defiant, anthemic title track. They also dialed up the feminism with "Independent Women, Pt. 1" and amped up the camp with the Stevie Nicks-sampling "Bootylicious." Previews of the Beyoncé we respect and revere today were peeking through here, as the singer co-wrote every song and imbued the overall album with her unconventional quirks ("Independent Women, Pt. 2") and high standards ("Dangerously in Love"). — K. Fitzgerald

System of a Down's sophomore album Toxicity took the world by storm when it was released in September 2001, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album's three iconic singles — "Chop Suey!," "Toxicity," and "Aerials" — are among the most unique and inventive songs to penetrate mainstream rock radio, but they only scratch the surface of what is a front-to-back masterpiece. Tracks like "Prison Song," "ATWA," and "Psycho" are just as strong as the chart-dominating singles, showcasing a band who was not afraid to push the boundaries of heavy music through mind-blowing songcraft and thought-provoking lyrics. Toxicity is not only one of the best albums of 2001, but stands among the best metal albums of all time. — S. Kaufman

Twenty-five years later, Gorillaz’s self-titled debut still sounds like the future. The virtual avatars struck some as gimmicky at the time, but with every passing year, those swanky cartoons feel more like a prophecy foretold. For his post-Blur project, Damon Albarn assembled an eclectic group of collaborators: Tina Weymouth, Miho Hatori, Sweetie Irie, Ibrahim Ferrer, and of course, scene-stealer extraordinaire Del tha Funkee Homosapien. There isn’t a single miss from start to finish, but a few songs deserve some extra love: “Clint Eastwood” was the biggest hit, “19-2000" had the swaggiest beat, and the frantic build of “M1 A1” was perfect for expanding minds or freaking out squares. The results are poppy, trippy, experimental, and irresistible. — W. Graves

Everyone wanted to be The Strokes. The New York rockers were beacons of cool when they emerged in 2001 with their seminal debut album, which sounds every bit as charming and restless and satisfying today. The Strokes did not rewrite the rule book on rock 'n' roll, instead going back to the basics and expanding outwards with a touch of distortion and a scrappy attitude. To say their course-correcting garage rock was influential in the growth and flourishing of alternative music throughout the last 25 years is an understatement. The songs on Is This It are marvels, unassuming but with hooks so massive that it feels like you've known them for decades (and at this point, you have). From start to finish, "Is This It" to "Someday" to "Last Nite" to "Take It or Leave It," it's endlessly replayable. — P. Ragusa

Pushed up to a September 11th release date due to bootlegging, The Blueprint arrived at a time when JAY-Z was beefing with Nas, Prodigy, and Jadakiss while also awaiting two criminal trials. Embracing the pressure, the Roc-A-Fella boss delivered an instant classic, fueled by the dueling chipmunk soul sound of in-house producers Kanye West and Just Blaze. After years of claiming he was the heir to the Notorious B.I.G.'s crown, the Bed-Stuy rapper fully delivered on the promise with a no-skips album. From hitting back against his foes on the diss track "Takeover" and going bar-for-bar with Eminem on "Renegade," to expressing vulnerability on "Song Cry" and triumphing on "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)," Jay earned every single one of The Source’s five mics with arguably the best album of his career. — E. Fu

After 25 years, Discovery remains Daft Punk's opus. It's as utopian as dance music gets, the crystallized perfection of its arrangements and grooves still dripping with dopamine. With the French duo donning their signature robot helmets for the first time, the project symbolized a complete departure from the underground house style they mined on Homework and brought their focus towards a glossier, grandiose, more emotionally-engaging arena. No album has combined past, present, and future with such playfulness; if Discovery had come out in 2026, it would still be a masterpiece. But its cross-generational presentation of pop music is so riveting because you can hear traces of Discovery in every era preceding it and following it. More so than many of the best albums of the 2000s, Discovery is truly timeless, a document of pure euphoria that summarizes 50 years of music in 60 irresistible minutes. — P. Ragusa