: Usher's inescapable Crunk-R&B crossover "Yeah!" landed heavily at #27, alongside Gwen Stefani's cheerleader-pop anthem "Hollaback Girl" at #30.

The defining hip-hop track of the decade, capturing raw intensity, and the first hip-hop song to win an Academy Award.

⸻ ✨ Reissue Bonus Track 12. Hips Don't Lie (feat. Wyclef Jean) • The song that changed everything. A global smash, fusing Latin, r... Hips Don't Lie Get Ur Freak On

A piano-driven masterpiece that brought alternative rock to the forefront.

: The list rounds out with iconic oddities such as OK Go's treadmill-fueled video track "Here It Goes Again" (#93) and M.I.A.'s genre-shattering gunshot anthem "Paper Planes" (#89).

This era saw R&B and hip-hop becoming the dominant force in pop music, with producers like Timbaland and Neptunes changing the soundscape.

To capture this unique and chaotic musical era, VH1 broadcasted its iconic five-part television special, , hosted by Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz. The definitive list served as a cultural time capsule, documenting how hip-hop, R&B, pop, indie rock, and electronic music splintered and merged into a brand-new global sound.

The list acts as a blueprint for how music mutated across ten years, categorizing several dominant movements that still influence artists today. The Rise of Solo Pop Royalty

The uppermost bracket of VH1's definitive ranking highlights the pop and hip-hop masterminds who dictated radio airplay, MTV rotations, and cultural conversations throughout the decade. Song Title Primary Artist(s) Release Year Signature Element "Crazy in Love" Beyoncé feat. Jay-Z Iconic horn sample from The Chi-Lites 2 Acoustic-pop and funk fusion crossover 3 "Poker Face" Synth-pop revivalism and dark hooks 4 "Lose Yourself" Driving guitar riff and Oscar-winning lyricism 5 "Since U Been Gone" Kelly Clarkson Max Martin power-pop perfection 6 "Gold Digger" Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx Ray Charles interpolation and vocal chopping 7 "SexyBack" Justin Timberlake Timbaland-produced futuristic electro-funk 8 "Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys Anthemic, arena-sized tribute chorus 9 "We Belong Together" Mariah Carey Impeccable vocal phrasing and R&B comeback 10 "In Da Club" Dr. Dre's minimalist, heavy club production Key Sonic Shifts of the 2000s

The era's unstoppable guitar music leads the way, with The Killers' “Mr. Brightside” the single most-streamed track of the decade, Apple Music

: A sleek, danceable collaboration that dominated the charts.

A massive commercial success that cemented Kanye’s status as a superstar producer and rapper.

⸻ ✨ Reissue Bonus Track 12. Hips Don't Lie (feat. Wyclef Jean) • The song that changed everything. A global smash, fusing Latin, r... Hips Don't Lie Get Ur Freak On