Best albums of 1988
Hip-hop's best year, and nobody has argued seriously with that since. Acid house landed in Britain the same summer and rearranged what a weekend meant for a generation. American indie also made two of its most durable records while all this was happening elsewhere.
According to Riffiter listeners, the best album of 1988 is Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth, rated 4.4/5 by 19 listeners.
Sort
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
Disagree with the ranking?
Rate these albums and the chart reshuffles around the community. Or collect your own pick of them into a list or tier.
Build a list or tier of your ownBest albums of 1988 by genre
The genres that carried the period here, each with what listeners rate highest inside it.
Best Rock albums of 1988
397 albums from 1988
Best Classical albums of 1988
381 albums from 1988
Best Pop albums of 1988
221 albums from 1988
Best Jazz albums of 1988
198 albums from 1988
Best Electronic albums of 1988
151 albums from 1988
The artists of 1988
Everyone who put a record out then, ordered by how listeners rate their catalog rather than by that one release.
1988, month by month
Not everything that came out, just where the weight fell. Some months carried a year; some were quiet and worth knowing about.
June
August
FAQ
- What are the best albums of 1988?
- On Riffiter, the highest-rated album of 1988 is Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth (4.4/5). The ranking below orders the year's releases by community rating.
- How is the 1988 ranking decided?
- By Riffiter listeners. Each album's community rating sets its place. Until a release has enough ratings, its popularity stands in, and the order shifts as more people rate.
- Does the best-of-1988 list change?
- Yes. It's built from live community ratings, so the order updates as people rate 1988 releases. The page refreshes a few times a day.