Best albums of 2016
A brutal year for losing people. It started in January and did not let up, and what survived it was mostly about grief or race or endurance. Two of the year's essential albums were made by artists who already knew they were dying, which you can hear in both.
According to Riffiter listeners, the best album of 2016 is Battle Cry by Judas Priest, rated 4.6/5 by 16 listeners.
- 2
99.9%Kaytranada · 20164.4 score · 4.6 avg · 11 ratings4.44.6 avg · 11 ratings
- 3
Everything You've Come to ExpectThe Last Shadow Puppets · 20164.4 score · 4.8 avg · 5 ratings4.44.8 avg · 5 ratings
- 4
JEFFERYYoung Thug · 20164.3 score · 5.0 avg · 3 ratings4.35.0 avg · 3 ratings
- 5
Made in the ManorKano · 20164.3 score · 4.8 avg · 4 ratings4.34.8 avg · 4 ratings
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LemonadeBeyoncé · 20164.3 score · 4.3 avg · 262 ratings4.34.3 avg · 262 ratings
- 7
“Awaken, My Love!”Childish Gambino · 20164.3 score · 4.5 avg · 10 ratings4.34.5 avg · 10 ratings
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The Art of HustleYo Gotti · 20164.3 score · 4.8 avg · 3 ratings4.34.8 avg · 3 ratings
- 9
Alles nix KonkretesAnnenMayKantereit · 20164.3 score · 4.6 avg · 5 ratings4.34.6 avg · 5 ratings
- 10
S.T.DCupcakKe · 20164.3 score · 4.6 avg · 5 ratings4.34.6 avg · 5 ratings
- 11
Before The Trap: Nights In TarzanaChris Brown · 20164.3 score · 4.4 avg · 9 ratings4.34.4 avg · 9 ratings
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4EverPrince · 20164.2 score · 4.6 avg · 4 ratings4.24.6 avg · 4 ratings
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Slime Season 3Young Thug · 20164.2 score · 4.3 avg · 27 ratings4.24.3 avg · 27 ratings
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Therapy SessionNF · 20164.2 score · 4.3 avg · 15 ratings4.24.3 avg · 15 ratings
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Bad VibrationsA Day to Remember · 20164.2 score · 4.4 avg · 9 ratings4.24.4 avg · 9 ratings
- 16
Where Is l'album de GradurGradur · 20164.2 score · 4.3 avg · 27 ratings4.24.3 avg · 27 ratings
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Atrocity ExhibitionDanny Brown · 20164.2 score · 4.3 avg · 16 ratings4.24.3 avg · 16 ratings
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CrybabyLiL PEEP · 20164.2 score · 4.7 avg · 3 ratings4.24.7 avg · 3 ratings
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Lost WhispersEvanescence · 20164.2 score · 4.4 avg · 8 ratings4.24.4 avg · 8 ratings
- 20
BlondeFrank Ocean · 20164.2 score · 4.2 avg · 492 ratings4.24.2 avg · 492 ratings
- 21
Puberty 2Mitski · 20164.2 score · 4.2 avg · 401 ratings4.24.2 avg · 401 ratings
- 22
Who Really CaresTV Girl · 20164.2 score · 4.2 avg · 94 ratings4.24.2 avg · 94 ratings
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untitled unmastered.Kendrick Lamar · 20164.2 score · 4.2 avg · 150 ratings4.24.2 avg · 150 ratings
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Anvil Is AnvilAnvil · 20164.2 score · 4.5 avg · 4 ratings4.24.5 avg · 4 ratings
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The Life of PabloKanye West · 20164.2 score · 4.2 avg · 423 ratings4.24.2 avg · 423 ratings
- 26
Louisiana Hot SauceMaster P · 20164.2 score · 4.4 avg · 5 ratings4.24.4 avg · 5 ratings
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Blue & LonesomeThe Rolling Stones · 20164.2 score · 4.3 avg · 11 ratings4.24.3 avg · 11 ratings
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Love & HateMichael Kiwanuka · 20164.2 score · 4.2 avg · 29 ratings4.24.2 avg · 29 ratings
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À bout de rêvesSlimane · 20164.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings4.24.5 avg · 3 ratings
- 30
How to Be a Human BeingGlass Animals · 20164.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings4.24.5 avg · 3 ratings
- 31
Following My IntuitionCraig David · 20164.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings4.24.5 avg · 3 ratings
- 32
The Nashville SessionThe New Mastersounds · 20164.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings4.24.5 avg · 3 ratings
- 33
Miss Sharon Jones! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings · 20164.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings4.24.5 avg · 3 ratings
- 34
Slaughter King21 Savage · 20164.1 score · 4.3 avg · 7 ratings4.14.3 avg · 7 ratings
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AntiRihanna · 20164.1 score · 4.1 avg · 403 ratings4.14.1 avg · 403 ratings
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You Want It DarkerLeonard Cohen · 20164.1 score · 4.2 avg · 18 ratings4.14.2 avg · 18 ratings
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Hollywood VampiresAlice Cooper · 20164.1 score · 4.4 avg · 4 ratings4.14.4 avg · 4 ratings
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What One BecomesSumac · 20164.1 score · 4.4 avg · 4 ratings4.14.4 avg · 4 ratings
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Platinum HitsJason Derulo · 20164.1 score · 4.2 avg · 12 ratings4.14.2 avg · 12 ratings
- 40
IlluminateShawn Mendes · 20164.1 score · 4.2 avg · 20 ratings4.14.2 avg · 20 ratings
- 41
JoytimeMarshmello · 20164.1 score · 4.2 avg · 13 ratings4.14.2 avg · 13 ratings
- 42
RiseKaty Perry · 20164.1 score · 4.3 avg · 5 ratings4.14.3 avg · 5 ratings
- 43
Last Year Was ComplicatedNick Jonas · 20164.1 score · 4.3 avg · 5 ratings4.14.3 avg · 5 ratings
- 44
AnomalieLouise Attaque · 20164.1 score · 4.3 avg · 5 ratings4.14.3 avg · 5 ratings
- 45
Arctic ThunderDarkthrone · 20164.1 score · 4.3 avg · 5 ratings4.14.3 avg · 5 ratings
- 46
BlackstarDavid Bowie · 20164.1 score · 4.3 avg · 5 ratings4.14.3 avg · 5 ratings
- 47
Darkness and LightJohn Legend · 20164.1 score · 4.2 avg · 15 ratings4.14.2 avg · 15 ratings
- 48
New EnglishDesiigner · 20164.1 score · 4.3 avg · 6 ratings4.14.3 avg · 6 ratings
- 49
The StageAvenged Sevenfold · 20164.1 score · 4.2 avg · 7 ratings4.14.2 avg · 7 ratings
- 50
A Seat at the TableSolange · 20164.1 score · 4.1 avg · 27 ratings4.14.1 avg · 27 ratings
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 2016 by genre
The genres that carried the period here, each with what listeners rate highest inside it.
Best Rock albums of 2016
1,010 albums from 2016
Best Hip-Hop albums of 2016
954 albums from 2016
Best Electronic albums of 2016
699 albums from 2016
Best Pop albums of 2016
616 albums from 2016
Best Jazz albums of 2016
516 albums from 2016
The artists of 2016
Everyone who put a record out then, ordered by how listeners rate their catalog rather than by that one release.
2016, 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.
September
FAQ
- What are the best albums of 2016?
- On Riffiter, the highest-rated album of 2016 is Battle Cry by Judas Priest (4.6/5). The ranking below orders the year's releases by community rating.
- How is the 2016 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-2016 list change?
- Yes. It's built from live community ratings, so the order updates as people rate 2016 releases. The page refreshes a few times a day.























