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Best albums of 2021

Music came back slowly and unevenly. Tours were announced and cancelled twice before anyone trusted a date. Teenage pop and grown-up funk revival both had big years at opposite ends of the same chart, while several of rap's most reclusive figures resurfaced within months of each other.

According to Riffiter listeners, the best album of 2021 is Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz, rated 4.5/5 by 13 listeners.

  1. Sometimes I Might Be Introvert cover№ 1Sometimes I Might Be IntrovertLittle Simz · 20214.4Weighted score4.5 avg · 13 ratings
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  1. 2Songs of Death and Resurrection coverSongs of Death and ResurrectionDemon Hunter · 20214.3 score · 4.6 avg · 7 ratings
  2. 3PLAYBOY coverPLAYBOYTory Lanez · 20214.3 score · 4.8 avg · 4 ratings
  3. 4Ready Is Always Too Late coverReady Is Always Too LateSinead Harnett · 20214.3 score · 4.8 avg · 4 ratings
  4. 5Life of a DON coverLife of a DONDon Toliver · 20214.3 score · 4.5 avg · 9 ratings
  5. 6The Voice of the Heroes coverThe Voice of the HeroesLil Baby · 20214.3 score · 4.6 avg · 6 ratings
  6. 7Fallen Embers coverFallen EmbersIllenium · 20214.3 score · 4.6 avg · 5 ratings
  7. 8A Valediction coverA ValedictionObscura · 20214.3 score · 4.5 avg · 7 ratings
  8. 9We're All Alone In This Together coverWe're All Alone In This TogetherDave · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 6 ratings
  9. 10At The BBC coverAt The BBCAmy Winehouse · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 6 ratings
  10. 11Välde coverVäldeHumanity's Last Breath · 20214.2 score · 4.4 avg · 11 ratings
  11. 12Scary Hours 2 coverScary Hours 2Drake · 20214.2 score · 4.3 avg · 22 ratings
  12. 13L'Étrange Histoire de Mr.Anderson coverL'Étrange Histoire de Mr.AndersonLaylow · 20214.2 score · 4.3 avg · 18 ratings
  13. 14Still Over It coverStill Over ItSummer Walker · 20214.2 score · 4.3 avg · 14 ratings
  14. 15Welcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2 coverWelcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2Ice Nine Kills · 20214.2 score · 4.7 avg · 3 ratings
  15. 16It'll All Make Sense in the End coverIt'll All Make Sense in the EndJames Arthur · 20214.2 score · 4.7 avg · 3 ratings
  16. 17to hell with it coverto hell with itPinkPantheress · 20214.2 score · 4.2 avg · 189 ratings
  17. 18An Evening With Silk Sonic coverAn Evening With Silk SonicBruno Mars · 20214.2 score · 4.3 avg · 13 ratings
  18. 19MONTERO coverMONTEROLil Nas X · 20214.2 score · 4.2 avg · 42 ratings
  19. 20SOUR coverSOUROlivia Rodrigo · 20214.2 score · 4.2 avg · 562 ratings
  20. 21Life Support coverLife SupportMadison Beer · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 4 ratings
  21. 22Ballads of the Broken coverBallads of the BrokenJelly Roll · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 4 ratings
  22. 23333 cover333Tinashe · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 4 ratings
  23. 24When It's All Said And Done… Take Time coverWhen It's All Said And Done… Take TimeGiveon · 20214.2 score · 4.4 avg · 7 ratings
  24. 25Glow On coverGlow OnTurnstile · 20214.2 score · 4.4 avg · 7 ratings
  25. 26Follow You / Cutthroat coverFollow You / CutthroatImagine Dragons · 20214.2 score · 4.4 avg · 7 ratings
  26. 27Chemtrails Over the Country Club coverChemtrails Over the Country ClubLana Del Rey · 20214.2 score · 4.2 avg · 21 ratings
  27. 28Typhoons coverTyphoonsRoyal Blood · 20214.2 score · 4.4 avg · 5 ratings
  28. 29Fighting Demons coverFighting DemonsJuice WRLD · 20214.2 score · 4.4 avg · 5 ratings
  29. 30Dawn of Chromatica coverDawn of ChromaticaLady Gaga · 20214.2 score · 4.3 avg · 11 ratings
  30. 31Red (Taylor's version) coverRed (Taylor's version)Taylor Swift · 20214.2 score · 4.2 avg · 881 ratings
  31. 32Planet Her coverPlanet HerDoja Cat · 20214.2 score · 4.2 avg · 488 ratings
  32. 33Live at Hamer Hall coverLive at Hamer HallThe Teskey Brothers · 20214.2 score · 4.3 avg · 6 ratings
  33. 34Happier Than Ever coverHappier Than EverBillie Eilish · 20214.2 score · 4.2 avg · 162 ratings
  34. 35KID A MNESIA coverKID A MNESIARadiohead · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings
  35. 36Las leyendas nunca mueren coverLas leyendas nunca muerenAnuel AA · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings
  36. 37The Battle at Garden's Gate coverThe Battle at Garden's GateGreta Van Fleet · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings
  37. 38Mercurial World coverMercurial WorldMagdalena Bay · 20214.2 score · 4.5 avg · 3 ratings
  38. 3930 cover30Adele · 20214.1 score · 4.1 avg · 750 ratings
  39. 40CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST coverCALL ME IF YOU GET LOSTTyler, the Creator · 20214.1 score · 4.1 avg · 106 ratings
  40. 41Tako Tsubo coverTako TsuboL'Impératrice · 20214.1 score · 4.4 avg · 4 ratings
  41. 42In the Court of the Dragon coverIn the Court of the DragonTrivium · 20214.1 score · 4.4 avg · 4 ratings
  42. 43Radical coverRadicalEvery Time I Die · 20214.1 score · 4.2 avg · 13 ratings
  43. 44LIVE LIFE FAST coverLIVE LIFE FASTRoddy Ricch · 20214.1 score · 4.3 avg · 5 ratings
  44. 45Formula of Love: O+T=<3 coverFormula of Love: O+T=<3TWICE · 20214.1 score · 4.3 avg · 5 ratings
  45. 46Die Liebe ist tot coverDie Liebe ist totHämatom · 20214.1 score · 4.2 avg · 8 ratings
  46. 47Loving in Stereo coverLoving in StereoJungle · 20214.1 score · 4.3 avg · 3 ratings
  47. 48Solar Power coverSolar PowerLorde · 20214.1 score · 4.3 avg · 3 ratings
  48. 49Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Side B coverHitler Wears Hermes 8: Side BWestside Gunn · 20214.1 score · 4.3 avg · 3 ratings
  49. 50Lost in the Waves coverLost in the WavesLANDMVRKS · 20214.1 score · 4.3 avg · 3 ratings

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Best albums of 2021 by genre

The genres that carried the period here, each with what listeners rate highest inside it.

Best Hip-Hop albums of 2021

1,162 albums from 2021

Best Rock albums of 2021

800 albums from 2021

Best Jazz albums of 2021

771 albums from 2021

Best Electronic albums of 2021

726 albums from 2021

Best Pop albums of 2021

695 albums from 2021

Best Ambient albums of 2021

561 albums from 2021

The artists of 2021

Everyone who put a record out then, ordered by how listeners rate their catalog rather than by that one release.

Every artist of 2021, ranked →

2021, 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.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

FAQ

What are the best albums of 2021?
On Riffiter, the highest-rated album of 2021 is Sometimes I Might Be Introvert by Little Simz (4.5/5). The ranking below orders the year's releases by community rating.
How is the 2021 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-2021 list change?
Yes. It's built from live community ratings, so the order updates as people rate 2021 releases. The page refreshes a few times a day.