web analytics

2015 Music Hits: Top Songs, Radio Favorites, and Pop Classics

2015 music was a big mix of pop, funk revival, EDM, hip-hop, R&B, country crossover, alternative rock, movie songs, and viral dance hits. Walk the Moon, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Selena Gomez, Fetty Wap, Major Lazer, Rachel Platten, and Wiz Khalifa helped define a year where radio, YouTube, streaming, and movie soundtracks were all shaping the charts.

This PopCultureMadness guide starts with the Top 10 songs of 2015, then groups more 2015 music hits by style so you can browse the year by sound, mood, and memory. It was the year Uptown Funk made retro funk feel brand new, See You Again became a major soundtrack moment, and Watch Me proved the internet could turn dance instructions into chart history. Somewhere, someone is still doing the Nae Nae. Carefully, we hope.

Quick Answer: What Music Was Popular in 2015?

Popular music in 2015 included pop, dance-pop, EDM, hip-hop, R&B, country-pop, alternative rock, and movie soundtrack songs. Songs like Shut Up and Dance, Uptown Funk, Fight Song, Bad Blood, Cheerleader, Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae), and Lean On helped define 2015 music.

Top 10 Songs of 2015

  1. Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
  2. Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
  3. Fight Song – Rachel Platten
  4. Bad Blood – Taylor Swift
  5. Cheerleader – OMI
  6. Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) – Silentó
  7. Lean On – Major Lazer & DJ Snake
  8. Style – Taylor Swift
  9. Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
  10. What Do You Mean? – Justin Bieber

More 2015 Music Hits by Style

Beyond the Top 10, 2015 music gets more useful when grouped by style. The year had big pop songs, funk throwbacks, EDM festival tracks, R&B slow jams, country crossovers, alternative radio hits, movie soundtrack favorites, and viral dance songs that moved faster online than traditional radio could react.

2015 Pop, Dance-Pop, and Big Radio Hits

Pop music in 2015 was polished, bold, and full of personality. Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, Ed Sheeran, Selena Gomez, Meghan Trainor, Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, Ellie Goulding, One Direction, and Rachel Platten kept radio packed with huge hooks and emotional choruses. This was pop in full playlist mode: bright, dramatic, and ready to follow you into every store, car, and waiting room.

Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
Fight Song – Rachel Platten
Bad Blood – Taylor Swift
Style – Taylor Swift
Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
What Do You Mean? – Justin Bieber
Photograph – Ed Sheeran
Lips Are Movin – Meghan Trainor
Same Old Love – Selena Gomez
Blank Space – Taylor Swift
Jealous – Nick Jonas
Wildest Dreams – Taylor Swift
Sugar – Maroon 5
Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
Want to Want Me – Jason Derulo
Black Magic – Little Mix
Good for You – Selena Gomez featuring A$AP Rocky
Bang Bang – Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
Dear Future Husband – Meghan Trainor
Drag Me Down – One Direction
One Last Time – Ariana Grande
Cool for the Summer – Demi Lovato
Marvin Gaye – Charlie Puth & Meghan Trainor
Love Myself – Hailee Steinfeld
Night Changes – One Direction

2015 Funk, Retro Pop, and Feel-Good Throwbacks

Retro sounds had a major moment in 2015. Uptown Funk brought old-school funk, brass, swagger, and Bruno Mars-level showmanship into the center of pop culture, while other songs pulled from soul, reggae-pop, and throwback pop textures. The year proved that the past could still dance, especially with a fresh suit and better lighting.

Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Cheerleader – OMI
Honey, I’m Good – Andy Grammer
Marvin Gaye – Charlie Puth & Meghan Trainor
Love Never Felt So Good – Michael Jackson & Justin Timberlake
Stolen Dance – Milky Chance

2015 EDM, Dance, Club, and Electronic Hits

EDM and electronic pop were everywhere in 2015. Major Lazer, DJ Snake, Skrillex, Diplo, Zedd, David Guetta, Calvin Harris, Rudimental, AlunaGeorge, and Robin Schulz helped shape the year’s club and festival sound. Some tracks leaned global, some leaned pop, and some sounded like they arrived with confetti cannons already loaded.

Lean On – Major Lazer & DJ Snake
Where Are Ü Now – Skrillex, Diplo & Justin Bieber
I Want You to Know – Zedd featuring Selena Gomez
Light It Up – Major Lazer
Hey Mama – David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack
Prayer in C – Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz
You Know You Like It – DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge
How Deep Is Your Love – Calvin Harris & Disciples
Lay It All on Me – Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran

2015 Hip-Hop, Rap, Trap, and Pop-Rap Favorites

Hip-hop and pop-rap had a strong year in 2015, with Fetty Wap, Wiz Khalifa, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, A$AP Rocky, Pitbull, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Omarion, Chris Brown, and Tyga all showing up across radio and streaming. Hooks mattered, features mattered, and the line between pop and rap kept getting thinner.

Bad Blood – Taylor Swift
Worth It – Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink
See You Again – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
Trap Queen – Fetty Wap
Good for You – Selena Gomez featuring A$AP Rocky
Pretty Girls – Iggy Azalea & Britney Spears
Hey Mama – David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack
Downtown – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee & Grandmaster Caz
Post to Be – Omarion featuring Chris Brown & Jhené Aiko
Ayo – Chris Brown & Tyga
Bitch Better Have My Money – Rihanna

2015 R&B, Soul-Pop, and Big Vocal Songs

R&B and soul-pop gave 2015 some of its smoothest and most emotional hits. The Weeknd, Sam Smith, Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Rihanna, Jhené Aiko, Natalie La Rose, and Adam Lambert helped balance the year’s dance tracks with moodier vocals and late-night production. This section is where 2015 lowered the lights and made eye contact with the chorus.

Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd
I’m Not the Only One – Sam Smith
The Hills – The Weeknd
Take Me to Church – Hozier
Earned It – The Weeknd
Love Me Harder – Ariana Grande & The Weeknd
The Heart Wants What It Wants – Selena Gomez
Somebody – Natalie La Rose featuring Jeremih
Lay Me Down – Sam Smith
Ghost Town – Adam Lambert
Post to Be – Omarion featuring Chris Brown & Jhené Aiko

2015 Rock, Alternative, Indie, and Modern Rock Hits

Alternative and rock had a strong place in 2015, especially through Walk the Moon, X Ambassadors, Fall Out Boy, Twenty One Pilots, Hozier, Imagine Dragons, Mumford & Sons, Florence + The Machine, Big Data, Echosmith, Blue October, and Milky Chance. The year’s alternative lane had big choruses, indie textures, and enough festival energy to make every chorus feel like it needed a wristband.

Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
Riptide – Vance Joy
Renegades – X Ambassadors
Centuries – Fall Out Boy
Uma Thurman – Fall Out Boy
Bright – Echosmith
Take Me to Church – Hozier
Tear in My Heart – Twenty One Pilots
Waves – Mr. Probz
Stolen Dance – Milky Chance
I Bet My Life – Imagine Dragons
Someone New – Hozier
I Lived – OneRepublic
Dangerous – Big Data featuring Joywave
The Wolf – Mumford & Sons
Cecilia and the Satellite – Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
Elastic Heart – Sia
Ship to Wreck – Florence + The Machine

2015 Country and Country-Pop Hits

Country and country-pop were part of the 2015 mainstream conversation. Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, Florida Georgia Line, Sam Hunt-adjacent country-pop trends, and crossover-friendly production helped country tracks sit comfortably near pop and rock songs. Nashville did not dominate this list, but it definitely had a reserved seat.

Kick the Dust Up – Luke Bryan
Girl Crush – Little Big Town
Dirt – Florida Georgia Line
Honey, I’m Good – Andy Grammer

2015 Movie, Soundtrack, and Pop Culture Favorites

Movie and soundtrack songs had major impact in 2015. See You Again became tied to Furious 7 and the memory of Paul Walker, Love Me Like You Do and Earned It crossed over from Fifty Shades of Grey, and The Hanging Tree brought The Hunger Games into the pop charts. The movie soundtrack lane was not background music; it was driving the car.

See You Again – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
Earned It – The Weeknd
The Hanging Tree – James Newton Howard featuring Jennifer Lawrence
Elastic Heart – Sia

2015 Viral Hits, Dance Crazes, and Internet Favorites

Viral music was a major part of 2015. Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) became a dance-craze hit, while Uptown Funk, Lean On, Shut Up and Dance, and Trap Queen moved quickly through YouTube, social feeds, parties, and radio. The year’s biggest songs did not just play; they circulated, got clipped, danced to, and quoted.

Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) – Silentó
Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
Lean On – Major Lazer & DJ Snake
Trap Queen – Fetty Wap
Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
Cheerleader – OMI
Worth It – Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink

How PopCultureMadness Looks at 2015 Music

PopCultureMadness looks at 2015 music through chart activity, radio presence, streaming growth, YouTube impact, soundtrack importance, viral spread, cultural memory, and long-term trivia value. Some songs were official chart leaders, some became dance crazes, some came from movies, and some captured the sound of a year when pop music was getting faster, glossier, and more connected to internet culture.

2015 Top 100 Popular Songs

  1. Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon
  2. Uptown Funk – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars
  3. Fight Song – Rachel Platten
  4. Bad Blood – Taylor Swift
  5. Cheerleader – OMI
  6. Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae) – Silentó
  7. Lean On – Major Lazer & DJ Snake
  8. Style – Taylor Swift
  9. Thinking Out Loud – Ed Sheeran
  10. What Do You Mean? – Justin Bieber
  11. Can’t Feel My Face – The Weeknd
  12. Photograph – Ed Sheeran
  13. Lips Are Movin – Meghan Trainor
  14. Ex’s & Oh’s – Elle King
  15. Same Old Love – Selena Gomez
  16. Riptide – Vance Joy
  17. Blank Space – Taylor Swift
  18. Worth It – Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink
  19. Jealous – Nick Jonas
  20. Where Are Ü Now – Skrillex, Diplo & Justin Bieber
  21. Habits (Stay High) – Tove Lo
  22. Heartbeat Song – Kelly Clarkson
  23. Renegades – X Ambassadors
  24. Centuries – Fall Out Boy
  25. Wildest Dreams – Taylor Swift
  26. Sugar – Maroon 5
  27. See You Again – Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth
  28. Love Me Like You Do – Ellie Goulding
  29. Want to Want Me – Jason Derulo
  30. Uma Thurman – Fall Out Boy
  31. I’m Not the Only One – Sam Smith
  32. Locked Away – R. City featuring Adam Levine
  33. Bright – Echosmith
  34. The Hills – The Weeknd
  35. I Want You to Know – Zedd featuring Selena Gomez
  36. Animals – Maroon 5
  37. On My Mind – Ellie Goulding
  38. Take Me to Church – Hozier
  39. Budapest – George Ezra
  40. Talking Body – Tove Lo
  41. Black Magic – Little Mix
  42. Good for You – Selena Gomez featuring A$AP Rocky
  43. Bang Bang – Jessie J, Ariana Grande & Nicki Minaj
  44. Tear in My Heart – Twenty One Pilots
  45. Time of Our Lives – Pitbull & Ne-Yo
  46. Honey, I’m Good – Andy Grammer
  47. Earned It – The Weeknd
  48. Waves – Mr. Probz
  49. Stolen Dance – Milky Chance
  50. Dear Future Husband – Meghan Trainor
  51. Ghost – Ella Henderson
  52. Trap Queen – Fetty Wap
  53. FourFiveSeconds – Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney
  54. Light It Up – Major Lazer
  55. Love Me Harder – Ariana Grande & The Weeknd
  56. Pretty Girls – Iggy Azalea & Britney Spears
  57. The Hanging Tree – James Newton Howard featuring Jennifer Lawrence
  58. The Heart Wants What It Wants – Selena Gomez
  59. Hey Mama – David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj, Bebe Rexha & Afrojack
  60. Drag Me Down – One Direction
  61. She’s Kinda Hot – 5 Seconds of Summer
  62. I Bet My Life – Imagine Dragons
  63. Someone New – Hozier
  64. I Lived – OneRepublic
  65. Try – Colbie Caillat
  66. One Last Time – Ariana Grande
  67. Cool for the Summer – Demi Lovato
  68. Dangerous – Big Data featuring Joywave
  69. Somebody – Natalie La Rose featuring Jeremih
  70. This Summer’s Gonna Hurt – Maroon 5
  71. Prayer in C – Lilly Wood & Robin Schulz
  72. Marvin Gaye – Charlie Puth & Meghan Trainor
  73. You Know You Like It – DJ Snake & AlunaGeorge
  74. The Wolf – Mumford & Sons
  75. Downtown – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Eric Nally, Melle Mel, Kool Moe Dee & Grandmaster Caz
  76. Let’s Love – Echosmith
  77. Fix My Eyes – For King & Country
  78. Ghost Town – Adam Lambert
  79. Up – Olly Murs featuring Demi Lovato
  80. How Deep Is Your Love – Calvin Harris & Disciples
  81. Lay It All on Me – Rudimental featuring Ed Sheeran
  82. Can’t Sleep Love – Pentatonix
  83. High – Young Rising Sons
  84. Post to Be – Omarion featuring Chris Brown & Jhené Aiko
  85. Kick the Dust Up – Luke Bryan
  86. Cecilia and the Satellite – Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness
  87. Girl Crush – Little Big Town
  88. Lay Me Down – Sam Smith
  89. Ayo – Chris Brown & Tyga
  90. Love Myself – Hailee Steinfeld
  91. Night Changes – One Direction
  92. Whistle (While You Work It) – Katy Tiz
  93. You Ruin Me – The Veronicas
  94. Bitch Better Have My Money – Rihanna
  95. Hey Everybody! – 5 Seconds of Summer
  96. Elastic Heart – Sia
  97. Ship to Wreck – Florence + The Machine
  98. Hotline Bling – Drake
  99. Hello – Adele
  100. Sorry – Justin Bieber