2010 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 2010 Billboard Number One Hits list opened the decade with club-pop, electro-pop, rap crossovers, big pop hooks, and the first signs of the streaming-era music world that would reshape the chart later in the decade. Kesha started the year with TiK ToK, Rihanna had a historic run, Eminem returned in a major way, and Katy Perry ended the year with Firework.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2010, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with Kesha’s late-2009 carryover and continues into early January 2011 with Katy Perry’s Firework.

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using radio airplay, sales, and streaming activity. These are official Billboard No. 1 songs, not pop-only, rock-only, airplay-only, dance-only, or “that song was everywhere at the mall” rankings.

2010 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

December 27, 2009 – February 27, 2010: TiK ToK – Kesha
February 28 – March 13, 2010: Imma Be – The Black Eyed Peas
March 14 – March 20, 2010: Break Your Heart – Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris
March 21 – April 24, 2010: Rude Boy – Rihanna
April 25 – May 8, 2010: Nothin’ on You – B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars
May 9 – May 15, 2010: OMG – Usher featuring will.i.am
May 16 – May 22, 2010: Not Afraid – Eminem
May 23 – June 12, 2010: OMG – Usher featuring will.i.am
June 13 – July 24, 2010: California Gurls – Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg
July 25 – September 11, 2010: Love the Way You Lie – Eminem featuring Rihanna
September 12 – September 25, 2010: Teenage Dream – Katy Perry
September 26 – October 23, 2010: Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars
October 24 – November 6, 2010: Like a G6 – Far East Movement featuring The Cataracs & Dev
November 7 – November 13, 2010: We R Who We R – Kesha
November 14 – November 20, 2010: What’s My Name? – Rihanna featuring Drake
November 21 – November 27, 2010: Like a G6 – Far East Movement featuring The Cataracs & Dev
November 28 – December 4, 2010: Only Girl (In the World) – Rihanna
December 5 – December 11, 2010: Raise Your Glass – Pink
December 12, 2010 – January 8, 2011: Firework – Katy Perry

Song-by-Song Notes on the 2010 Billboard No. 1 Hits

TiK ToK – Kesha

Kesha opened the 2010 Billboard Hot 100 calendar with TiK ToK, one of the defining party-pop singles of the early 2010s. The song spent nine weeks at No. 1 and became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2010.

Its combination of electro-pop production, carefree nightlife imagery, and instantly recognizable opening line made it feel like a new decade kicking down the door in glitter. Subtle? No. Effective? Extremely.

Imma Be – The Black Eyed Peas

The Black Eyed Peas reached No. 1 with Imma Be, continuing the group’s enormous late-2000s and early-2010s Hot 100 run. The song came from The E.N.D., the same album that produced massive hits like Boom Boom Pow and I Gotta Feeling.

Its two-week run showed that the group’s futuristic club-pop sound was still powerful as the new decade began. The phrase was simple, the beat was busy, and the chart results were hard to argue with.

Break Your Heart – Taio Cruz featuring Ludacris

Taio Cruz jumped to No. 1 with Break Your Heart, featuring Ludacris. The song’s glossy dance-pop production and clean radio hook made it a perfect fit for 2010’s club-friendly pop sound.

It gave Cruz his first Hot 100 No. 1 and added Ludacris to another major crossover success. The title sounded harsh, but the beat was wearing a smile.

Rude Boy – Rihanna

Rihanna’s Rude Boy spent five weeks at No. 1 and became one of the biggest hits from her album Rated R. The song blended dancehall influence, pop production, and Rihanna’s cool vocal delivery into one of her most memorable singles of the era.

It also began a huge 2010 chart year for Rihanna, who would appear on four No. 1 songs before the year ended.

Nothin’ on You – B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars

B.o.B reached No. 1 with Nothin’ on You, featuring Bruno Mars. The song introduced Mars to many listeners as a featured vocalist before his own solo No. 1 run later in the year.

The track blended pop-rap verses with a bright, romantic chorus, making it one of 2010’s friendliest crossover hits. It was a soft launch for Bruno Mars’ future chart domination, and a very successful one.

OMG – Usher featuring will.i.am

Usher reached No. 1 with OMG, featuring will.i.am. The song used electronic dance-pop production to update Usher’s sound for the club-heavy early 2010s.

Its run was briefly interrupted by Eminem’s Not Afraid, then returned to the top for three more weeks. The song also made Usher the first artist to score Hot 100 No. 1 singles in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.

Not Afraid – Eminem

Eminem debuted at No. 1 with Not Afraid, the lead single from Recovery. The song marked a major comeback moment, presenting a more direct and motivational tone than some of his earlier darker singles.

It was only the 16th song in Hot 100 history to debut at No. 1, and it became the first hip-hop song to do so since Puff Daddy and Faith Evans’ I’ll Be Missing You in 1997.

California Gurls – Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg

Katy Perry reached No. 1 with California Gurls, featuring Snoop Dogg, launching the Teenage Dream era in candy-colored style. The song’s bright pop production, summer imagery, and Snoop’s relaxed guest verse made it one of 2010’s biggest warm-weather hits.

Its six-week run helped set up one of the most successful pop album campaigns in Hot 100 history. The song was basically sunscreen with a hook.

Love the Way You Lie – Eminem featuring Rihanna

Eminem and Rihanna spent seven weeks at No. 1 with Love the Way You Lie. The song’s dramatic hook and intense subject matter made it one of the year’s most discussed singles.

Its success also deepened the 2010 chart stories for both artists: Eminem had two No. 1 songs from Recovery, while Rihanna added another major No. 1 credit during her historic year.

Teenage Dream – Katy Perry

Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream became the second Hot 100 No. 1 from the album of the same name. The song leaned into nostalgic romance, polished pop production, and a chorus built for windows-down singing.

Its two-week run confirmed that California Gurls was not a one-off summer smash. Perry’s album cycle was just getting started, and the Hot 100 was about to see a lot more of it.

Just the Way You Are – Bruno Mars

Bruno Mars earned his first solo Hot 100 No. 1 with Just the Way You Are. The song’s simple romantic message and polished pop-soul arrangement made it one of the year’s most durable ballads.

After appearing on B.o.B’s Nothin’ on You, Mars quickly proved he could carry a chart-topping single on his own. Not a bad year for someone introducing himself to the top of the chart.

Like a G6 – Far East Movement featuring The Cataracs & Dev

Far East Movement reached No. 1 with Like a G6, featuring The Cataracs and Dev. The song’s electro-hop sound, deadpan hook, and nightlife imagery made it one of the year’s most distinctive club-pop hits.

It also became a milestone for Asian American representation on the Hot 100, as Far East Movement became the first Asian American group to reach No. 1.

We R Who We R – Kesha

Kesha debuted at No. 1 with We R Who We R, her second Hot 100 chart-topper of 2010. The song continued her glittery electro-pop image with a message of self-expression and party-ready defiance.

Its debut made it one of the few songs in Hot 100 history at that point to enter the chart directly at No. 1. Kesha started the year on top and came back in November like she had saved extra confetti.

What’s My Name? – Rihanna featuring Drake

Rihanna and Drake reached No. 1 with What’s My Name?, a flirtatious pop-R&B single from Loud. The song gave Drake his first Hot 100 No. 1 as a featured artist and continued Rihanna’s huge 2010 run.

It also created an unusual chart sequence: What’s My Name?, the second single from Loud, reached No. 1 before the album’s lead single, Only Girl (In the World).

Only Girl (In the World) – Rihanna

Rihanna’s Only Girl (In the World) reached No. 1 after What’s My Name?, even though it had been released first. The song’s big dance-pop chorus and bright production made it one of the defining singles from Loud.

Its No. 1 week gave Rihanna four Hot 100 chart-toppers during 2010, a first for a female artist in a single calendar year.

Raise Your Glass – Pink

Pink reached No. 1 with Raise Your Glass, a celebratory pop-rock anthem from her greatest-hits collection. The song’s message of outsider pride and party-ready defiance fit neatly into Pink’s long-running brand of rebellious uplift.

Its one-week run gave late 2010 a shout-along moment before Katy Perry’s Firework took over the year-end chart.

Firework – Katy Perry

Katy Perry closed the 2010 Billboard Hot 100 year with Firework, another major single from Teenage Dream. The song’s self-empowerment message and huge chorus made it one of Perry’s most enduring hits.

Its run continued into January 2011, making it the bridge between the 2010 and 2011 Billboard chart years. If California Gurls was the summer party, Firework was the motivational poster with better production.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2010

TiK ToK Owned the Year

Kesha’s TiK ToK spent nine weeks at No. 1 and finished as Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2010. Its electro-pop sound and party-first personality helped define the opening of the decade.

Rihanna Made Hot 100 History

Rihanna appeared on four No. 1 songs in 2010: Rude Boy, Love the Way You Lie, What’s My Name?, and Only Girl (In the World). She became the first female artist to earn four Hot 100 No. 1 songs in a single calendar year.

Katy Perry Started a Historic Album Run

Katy Perry reached No. 1 three times in 2010 with California Gurls, Teenage Dream, and Firework. Those singles helped launch the Teenage Dream album cycle, which would continue producing No. 1 hits into 2011.

Eminem Had a Major Comeback Year

Eminem returned to the top with Not Afraid and Love the Way You Lie. The first debuted at No. 1, while the second became one of the year’s longest-running chart-toppers.

Club-Pop and Electro-Pop Ran the Sound of the Year

TiK ToK, Break Your Heart, OMG, California Gurls, Like a G6, Only Girl (In the World), and We R Who We R all showed how dominant electronic production and club-ready pop had become at the start of the decade.

2010 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

TiK ToK by Kesha was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2010.
TiK ToK spent nine weeks at No. 1, the longest No. 1 run of the year.
Rihanna became the first female artist to earn four Hot 100 No. 1 songs in a single calendar year.
Not Afraid by Eminem debuted at No. 1 and was the first hip-hop song to do so since I’ll Be Missing You in 1997.
Just the Way You Are gave Bruno Mars his first solo Hot 100 No. 1.
Like a G6 made Far East Movement the first Asian American group to top the Hot 100.
BedRock by Young Money featuring Lloyd peaked at No. 2 and was not a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1.
Need You Now by Lady Antebellum peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 and was not a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1.
Firework closed 2010 and carried into the 2011 Billboard chart year.

Why the 2010 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 2010 Billboard Number One Hits list showed the sound of pop shifting into a new decade. Club beats, electro-pop, rap features, dance hooks, and bright superstar singles dominated the chart.

At the same time, 2010 introduced or elevated several key names for the decade ahead. Kesha started the year with a massive debut-era hit, Bruno Mars moved from featured vocalist to solo star, Drake earned his first No. 1 credit, and Katy Perry began one of the most successful Hot 100 album campaigns in history.

For chart fans, 2010 was glittery, loud, and full of hooks built for radio, clubs, ringtones, and early social media sharing. The Hot 100 sounded like it had found a new decade and immediately turned the volume up.