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2016 Billboard Number One Hits: Every Hot 100 Chart-Topper

The 2016 Billboard Number One Hits list showed pop music moving deeper into the streaming era. Justin Bieber dominated the year-end chart, Rihanna and Drake ruled the spring, Drake’s One Dance became a global crossover smash, and The Chainsmokers and Halsey held No. 1 for much of the fall with Closer.

This page follows the Billboard Hot 100 issue dates for 2016, shown here as reader-friendly weekly date ranges. Because Billboard chart weeks can cross calendar years, this list begins with Adele’s late-2015 carryover and continues into early January 2017 with Rae Sremmurd’s Black Beatles.

The Billboard Hot 100 ranks the most popular songs in the United States using streaming activity, radio airplay, and sales. These are official Billboard No. 1 songs, not personal rankings, playlist picks, or “the one song your friend played 43 times at a party” selections.

2016 Billboard Number One Hits by Week

  • December 27, 2015 – January 16, 2016: Hello – Adele
  • January 17 – February 6, 2016: Sorry – Justin Bieber
  • February 7 – February 13, 2016: Love Yourself – Justin Bieber
  • February 14 – February 20, 2016: Pillowtalk – Zayn
  • February 21 – February 27, 2016: Love Yourself – Justin Bieber
  • February 28 – April 30, 2016: Work – Rihanna featuring Drake
  • May 1 – May 14, 2016: Panda – Desiigner
  • May 15 – May 21, 2016: One Dance – Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla
  • May 22 – May 28, 2016: Can’t Stop the Feeling! – Justin Timberlake
  • May 29 – July 30, 2016: One Dance – Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla
  • July 31 – August 27, 2016: Cheap Thrills – Sia featuring Sean Paul
  • August 28 – November 19, 2016: Closer – The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
  • November 20, 2016 – January 14, 2017: Black Beatles – Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane

Song-by-Song Notes on the 2016 Billboard No. 1 Hits

Hello – Adele

Adele’s Hello carried over from its huge 2015 debut and opened the 2016 Billboard Hot 100 calendar at No. 1. The ballad became one of the defining comeback singles of the decade, powered by Adele’s vocal drama, a massive chorus, and anticipation for her album 25.

Its early-2016 weeks at No. 1 showed how strongly a traditional power ballad could still compete in a chart era increasingly shaped by streaming and hip-hop. Sometimes all you need is a piano, heartbreak, and a chorus big enough to knock over furniture.

Sorry – Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber’s Sorry finally reached No. 1 in January 2016 after spending weeks behind Adele’s Hello. The song’s tropical-pop production, dance-friendly beat, and smooth apology hook made it one of the major hits from his Purpose era.

Sorry finished as Billboard’s No. 2 year-end Hot 100 song of 2016, right behind Bieber’s own Love Yourself. That is a pretty good year when your toughest chart competition is also you.

Love Yourself – Justin Bieber

Love Yourself replaced Sorry at No. 1 in February, giving Justin Bieber a rare self-replacement at the top of the Hot 100. Co-written with Ed Sheeran and Benny Blanco, the song stripped things down to acoustic guitar, dry humor, and a very polite lyrical exit sign.

The song became Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 No. 1 for 2016. It proved that Bieber’s comeback was not just about dance-pop production; he could also top the year with a low-key kiss-off that barely raised its voice.

Pillowtalk – Zayn

Zayn debuted at No. 1 with Pillowtalk, his first solo single after leaving One Direction. The song gave him an immediate chart identity separate from the group, leaning into moody R&B-pop and a more adult solo image.

Its one-week run was short, but the debut was important. It showed that post-boy-band reinvention could still arrive with a major Hot 100 moment.

Work – Rihanna featuring Drake

Rihanna and Drake reached No. 1 with Work, one of 2016’s most recognizable singles. The song drew from dancehall and Caribbean pop influence, with a loose, hypnotic hook that became impossible to miss.

Work spent nine weeks at No. 1 and became one of Rihanna’s signature late-career chart hits. Its success also continued the strong musical chemistry between Rihanna and Drake, who had already teamed up successfully on earlier singles.

Panda – Desiigner

Desiigner’s Panda reached No. 1 in May 2016 after exploding through streaming, club play, and its connection to Kanye West’s The Life of Pablo. The song’s rapid-fire delivery and dark production made it one of the year’s most memorable trap hits.

It also showed how quickly a new rapper could break through in the streaming era. Panda did not tiptoe onto the chart; it skidded in sideways.

One Dance – Drake featuring Wizkid & Kyla

Drake’s One Dance, featuring Wizkid and Kyla, became one of the defining songs of 2016. The track blended dancehall, Afrobeats influence, and a sample from Kyla’s UK funky track Do You Mind.

The song spent 10 total weeks at No. 1 and helped push global club sounds further into mainstream U.S. pop. It also became one of Drake’s most important international hits, even without an official traditional music video.

Can’t Stop the Feeling! – Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake’s Can’t Stop the Feeling! debuted at No. 1 and became a major soundtrack hit from the animated film Trolls. The song’s bright disco-pop feel, family-friendly energy, and danceable chorus made it a natural fit for radio, movies, weddings, and school events.

Its one-week Hot 100 run understates its broader reach. This was the kind of song that sounded designed to play wherever someone had just declared, “Let’s make this fun.”

Cheap Thrills – Sia featuring Sean Paul

Sia reached No. 1 with Cheap Thrills, featuring Sean Paul. The song blended pop, dancehall flavor, and a no-frills party message into one of the summer’s biggest hits.

It was Sia’s first Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist, after years of songwriting success and major vocal features. The song’s message was simple: you do not need much money to have a good time, though a good hook clearly helps.

Closer – The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey

The Chainsmokers and Halsey spent 12 weeks at No. 1 with Closer, one of the defining pop hits of 2016. The song mixed EDM-pop production with conversational lyrics about messy nostalgia, young adulthood, and romantic memory.

Its long run made both The Chainsmokers and Halsey central figures in the year’s pop conversation. It also helped define the mid-2010s sound of electronic pop crossing fully into mainstream radio.

Black Beatles – Rae Sremmurd featuring Gucci Mane

Rae Sremmurd’s Black Beatles, featuring Gucci Mane, reached No. 1 after becoming the soundtrack to the viral Mannequin Challenge. The song’s dreamy trap production and memorable hook were already strong, but the social-media trend gave it a massive push.

The track ended 2016 at No. 1 and carried into January 2017. It became one of the clearest examples of a viral challenge turning a hit into a chart-topping event.

Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Stories of 2016

Justin Bieber Had the Year-End One-Two Punch

Justin Bieber finished 2016 with Billboard’s top two year-end Hot 100 songs: Love Yourself at No. 1 and Sorry at No. 2. His Purpose era turned into one of the most successful pop comebacks of the decade.

Closer Ruled the Fall

Closer by The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey spent 12 weeks at No. 1, the longest run of any song on the 2016 Hot 100 issue-date calendar. Its success helped cement EDM-pop as a central mid-2010s chart sound.

Drake Was Everywhere

Drake appeared on two major 2016 No. 1 songs: Rihanna’s Work and his own One Dance. Both songs leaned into Caribbean and global club influences, helping shape one of the year’s biggest musical trends.

Streaming and Viral Culture Were Taking Over

Panda, One Dance, and Black Beatles all showed the growing power of streaming and online culture. Black Beatles especially benefited from the Mannequin Challenge, proving that the internet could freeze people in place and still move the charts.

Soundtracks Still Had Big Pop Power

Can’t Stop the Feeling! debuted at No. 1 from the Trolls soundtrack. The song’s success showed that family movies could still produce major mainstream pop hits when the hook was strong enough.

2016 Billboard Number One Hits Trivia

  • Love Yourself by Justin Bieber was Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 song of 2016.
  • Justin Bieber held the top two spots on Billboard’s year-end Hot 100 with Love Yourself and Sorry.
  • Closer spent 12 weeks at No. 1, the longest run of any song on the 2016 Hot 100 issue-date calendar.
  • One Dance spent 10 total weeks at No. 1 and helped bring Afrobeats and dancehall influence further into U.S. pop.
  • Work gave Rihanna another major No. 1 and spent nine weeks at the top.
  • Pillowtalk made Zayn the first former One Direction member to top the Hot 100 as a solo artist.
  • Cheap Thrills gave Sia her first Hot 100 No. 1 as a lead artist.
  • Black Beatles became strongly tied to the viral Mannequin Challenge.
  • Can’t Stop the Feeling! came from the animated film Trolls.

Why the 2016 Billboard Number One Hits Matter

The 2016 Billboard Number One Hits list showed a pop chart pulled between traditional superstar power and a newer streaming-driven future. Adele opened the year with a massive ballad, but the rest of the year leaned heavily into tropical pop, dancehall influence, EDM-pop, trap, viral trends, and global crossover sounds.

Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Drake, The Chainsmokers, Halsey, Sia, and Rae Sremmurd all helped define a year where hooks traveled fast and genre lines kept getting blurrier. The Hot 100 was becoming less dependent on one radio format and more responsive to streaming habits, fan behavior, and internet moments.

For chart fans, 2016 was a bridge year. It still had big traditional pop names, but the future was already visible: viral challenges, streaming-first hits, global rhythms, and songs that could take over before anyone had fully figured out where they came from.

Sources

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