The Best Music of 2022

In 2022, the music industry slowly tried to return from its recent years of pandemic upheaval. Touring came roaring back, flooding the calendar with an overabundance of shows. New music was released at an astonishing clip. Virality became the norm, with one-off songs turning relative unknowns into streaming stars overnight. For our year in review, we look back on what mattered most, with lists that explore the best songs and albums of the year, a dive into our favorite genre-focused picks from rap, rock, pop and more, the books we can’t recommend enough, the music moments in movies and TV shows that you have to see, and more.