100 Best Dance-Pop Songs
Pop Songs With the Hottest Dance Beats
A music subgenre that developed in the late ‘70s, dance-pop has emerged as one of the most popular musical styles of modern dance music. Known for its highly stylized production techniques, the genre combines a diverse mix of synth-pop elements infused with sophisticated beats and song structure.
The list below showcases an epic collection of dance songs from different decades. If you are a fan of dance music, you will have a lot to say. Feel free to share your views, opinions, and song suggestions in the comments section.
Top 10 Best Dance-Pop Songs
- “Break My Heart”—Dua Lipa
- “Floating Through Space”—Sia and David Guetta
- “Rain on Me”—Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
- “Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)”—Katy Perry
- “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”—Beyonce
- “Anywhere”—Rita Ora
- “Only Girl in the World”—Rihanna
- “Really Don’t Care”—Demi Lovato featuring Cheryl Lloyd
- “No”—Meghan Trainor
- “Love Myself”—Hailee Steinfeld
What Is Dance-Pop?
Dance-pop is best described as an eclectic mix of dance music and pop music with a strong incorporation of synth-pop elements. The songs in this genre of music are known for their catchy lyrics, beats, prominent hooks, groove, and rhythm structure. Stylistically, the roots of dance-pop come from synth-pop, disco, and post-disco; however, it borrows influences from many different genres, including techno, electropop, trance, house, electronic, R&B, funk, new jack swing, EDM, pop rock, new wave, and bubblegum pop.
This hot mainstream style of music is exceedingly popular at parties and nightclubs and on contemporary hit radio. While there has been criticism about the excessive use of auto-tune in the realms of pop-oriented dance music, the fact remains that auto-tune is creatively implemented in dance-pop to enhance artistic expression. The hauntingly enigmatic sounds of synthesizers combined with up-tempo dance beats and vocals give songs in this genre their signature identity.
#11–20
11. “One Kiss”—Calvin Harris and Dua Lipa
12. “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)”—Kelly Clarkson
13. “Into You”—Ariana Grande
14. “Slow Down”—Selena Gomez
15. “On the Floor”—Jennifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
16. “Animals”—Maroon 5
17. “Take You Dancing”—Jason Derulo
18. “Can’t Get you Out of My Head”—Kylie Minogue
19. “We Found Love”—Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris
Recommended
20. “Say So”—Doja Cat
How It Started in the ‘70s
In the ‘70s, synth sounds started becoming popular in the realms of pop music which eventually magnified into disco music. Although disco-based music was a rage in the early ‘70s, the style of music began losing steam towards the end of the decade. A number of bands that started experimenting with the disco sound laid the foundation for post-disco. Dance-pop acts that emerged in this decade started being associated with post-disco for their experimental musical styles with sequencers, synthesizers, and electronics.
Growth of the Genre in the ‘80s
With strains of disco and the post-disco sound, dance-pop became the quintessential musical style of the ‘80s. The up-tempo songs in this genre had a danceable vibe that became popular with mainstream audiences. Slick production techniques contributed in a big way to the development of the genre. The amalgamation of catchy sunshine tunes with free-form dance music styles gave a unique identity to pop music.
Pop dance songs started being associated with producer-driven music through the ‘80s. The music was composed, produced, and created by music producers or record producers, who would scout for singers to perform their songs. Among different electronic genres, Hi-NRG, in particular, was aligned with different forms of dance music during the decade.
#21–40
21. “Promises”—Calvin Harris and Sam Smith
22. “Electricity”—Silk City and Dua Lipa
23. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”—Wham!
24. “Firework”—Katy Perry
25. “Prisoner”—Miley Cyrus featuring Dua Lipa
26. “Toxic”—Britney Spears
27. “Happier”—Marshmello and Bastille
28. “Stupid Love”—Lady Gaga
29. “Get the Party Started”—Pink
30. “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together”—Taylor Swift
31. “Telephone”—Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce
32. “Close to You”—Ellie Goulding, Diplo and Swae Lee
33. “My Head & My Heart”—Ava Max
34. “Don’t Start Now”—Dua Lipa
35. “California Gurls”—Katy Perry
36. “Uptown Funk”—Bruno Mars
37. “Call Me Maybe”—Carly Rae Japsen
38. “Rather Be”—Clean Bandit featuring Jess Glyne
39. “Hold It Against Me”—Britney Spears
40. “Night is Young”—Nelly Furtado
Hitting the Mainstream in the ‘90s
Dance-pop became an integral part of the mainstream in the ‘90s. While the early part of the decade witnessed several acts borrow diverse influences from house music, contemporary R&B, and new jack swing, the latter part of the decade flourished with a new wave of electronic influences. Elements of electronic dance music, such as techno and trance, became distinctly identifiable in mainstream dance-pop albums of the ‘90s.
The use of auto-tune processing which involved the use of an audio processor to make pitch shifts and implement special effects in songs became popular in the late ‘90s and, ever since, became a prominent feature in modern styles of dance music.
#41–60
41. “Believe”—Cher
42. “Funny”—Zedd and Jasmine Thompson
43. “Beautiful Monster”—Ne-Yo
44. “Party Rock Anthem”—LMFAO featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock
45. “Boss”—Fifth Harmony
46. “Stay”—Zedd and Alessia Cara
47. “Closer”—Tegan and Sara
48. “Don’t Wanna Go Home”—Jason Derulo
49. “Where Have You Been”—Rihanna
50. “Part of Me”—Katy Perry
51. “Wannabe”—Spice Girls
52. “Problem”—Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea
53. “Womanizer”—Britney Spears
54. “Gonna Tell You”—Samantha Mumba
55. “Blackout”—Breathe Carolina
56. “Wide Awake”—Katy Perry
57. “Kill Em With Kindness”—Selena Gomez
58. “Sour Candy”—Lady Gaga and Blackpink
59. “New Love”—Silk City Featuring Ellie Goulding
60. “I Don’t Search I Find”—Madonna
Dance Music Dominance in the 2000s
Dance-pop continued its dominance in the 2000s. A number of artists associated with this style of music had chart-topping success with their singles and albums. As R&B and hip-hop reinvented itself, so did dance-pop. The urban music influences helped launch a new wave of dance-pop artists.
Diverse influences of house, electropop, synth-pop, Eurodance, electronic, nu-disco, changed the musical landscape of the genre considerably. The new sounds of disco, which emerged in songs, became excessively popular in the club scene.
#61–80
61. “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself)”—Ne-Yo
62. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”—Whitney Houston
63. “Dance Again”—Jenifer Lopez featuring Pitbull
64. “Hotter Than Hell”—Dua Lipa
65. “Further Up (Na, Na, Na, Na)”—Static & Ben El Tavori featuring Pitbull
66. “Pon de Replay”—Rihanna
67. “This Is How We Do”—Katy Perry
68. “Numb”—Usher
69. “Shake It Off”—Taylor Swift
70. “Disco Tits”—Tove Lo
71. “Your Love Is My Drug”—Kesha
72. “Nobody”—Martin Jenson and James Arthur
73. “Thunderclouds”—LSD
74. “Love Again”—Dua Lipa
75. “Promiscuous”—Nelly Furtado
76. “Who’s That Chick?”—David Guetta featuring Rihanna
77. “Feel So Close”—Calvin Harris
78. “You Don’t Know Me”—Jax Jones featuring Raye
79. “Give Me All Your Luvin’”—Madonna
80. “Breathin”—Ariana Grande
A Look at Dance and Pop Music Post-2010
Since the year 2010, dance-pop has emerged with a brand new avatar. The polished producer-DJ driven productions of up-tempo and upbeat music detailed with electronic influences have become the urban dance-centric flavor. Bass-heavy song production infused with catchy lyrics and danceable rhythms has become a format with different types of dance music. This modern formulaic style has become hugely popular with producers and DJs churning out club-bangers and anthems in dance music landscapes.
#81–100
81. “Good Time”—Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen
82. “Lose My Breath”—Destiny’s Child
83. “I Gotta Feeling”—Black Eyed Peas
84. “SOS”—Rihanna
85. “Final Song”—Mo
86. “Waiting for Tonight”—Jennifer Lopez
87. “Timber”—Pitbull featuring Kesha
88. “Just Dance”—Lady Gaga featuring Colby O’Donis
89. “Poker Face”—Lady Gaga
90. “Setting Fires”—The Chainsmokers featuring Xylo
91. “Gangnam Style”—PSY
92. “For a Better Day”—Avicii featuring Alex Ebert
93. “Mr. Saxobeat”—Alexandra Stan
94. “Yeah 3x”—Chris Brown