Every Song on the 2021 Billboard Hot 100 End of Year Chart Ranked

We’ve all forgotten about 2021 and everything that happened during it, but Joe didn’t suffer through listening to the entire Billboard End of Year Hot 100 chart for nothing. Here are all 100 entries, ranked in order from worst to best. Enjoy!

If you’d like to listen to all 100 of them in order of their Billboard end of year ranking first, please do. You have 5 hours and 21 minutes to get through first.

100. Throat Baby – KRS Kash / Billboard End of Year Rank: 97 / Rating: 1.0 

The worst song of the year. Sorry Ed Sheeran, I did you dirty. This is worse than Bad Habits. It’s worse than Florida Georgia Line. It’s one of the worst rap songs I’ve ever heard.

99. Drinkin’ Beer, Talkin’ God. Amen – Chase Rice f. Florida Georgia Line / Billboard End of Year Rank: 99 / Rating: 1.1

The lyrics are slightly worse than Throat Baby, but the music is slightly better. Buried under every single country cliché imaginable. It might be the nadir of country music. Adding Florida Georgia Line to the mix is just cruel and unusual.

98. Lil’ Bit – Florida Georgia Line, Nelly / Billboard End of Year Rank: 70 / Rating: 1.5

Not sure if there’s a rapper out there that has done more to destroy his legacy than Nelly. Florida Georgia Line’s legacy is being one of country music’s all-time worst artists. This is two terrible tastes that taste worse together.

97. Bad Habits – Ed Sheeran / Billboard End of Year Rank: 15 / Rating: 1.8

Ed trying to be a bad boy. He is bad, boy.

96. Just the Way – Parmalee, Blanco Brown / Billboard End of Year Rank: 88 / Rating: 2

Really dislike the croaky vocals. Using the lyrics “just the way God made you” is as cliched as you can possibly get in country. Dismal.

95. Peaches – Justin Bieber / Billboard End of Year Rank: 10 / Rating: 2

One of the lamest songs of the year. The worst song to reach the top 10 in the end of the year chart. Bieber is just not good and never will be, no matter what ladykiller grooves and lyrics he comes up with.

94. Every Chance I Get – DJ Khaled f. Lil Baby and Lil Durk / Billboard End of Year Rank: 59 / Rating: 2.1

One Lil not enough? Here’s another one. Maybe this song needed a third, cuz it sucks. DJ Khaled is a novelty at this point.

93. WITHOUT YOU – The Kid LAROI / Billboard End of Year Rank: 17 / Rating: 2.1

There’s an actual guitar used in this song. That’s the high point. The lyrics are some of the worst of the year and yet they’re better than the three incessant chords repeated throughout the song.

92. Way 2 Sexy – Drake f. Future and Yung Thug / Billboard End of Year Rank: 48 / Rating: 2.4

Sampling Right Said Fred could have been fun in the right hands. But we got Drake instead. So it doesn’t.

91. Beautiful Mistakes – Maroon 5 f. Megan Thee Stallion / Billboard End of Year Rank: 34 / Rating: 2.5

This track really blows. No fault of Megan Thee Stallion really. There’s nothing anyone could do to polish this turd. You really would have to love money to continue being in a “band” like Maroon 5 if you were the drummer/bass/guitarist.

90. Good Time – Niko Moon / Billboard End of Year Rank: 84 / Rating: 2.8

Crappy FGL (Florida Georgia Line) wannabee pop country with a trap beat. Absolutely dreadful lyrics.

89. Time Today – Moneybagg Yo / Billboard End of Year Rank: 76 / Rating: 2.9

The worst Moneybagg Yo song of the year, but don’t worry, his other appearances on this list (and there are multiple) are almost as bad as this one.

88. late at night – Roddy Rich / Billboard End of Year Rank: 72 / Rating: 3

Typical Drake-lite lover boy rap with autotuned rap singing. Lacking any semblance of personality.

87. Whoopty – CJ / Billboard End of Year Rank: 50 / Rating: 3

I didn’t know CJ before this. After hearing this song, I wish I still was that naïve, innocent man that didn’t know CJ.

86. Wockesha – Moneybagg Yo / Billboard End of Year Rank: 42 / Rating: 3

Moneybagg Yo with a track that sucks slightly worse than his last one. This track badly samples the far superior Stay With Me by DeBarge.

85. On Me – Lil Baby / Billboard End of Year Rank: 36 / Rating: 3.2

Can’t really think of anything that’s good about this song.

84. Lonely – Justin Bieber f. Benny Blanco / Billboard End of Year Rank: 65 / Rating: 3.4

Damn is it boring listening to Justin Bieber sob about how hard his life is.

83. Yung Bleu f. Drake – You’re Mines Still / Billboard End of Year Rank: 58 / Rating: 3.5

This bleu alright.

82. Wants and Needs – Drake f. Lil Baby / Billboard End of Year Rank: 47 / Rating: 3.5

Just so generic. Drake did not have a great year.

81. Heat Waves – Glass Animals / Billboard End of Year Rank: 16 / Rating: 3.5

Is this the closest we’re going to get to rock music on the charts? It’s like Imagine Dragons without the energy.

80. RAPSTAR – Polo G / Billboard End of Year Rank: 30 / Rating: 3.6

99% sure that Polo G, The Kid LAROI, Pop Smoke and all these shitty autotune rappers are the same person. One of the weakest backing tracks of the year.

79. Calling My Phone – Lil Tjay / Billboard End of Year Rank: 33 / Rating: 3.8

Drake lite. Or is that redundant?

78. Fancy Like – Walker Hayes / Billboard End of Year Rank: 27 / Rating: 3.8

Country / rap crossover that combines the shittiest part of each. “Bougee like Natty” and “Fancy like Applebee’s” are just a taste of the lyrics.

77. Yonaguni – Bad Bunny / Billboard End of Year Rank: 83 / Rating: 4

If Drake spoke Spanish.

76. No More Parties – Coi Leray / Billboard End of Year Rank: 79 / Rating: 4

If Drake was a girl.

75. Cry Baby – Megan Thee Stallion f. DaBaby / Billboard End of Year Rank: 77 / Rating: 4

So dirty that it’s actually kind of boring.

74. Lemonade – Internet Money / Billboard End of Year Rank: 51 / Rating: 4

Really disliking this trend of fancy, delicately plucked guitars over trap beats. Who’s the asshole responsible for this production choice?

73. For the Night – Pop Smoke f. Lil Baby and DaBaby / Billboard End of Year Rank: 32 / Rating: 4

This is my nightmare.

72. What You Know Bout Love – Pop Smoke / Billboard End of Year Rank: 22 / Rating: 4.1

Pop Smoke did not have a good year in 2021. Unless you count all the millions of dollars he made from all his hit songs.

71. Mood – 24k Goldn f. iann diorr / Billboard End of Year Rank: 4 / Rating: 4.1

This was the #4 song in the country last year? Pray for our children.

70. Single Saturday Night – Cole Swindell / Billboard End of Year Rank: 95 / Rating: 4.2

A country song about drinking you say?

69. Bang! – AJR / Billboard End of Year Rank: 56 / Rating: 4.2

This is the kind of song that Panic at the Disco could write in their sleep. If you’re singing about your passwords, you have lost the plot.

68. Beat Box 3 – SpotemGottem f. DaBaby / Billboard End of Year Rank: 44 / Rating: 4.3

No idea if DaBaby is regarded as a good rapper. He sure as hell isn’t interesting.

67. Back in Blood – Pooh Shiesty f. Lil Durk / Billboard End of Year Rank: 39 / Rating: 4.3

Kind of sounds like a horror movie. If the choice came down to listen to this song or be murdered by Jason, I’d actually take the song.

66. Track Star – Mooski / Billboard End of Year Rank: 75 / Rating: 4.6

It at least reminds me of the much better tracks on 80s and Heartbreak.

65. One Too Many – Keith Urban and Pink / Billboard End of Year Rank: 81 / Rating: 4.7

Unoriginal and boring. These two have no chemistry and it’s not a very good song no matter what genre you put it in.

64. Anyone – Justin Bieber / Billboard End of Year Rank: 74 / Rating: 4.8

Pretty tired of write ups on bad Justin Bieber songs. This one is just mediocre. At least it has a pretty melody. It would be passable if Harry Styles was singing it.

63. Essence – WizKid f. Justin Bieber / Billboard End of Year Rank: 60 / Rating: 4.8

Would be much better without Justin Bieber but it has a decent soul flavor. Boring typical autotune vocals though.

62. you broke me first – Tate McRae / Billboard End of Year Rank: 37 / Rating: 4.9

Have we just totally abandoned grammar? There are rules! Stop uncapitalizing everything!

61. DAKITI – Bad Bunny  / Billboard End of Year Rank: 28 / Rating: 5

Unmemorable and unremarkable.

60. Astronaut in the Ocean – Masked Wolf  / Billboard End of Year Rank: 20 / Rating: 5

Average (t)rap song.

59. STAY – The Kid LAROI f. Justin Bieber  / Billboard End of Year Rank: 12 / Rating: 5

This is the boring white guy version of The Weeknd

58. Up – Cardi B  / Billboard End of Year Rank: 26 / Rating: 5.1

Cardi B has really dropped off.

57. Knife Talk – Drake, 21 Savage f. Project Pat / Billboard End of Year Rank: 86 / Rating: 5.2

Pretty decent until Drake starts rapping, which unfortunately was an eventuality in a Drake song. Project Pat is the best part by far.

56. You Right – Doja Cat  / Billboard End of Year Rank: 43 / Rating: 5.2

Boring-ass slow jam.

55. Go Crazy – Chris Brown / Billboard End of Year Rank: 19 / Rating: 5.3

How is Chris Brown still around making music. He made that one good song that everyone uses in their weddings like 15 years ago, that’s it. That’s the list. Also, he was supposed to be cancelled for being a domestic abuser. And yet here he is with a top 20 track.

54. MONTERO – Lil Nas X  / Billboard End of Year Rank: 9 / Rating: 5.3

Again with the heavy autotune rap/singing. It sounds like dozens of others. It’s dirty in an interesting way, but that’s it.

53. If I Didn’t Love You – Jason Aldean and Carrie Underwood / Billboard End of Year Rank: 85 / Rating: 5.4

Turgid country ballad. You don’t actually need to hear it, it sounds exactly like you think it would based on the title and the two featured artists.

52. Glad You Exist – Dan + Shay  / Billboard End of Year Rank: 64 / Rating: 5.4

These boys have yet to release an interesting song. So why start now. The country equivalent to Train or Ed Sheeran.

51. my ex’s best friend – Machine Gun Kelly and Blackbear  / Billboard End of Year Rank: 23 / Rating: 5.4

Makes Blink 182 and Sum 41 sound like Slayer.

Congratulations on making it through the 50 worst end of year Billboard Hot 100 charting songs. If it was a struggle for you to get here, just imagine how I felt having to listen to all of these tracks.

50. What’s Next – Drake / Billboard End of Year Rank: 68 / Rating: 5.5

Drake is not a good rapper. I don’t care what anyone says. His voice has an incessant whine to it, but it’s not unique or interesting. This track has good production at least.

49. Tombstone – Rod Wave / Billboard End of Year Rank: 98 / Rating: 5.6

The hardship and pain in the vocals is a step up from most of the songs on this list. But the music is so generic.

48. Arcade – Duncan Laurence / Billboard End of Year Rank: 82 / Rating: 5.7

Kind of pretty. Laurence, who I’ve never heard of, has a good voice. Very typical boom-clap kind of backing track. Some strings. Lots of big oooohs and woaaahhhs.

47. Famous Friends – Christ Young and Kane Brown / Billboard End of Year Rank: 69 / Rating: 5.8

Kind of feel gross for liking this as much as I do (which isn’t a lot.)

46. Leave Before You Love Me – Marshmello f. Jonas Brothers / Billboard End of Year Rank: 63 / Rating: 5.9

Catchy pop bop with some decent Jonas vocals.

45. Chasing After You – Ryan Hurd f. Maren Morris / Billboard End of Year Rank: 61 / Rating: 6

Maren Morris has been on a steep decline since her great debut album. This is a nice, but soporific country duet.

44. Body – Megan Thee Stallion / Billboard End of Year Rank: 54 / Rating: 6

Megan Thee Stallion is absolutely all over these charts. This one is hypnotic, but not her best work.

43. Heartbreak Anniversary – Giveon / Billboard End of Year Rank: 31 / Rating: 6

Not familiar with Giveon, but he’s got a decent croony voice, but nothing that rises above passable.

42. Best Friend – Saweetie f. Doja Cat / Billboard End of Year Rank: 29 / Rating: 6

More dirty female rapping. It’s kind of fun and plenty naughty, but the backing track is pretty weak.

41. 34+35 Remix – Ariana Grande f. Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion / Billboard End of Year Rank: 21 / Rating: 6

If you want to hear Ariana Grande talk dirty you could do worse. Honestly, it just sounds exhausting. Still not as fun and dirty as like, any Trina song.

40. Kings & Queens – Ava Max / Billboard End of Year Rank: 73 / Rating: 6.1

Maximalist pop dance music. Definite early 00s type of computerized beat. Like an uninteresting Lady Gaga.

39. The Good Ones – Gabby Barrett / Billboard End of Year Rank: 62 / Rating: 6.1

Bonus point for being from Pittsburgh.

38. Good Days – SZA / Billboard End of Year Rank: 52 / Rating: 6.1

It’s okay.

37. Better Together – Luke Combs / Billboard End of Year Rank: 57 / Rating: 6.2

Combs has a good gruff country voice, but his lyrics are very typically country and his music isn’t that interesting.

36. Thot Shit – Megan Thee Stallion / Billboard End of Year Rank: 71 / Rating: 6.3

It wouldn’t make Prince blush, but it’s so dirty it’s actually pretty fun

35. Holy – Justin Bieber f. Chance the Rapper / Billboard End of Year Rank: 35 / Rating: 6.3

Not awful. Decent bassline, gospel piano and R&B drums. But it’s still Justin Bieber way out of his league. I like Chance’s rap.

34. Laugh Now Cry Later – Drake f. Lil Durk / Billboard End of Year Rank: 45 / Rating: 6.4

Pretty good Drake song. As much as I hate him for popularizing this rap style, he’s still above his imitators.

33. What’s Your Country Song – Thomas Rhett / Billboard End of Year Rank: 80 / Rating: 6.5

I can’t believe this song hasn’t been written before. It’s one of Kramzer’s hated “lists of things” songs that really piles on the nostalgia. Guitars are nice though.

32. Need to Know – Doja Cat / Billboard End of Year Rank: 46 / Rating: 6.5

Doja Cat purrrrrrs her way through this dreamy and sexy track. She’s a good rapper, maybe too close to Nikki Minaj? But it’s not bad.

31. traitor – Olivia Rodrigo / Billboard End of Year Rank: 38 / Rating: 6.5

Hope you like Olivia Rodrigo, because this is just the start of her run on the charts.

30. Therefore I Am – Billie Eilish / Billboard End of Year Rank: 25 / Rating: 6.5

Disappointing track and album from Billie Eilish. You were our only hope!

29. Forever After All – Luke Combs / Billboard End of Year Rank: 18 / Rating: 6.5

You could make the case that mainstream country is the best part of terrestrial radio. This is pretty generic country but at least it has some pedal steel.

28. positions – Ariana Grande / Billboard End of Year Rank: 14 / Rating: 6.5

A very Ariana Grande song with some very early 00s music as the accompaniment.

27. Put Your Records On – Ritt Momney / Billboard End of Year Rank: 93 / Rating: 6.6

Love the name “Ritt Momney”. This is kind of a low-fi bedroom pop remake of a Connie Ray Bailey track. It’s interesting enough. The original is better.

26. Streets – Doja Cat / Billboard End of Year Rank: 67 / Rating: 6.6

Dark and moody and s…l…o…w… Has some early 90s quality to it.

25. telepatia – Kali Uchis / Billboard End of Year Rank: 49 / Rating: 6.7

Interesting mix of Spanish and English lyrics. The music is nice and dreamy and it has a strong melody.

24. I Hope – Gabby Barrett f. Charlie Puth / Billboard End of Year Rank: 40 / Rating: 6.8

A second entry for Gabby, no Pittsburgh bonus points. But it’s a pretty song.

23. Kiss Me More – Doja Cat and SZA / Billboard End of Year Rank: 6 / Rating: 6.9

Nicely sung. It sounds vaguely familiar, like a million songs before it. The casual profanity and dirty lyrics are fun. I kind of like it.

22. Happier Than Ever – Billie Eilish / Billboard End of Year Rank: 94 / Rating: 7

The sparse instrumentation and tightly controlled jazzy vocals make it sound like a 50s song, but it takes an unwanted turn into big Miley Cyrus rock with huge distorted guitars at around 3 minutes. One of the better tracks on her not very good album.

21. drivers license – Olivia Rodrigo / Billboard End of Year Rank: 8 / Rating: 7

The one that started it all. It’s pretty and well sung (although over sung) and generic. The lyrics are a step up from the usual pablum, so I’ll give that to her.

20. Things A Man Oughta Know – Lainey Wilson / Billboard End of Year Rank: 96 / Rating: 7.1

Pretty banjo accompaniment, which instantly elevates it above most of the songs on this list.

19. willow – Taylor Swift / Billboard End of Year Rank: 55 / Rating: 7.2

Not sure if this sound better because I just listened to 54 mostly bad songs, or if she’s growing on me. It’s actually pretty good, but it sounds a lot like Lana Del Rey.

18. deja vu – Olivia Rodrigo / Billboard End of Year Rank: 13 / Rating: 7.2

The title is a little too spot on.

17. Dynamite – BTS / Billboard End of Year Rank: 41 / Rating: 7.3

It really is infectious, even if it’s hard to tell this and Butter apart. One difference: This one has horns.

16. good 4 u – Olivia Rodrigo / Billboard End of Year Rank: 5 / Rating: 7.3

It’s just new Paramore for tweens and tween-serving music critics.

15. Todo De Ti – Rauw Alejandro / Billboard End of Year Rank: 100 / Rating: 7.5

Since songs on the Hot 100 almost always have terrible lyrics, I actually like that this is in Spanish. The beat is great. The synth sounds nice and 80s. Funky, but not too funky. Would be good at the roller skating rink

14. Beggin’ – Maneskin / Billboard End of Year Rank: 66 / Rating: 7.5

Covering the Four Seasons and making it onto the Billboard 100 charts has to be applauded.

13. Industry Baby – Lil Nas X / Billboard End of Year Rank: 24 / Rating: 7.5

Kind of dig the faux-fanfare of the backing track but Lil Nas X is so unbelievably generic vocally because of the auto-tune. I think I like it because it reminds me of TI’s What You Know About That.

12. POV – Ariana Grande / Billboard End of Year Rank: 87 / Rating: 7.6

Like all Ariana Grande songs, this one sounds like she’s singing while wrapped in a cloud, like some mythological Greek chorus.

11. Hell of a View – Eric Church / Billboard End of Year Rank: 91 / Rating: 7.7

If you don’t like modern country, Eric Church is probably the artist that you have the best chance of liking. It’s country, but he takes a lot from Springsteen, Petty, Mellencamp, Skynyrd. This one is a little closer to traditional country. But it’s still catchy and nice.

10. We’re Good – Dua Lipa / Billboard End of Year Rank: 90 / Rating: 7.8

Vintage pop track from Dua with a deliberate pace and sultry vocals, definitely a change from Future Nostalgia sound. It’s good, but awfully familiar sounding.

9. Take My Breath – The Weeknd / Billboard End of Year Rank: 89 / Rating: 7.9

Same 80s beat. Same 80s synths. But it still kicks the crap out of 90% of the Billboard Top 100. Real Michael Jackson “Beat It” and “Billy Jean” feel here.

8. Butter – BTS / Billboard End of Year Rank: 11 / Rating: 8

I gotta give it to BTS and KPOP in general. It’s extremely catchy. The 80s by way of the 90s groove is undeniable and the boyband singing is like butter.

7. Save Your Tears – The Weeknd and Ariana Grande / Billboard End of Year Rank: 2 / Rating: 8

Moody, synth heavy with a touch of 80s to it. The remix with Ariana Grande is not an improvement over the original, but it’s not a negative either.

6. Starting Over – Chris Stapleton / Billboard End of Year Rank: 53 / Rating: 8.7

Chris Stapleton on the charts is like a warm hug after sifting through so much garbage. He’s probably the best thing mainstream country has had in decades. Benmont Tench with the great organ work here.

5. Levitating – Dua Lipa / Billboard End of Year Rank: 53 / Rating: 9.1

Didn’t this song come out in 2019? In any case, it’s an actually great song. Dua Lipa is an exciting, (relatively) new artist. Great funktastic bassline.

4. Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree – Brenda Lee / Billboard End of Year Rank: 92 / Rating: 9.2

Brenda sounds like a 40-year-old woman. But she’s like 12 here. It’s a heck of a debut and easily the best sung track on this entire Billboard 100.

3. Blinding Lights – The Weeknd / Billboard End of Year Rank: 3 / Rating: 9.2

The best song from After Hours. Love the A-ha beat. It’s hardly original. But the ghostly synths floating above the A-ha beat is great. His higher register really works here.

2. Leave the Door Open – Silk Sonic / Billboard End of Year Rank: 7 / Rating: 9.3

Legitimately good. The dedication to replicating the drum sounds of Thom Bell and the Philadelphia sound is duly noted. Anderson .Paak is the star here.

1. All I Want for Christmas is You – Mariah Carey / Billboard End of Year Rank: 78 / Rating: 9.3

I’ve never been happier to hear this song. I put it on repeat it a few times just to get the taste of those other songs out of my ears. Hate all you want, but this is a perfect Christmas song. Mariah Carey could sing Florida Georgia Line songs and make them sound excellent. Don’t hate, appreciate.