100 Best Dance-Pop Songs

Author:
Ansel Pereira
Updated date:
Nov 15, 2021

I have been an online writer for over six years. I am passionate about books, philosophy, music, and the music industry.

Get dancing with these 100 dance-pop hits!
Photo by Drew Colins on Unsplash; Canva

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

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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 towards development of the genre. The amalgamation of catchy sunshine tunes with free-form dance music styles gave unique identity to pop music.

Pop dance songs started being associated as 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 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 a 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

Will dance-pop continue to be popular in the future?
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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 have become a format with different types of dance music. This modern formulaic style has become hugely popular with producers and DJ’s churning out club-bangers and anthems in dance music landscapes.