250 Greatest Music Videos Of All Time
2022 Update
This list of the 250 greatest music videos of all time is ranked through a combination of various different factors. Those include appearances on a critics’ or fans’ list, for winning or being nominated for awards, and for achieving a certain number of views on YouTube. Learn more about the methodology at this link.
Rank | Title | Year | Artist | Director | Link |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
26 | Fell in Love with a Girl | 2002 | The White Stripes | Michel Gondry | WATCH |
27 | Virtual Insanity | 1996 | Jamiroquai | Jonathan Glazer | WATCH |
28 | When Doves Cry | 1984 | Prince | Prince | WATCH |
29 | Video Killed the Radio Star | 1979 | The Buggles | Russell Mulcahy | WATCH |
31 | Freedom! '90 | 1990 | George Michael | David Fincher | WATCH |
32 | 99 Problems | 2004 | Jay-Z | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
33 | Hungry Like the Wolf | 1982 | Duran Duran | Russell Mulcahy | WATCH |
34 | Everybody Hurts | 1993 | R.E.M. | Jake Scott | WATCH |
35 | Waterfalls | 1994 | TLC | F. Gary Gray | WATCH |
36 | Wrecking Ball | 2013 | Miley Cyrus | Terry Richardson | WATCH |
37 | Hey Ya! | 2003 | OutKast | Bryan Barber | WATCH |
38 | Criminal | 1997 | Fiona Apple | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
39 | The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly) | 1997 | Missy Elliott | Hype Williams | WATCH |
40 | Cellophane | 2019 | FKA twigs | Andrew Thomas Huang | WATCH |
41 | Untitled (How Does It Feel) | 2000 | D'Angelo | Dominique Trenier, Paul Hunter | WATCH |
42 | Goodbye Earl | 2000 | The Chicks | Evan Bernard | WATCH |
43 | B.O.B. | 2000 | OutKast | Dave Meyers | WATCH |
44 | Opposites Attract | 1989 | Paula Abdul | Candace Reckinger, Michael Patterson | WATCH |
45 | Sugar Water | 1996 | Cibo Matto | Michel Gondry | WATCH |
46 | Come to Daddy | 1997 | Aphex Twin | Chris Cunningham | WATCH |
47 | Rabbit in Your Headlights | 1998 | Unkle, Thom Yorke | Jonathan Glazer | WATCH |
48 | Coffee & TV | 1999 | Blur | Hammer & Tongs | WATCH |
49 | Come Into My World | 2002 | Kylie Minogue | Michel Gondry | WATCH |
50 | ...Baby One More Time | 1998 | Britney Spears | Nigel Dick | WATCH |
51 | Waiting for Tonight | 1999 | Jennifer Lopez | Francis Lawrence | WATCH |
52 | Scream | 1995 | Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
53 | It's Oh So Quiet | 1995 | Björk | Spike Jonze | WATCH |
54 | Toxic | 2003 | Britney Spears | Joseph Kahn | WATCH |
55 | Jeremy | 1992 | Pearl Jam | Mark Pellington | WATCH |
56 | Chandelier | 2014 | Sia | Daniel Askill, Sia | WATCH |
57 | November Rain | 1992 | Guns N' Roses | Andy Morahan | WATCH |
58 | Losing My Religion | 1991 | R.E.M. | Tarsem Singh | WATCH |
59 | Bitter Sweet Symphony | 1997 | the Verve | Walter Stern | WATCH |
60 | Rockit | 1983 | Herbie Hancock | Godley & Creme | WATCH |
61 | Money for Nothing | 1985 | Dire Straits, Sting | Steve Barron | WATCH |
62 | Once in a Lifetime | 1981 | Talking Heads | David Byrne, Toni Basil | WATCH |
63 | Ironic | 1996 | Alanis Morissette | Stéphane Sednaoui | WATCH |
64 | Got 'til It's Gone | 1997 | Janet Jackson, Joni Mitchell, Q-Tip | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
65 | Doo Wop (That Thing) | 1998 | Lauryn Hill | Big TV! | WATCH |
66 | Lady Marmalade | 2001 | Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa, Pink | Paul Hunter | WATCH |
67 | Work It | 2002 | Missy Elliott | Dave Meyers, Missy Elliott | WATCH |
68 | Ashes to Ashes | 1980 | David Bowie | David Bowie, David Mallet | WATCH |
69 | California Love | 1995 | Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur | Hype Williams | WATCH |
70 | Smack My Bitch Up | 1997 | The Prodigy | Jonas Åkerlund | WATCH |
71 | Runaway | 2010 | Kanye West, Pusha T | Hype Williams | WATCH |
72 | Gangnam Style | 2012 | Psy | Cho Soo-hyun | WATCH |
73 | Hold Up | 2016 | Beyoncé | Beyoncé, Jonas Åkerlund, Kahlil Joseph | WATCH |
74 | Wyclef Jean | 2017 | Young Thug | Pomp&Clout | WATCH |
75 | Subterranean Homesick Blues | 1965 | Bob Dylan | D.A. Pennebaker | WATCH |
76 | I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me) | 1987 | Whitney Houston | Brian Grant | WATCH |
77 | Loser | 1993 | Beck | Steve Hanft | WATCH |
78 | Praise You | 1998 | Fatboy Slim | Spike Jonze | WATCH |
79 | Girls Just Want to Have Fun | 1983 | Cyndi Lauper | Ed Griles | WATCH |
80 | Telephone | 2009 | Beyoncé, Lady Gaga | Jonas Åkerlund | WATCH |
81 | Bye Bye Bye | 2000 | NSYNC | Wayne Isham | WATCH |
82 | Apeshit | 2018 | Beyoncé, Jay-Z | Ricky Saiz | WATCH |
83 | Material Girl | 1984 | Madonna | Mary Lambert | WATCH |
84 | Walk This Way | 1986 | Aerosmith, Run-D.M.C. | Jon Small | WATCH |
85 | Drop | 1995 | The Pharcyde | Spike Jonze | WATCH |
86 | Star Guitar | 2002 | The Chemical Brothers | Michel Gondry | WATCH |
87 | The Perfect Kiss | 1985 | New Order | Jonathan Demme | WATCH |
88 | Love Shack | 1989 | The B-52's | Adam Bernstein | WATCH |
89 | Anaconda | 2014 | Nicki Minaj | Colin Tilley | WATCH |
90 | Montero (Call Me By Your Name) | 2021 | Lil Nas X | Tanu Muino, Lil Nas X | WATCH |
91 | Stan | 2000 | Dido, Eminem | Dr. Dre, Philip Atwell | WATCH |
92 | Beat It | 1983 | Michael Jackson | Bob Giraldi | WATCH |
93 | Smooth Criminal | 1988 | Michael Jackson | Colin Chilvers | WATCH |
94 | Wicked Game | 1990 | Chris Isaak | Herb Ritts | WATCH |
95 | We Found Love | 2011 | Calvin Harris, Rihanna | Melina Matsoukas | WATCH |
96 | Alright | 2015 | Kendrick Lamar | Colin Tilley, The Little Homies | WATCH |
97 | Blank Space | 2014 | Taylor Swift | Joseph Kahn | WATCH |
98 | Cryin' | 1994 | Aerosmith | Marty Callner | WATCH |
99 | Umbrella | 2007 | Jay-Z, Rihanna | Chris Applebaum | WATCH |
100 | One | 1989 | Metallica | Bill Pope, Michael Salomon | WATCH |
101 | No Rain | 1992 | Blind Melon | Samuel Bayer | WATCH |
102 | Karma Police | 1997 | Radiohead | Jonathan Glazer | WATCH |
103 | Hardest Button to Button | 2003 | The White Stripes | Michel Gondry | WATCH |
104 | Sorry | 2016 | Beyoncé | Kahlil Joseph, Beyoncé | WATCH |
105 | Ray of Light | 1998 | Madonna | Jonas Åkerlund | WATCH |
106 | Freak on a Leash | 1999 | Korn | Jonathan Dayton, Todd McFarlane, Valerie Faris | WATCH |
107 | Heart-Shaped Box | 1993 | Nirvana | Anton Corbijn | WATCH |
108 | Wuthering Heights | 1978 | Kate Bush | Keef | WATCH |
109 | Scenario | 1992 | A Tribe Called Quest, Leaders of the New School, Busta Rhymes | Jim Swaffield | WATCH |
110 | Everlong | 1997 | Foo Fighters | Michel Gondry | WATCH |
111 | Outtasite (Outta Mind) | 1997 | Wilco | Bill Fishman | WATCH |
112 | Close Your Eyes (and Count to Fuck) | 2014 | Run the Jewels, Zack de la Rocha | AG Rojas | WATCH |
113 | Bachelorette | 1997 | Björk | Michel Gondry | WATCH |
114 | The Story of O.J. | 2017 | Jay-Z | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
115 | All the Small Things | 1999 | Blink-182 | Marcos Siega | WATCH |
116 | Hotline Bling | 2015 | Drake | Director X | WATCH |
117 | WAP | 2020 | Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion | Colin Tilley | WATCH |
118 | Bad Blood | 2015 | Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift | Joseph Kahn | WATCH |
119 | You Might Think | 1984 | The Cars | Alex Weil, Charlie Levi, Jeff Stein | WATCH |
120 | One Mic | 2002 | Nas | Chris Robinson | WATCH |
121 | Whiskey Lullaby | 2004 | Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss | Ricky Schroder | WATCH |
122 | Love Story | 2008 | Taylor Swift | Trey Fanjoy | WATCH |
123 | Black Hole Sun | 1994 | Soundgarden | Howard Greenhalgh | WATCH |
124 | Leave Me Alone | 1988 | Michael Jackson | Jim Blashfield, Paul Diener | WATCH |
125 | Life On Mars? | 1973 | David Bowie | Mick Rock | WATCH |
126 | Space Oddity | 1973 | David Bowie | Mick Rock | WATCH |
127 | Welcome to the Jungle | 1987 | Guns N' Roses | Nigel Dick | WATCH |
128 | Straight Outta Compton | 1989 | N.W.A. | Rupert Wainwright | WATCH |
129 | Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang | 1992 | Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg | Dr. Dre | WATCH |
130 | Just | 1995 | Radiohead | Jamie Thraves | WATCH |
131 | 1979 | 1996 | The Smashing Pumpkins | Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris | WATCH |
132 | Triumph | 1997 | Wu-Tang Clan | Brett Ratner | WATCH |
133 | Let Forever Be | 1999 | The Chemical Brothers | Michel Gondry | WATCH |
134 | Never Catch Me | 2014 | Flying Lotus, Kendrick Lamar | Hiro Murai | WATCH |
135 | Ain't It Funny | 2016 | Danny Brown | Jonah Hill | WATCH |
136 | Violet | 1985 | Hole | Mark Seliger, Fred Woodward | WATCH |
137 | The Pleasure Principle | 1987 | Janet Jackson | Dominic Sena | WATCH |
138 | Copperhead Road | 1988 | Steve Earl | Tony Vanden Ende | WATCH |
139 | If I Could Turn Back Time | 1989 | Cher | Marty Callner | WATCH |
140 | Big Time Sensuality | 1993 | Björk | Stéphane Sednaoui | WATCH |
141 | Fantasy | 1995 | Mariah Carey | Mariah Carey | WATCH |
142 | It's All Coming Back to Me Now | 1996 | Céline Dion | Nigel Dick | WATCH |
143 | What They Do | 1996 | The Roots | Charles Stone III | WATCH |
144 | Hypnotize | 1997 | The Notorious B.I.G. | Paul Hunter | WATCH |
145 | Mo Money Mo Problems | 1997 | Mase, Puff Daddy, The Notorious B.I.G. | Hype Williams | WATCH |
146 | Paranoid Android | 1997 | Radiohead | Magnus Carlsson | WATCH |
147 | Teardrop | 1998 | Massive Attack | Walter Stern | WATCH |
148 | Oops!... I Did It Again | 2000 | Britney Spears | Nigel Dick | WATCH |
149 | Suerte (Whenever, Wherever) | 2001 | Shakira | Francis Lawrence | WATCH |
150 | SOS | 2006 | Rihanna | Chris Applebaum | WATCH |
151 | California Gurls | 2010 | Katy Perry, Snoop Dogg | Mathew Cullen | WATCH |
152 | Bound 2 | 2013 | Kanye West | Nick Knight | WATCH |
153 | Nobody Speak | 2016 | DJ Shadow, Run the Jewels | Sam Pilling | WATCH |
154 | Addicted to Love | 1986 | Robert Palmer | Terence Donovan | WATCH |
155 | Janie's Got a Gun | 1989 | Aerosmith | David Fincher | WATCH |
156 | I Hope You Dance | 2000 | Lee Ann Womack | Gary Wenner | WATCH |
157 | Get Ur Freak On | 2001 | Missy Elliott | Dave Meyers | WATCH |
158 | In da Club | 2003 | 50 Cent | Philip Atwell | WATCH |
159 | Jesus Walks | 2004 | Kanye West | Chris Milk | WATCH |
160 | Before He Cheats | 2006 | Carrie Underwood | Roman White | WATCH |
161 | Stay | 2007 | Sugarland | Shaun Silva | WATCH |
162 | If I Die Young | 2010 | The Band Perry | David McClister | WATCH |
163 | Uptown Funk | 2014 | Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson | Bruno Mars, Cameron Duddy | WATCH |
164 | Hello | 2015 | Adele | Xavier Dolan | WATCH |
165 | Pynk | 2018 | Janelle Monáe | WATCH | |
166 | Without Me | 2002 | Eminem | Joseph Kahn | WATCH |
167 | Yonkers | 2011 | "Tyler, the Creator" | Wolf Haley | WATCH |
168 | No Church in the Wild | 2012 | Frank Ocean, Jay-Z, Kanye West, The-Dream | Romain Gavras | WATCH |
169 | Turn Down for What | 2013 | DJ Snake, Lil Jon | DANIELS | WATCH |
170 | Another Brick in the Wall | 1979 | Pink Floyd | Alan Parker, Gerald Scarfe | WATCH |
171 | Windowlicker | 1999 | Aphex Twin | Chris Cunningham | WATCH |
172 | Daydreaming | 2016 | Radiohead | Paul Thomas Anderson | WATCH |
173 | Girls on Film | 1983 | Duran Duran | Godley & Creme | WATCH |
174 | This Note's for You | 1988 | Neil Young & The Bluenotes | Julien Temple | WATCH |
175 | Free Your Mind | 1992 | En Vogue | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
176 | Livin' la Vida Loca | 1999 | Ricky Martin | Wayne Isham | WATCH |
177 | Dani California | 2006 | Red Hot Chili Peppers | Tony Kaye | WATCH |
178 | I Write Sins Not Tragedies | 2006 | Panic! at the Disco | Shane Drake | WATCH |
179 | Drunk on a Plane | 2014 | Dierks Bentley | Wes Edwards | WATCH |
180 | Blinding Lights | 2020 | the Weeknd | Anton Tammi | WATCH |
181 | Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough | 1979 | Michael Jackson | WATCH | |
182 | Atmosphere | 1980 | Joy Division | Anton Corbijn | WATCH |
183 | Gimmie All Your Lovin' | 1983 | ZZ Top | Tim Newman | WATCH |
184 | Jump | 1983 | Van Halen | Pete Angelus, David Lee Roth | WATCH |
185 | We're Not Gonna Take It | 1984 | Twisted Sister | Marty Callner | WATCH |
186 | Sweet Child o' Mine | 1988 | Guns N' Roses | WATCH | |
187 | Express Yourself | 1989 | Madonna | David Fincher | WATCH |
188 | Mama Said Knock You Out | 1990 | LL Cool J | Paris Barclay | WATCH |
189 | U Can't Touch This | 1990 | MC Hammer | Rupert Wainwright | WATCH |
190 | Black or White | 1991 | Michael Jackson | John Landis | WATCH |
191 | Remember the Time | 1992 | Michael Jackson | John Singleton | WATCH |
192 | Check Yo Self (The Message Remix) | 1993 | Ice Cube | F. Gary Gray | WATCH |
193 | Insane in the Brain | 1993 | Cypress Hill | Josh Taft | WATCH |
194 | Ready or Not | 1996 | Fugees | Marcus Nispel | WATCH |
195 | Frozen | 1998 | Madonna | Chris Cunningham | WATCH |
196 | Man! I Feel Like a Woman! | 1999 | Shania Twain | Paul Boyd | WATCH |
197 | Big Pimpin' | 2000 | Jay-Z | Hype Williams | WATCH |
198 | Clint Eastwood | 2001 | Gorillaz | Jamie Hewlett, Pete Candeland | WATCH |
199 | Pagan Poetry | 2001 | Björk | Nick Knight | WATCH |
200 | Rollout (My Business | 2001 | Ludacris | Jeremy Rall | WATCH |
201 | Cocoon | 2002 | Björk | Eiko Ishioka | WATCH |
202 | Seven Nation Army | 2003 | The White Stripes | Alex & Martin | WATCH |
203 | Lollipop | 2008 | Lil Wayne, Static Major | Gil Green | WATCH |
204 | Blackstar | 2015 | David Bowie | Johan Renck | WATCH |
205 | All Night | 2016 | Beyoncé | Beyoncé | WATCH |
206 | Freedom | 2016 | Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar | Kahlil Joseph, Beyoncé | WATCH |
207 | Lazarus | 2016 | David Bowie | Johan Renck | WATCH |
208 | Work from Home | 2016 | Fifth Harmony, Ty Dolla Sign | Director X | WATCH |
209 | Girls Like You | 2018 | Cardi B, Maroon 5 | David Dobkin | WATCH |
210 | Need You Tonight / Mediate | 1988 | INXS | Richard Lowenstein | WATCH |
211 | Rolling in the Deep | 2010 | Adele | Sam Brown | WATCH |
212 | Love the Way You Lie | 2010 | Eminem, Rihanna | Joseph Kahn | WATCH |
213 | I Don't Like Mondays | 1979 | The Boomtown Rats | David Mallet | WATCH |
214 | Physical | 1982 | Olivia Newton-John | Brian Grant | WATCH |
215 | In Bloom | 1992 | Nirvana | Kevin Kerslake | WATCH |
216 | Devil's Haircut | 1996 | Beck | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
217 | Da Funk | 1997 | Daft Punk | Spike Jonze | WATCH |
218 | Kelly Watch the Stars | 1998 | Air | Mike Mills | WATCH |
219 | Maps | 2003 | Yeah Yeah Yeahs | Patrick Daughters | WATCH |
220 | Be Good or Be Gone | 2006 | Fionn Regan | Si & Ad | WATCH |
221 | Flashing Lights | 2007 | Kanye West | Spike Jonze, Kanye West | WATCH |
222 | The Greeks | 2011 | Is Tropical | Megaforce | WATCH |
223 | Baby's on Fire | 2012 | Die Antwoord | Ninja, Terence Neale | WATCH |
224 | Grown Up | 2012 | Danny Brown | Greg Brunkalla | WATCH |
225 | Hurricane | 2012 | MS MR | Luke Gilford | WATCH |
226 | Oblivion | 2012 | Grimes | Grimes, Emily Kai Bock | WATCH |
227 | Simple Song | 2012 | The Shins | DANIELS | WATCH |
228 | Annabel | 2013 | Goldfrapp | Lisa Gunning | WATCH |
229 | Pursuit | 2013 | Gesaffelstein | Fleur & Manu | WATCH |
230 | Q.U.E.E.N. | 2013 | Janelle Monáe, Erykah Badu | Alan Ferguson | WATCH |
231 | Royals | 2013 | Lorde | Joel Kefali | WATCH |
232 | Gold | 2014 | Chet Faker | Hiro Murai | WATCH |
233 | Opulence | 2014 | Brooke Candy | Steven Klein | WATCH |
234 | Borders | 2015 | M.I.A. | M.I.A. | WATCH |
235 | Glass & Patron | 2015 | FKA twigs | FKA twigs | WATCH |
236 | High by the Beach | 2015 | Lana Del Rey | Jake Nava | WATCH |
237 | Glue | 2017 | Bicep | Joe Wilson | WATCH |
238 | Territory | 2017 | The Blaze | The Blaze | WATCH |
239 | Want You Back | 2017 | Haim | Jake Schreier | WATCH |
240 | A$AP Forever | 2018 | A$AP Rocky, Moby | Dexter Navy | WATCH |
241 | Fun! | 2018 | Vince Staples | Calmatic | WATCH |
242 | Whack World | 2018 | Tierra Whack | Thibaut Duverneix, Mathieu Léger | WATCH |
243 | Every Breath You Take | 1983 | The Police | Godley & Creme | WATCH |
244 | Land of Confusion | 1986 | Genesis | Jim Yukich, John Lloyd | WATCH |
245 | Country Boy | 1984 | Ricky Skaggs | Martin Kahan | WATCH |
246 | Highwayman | 1984 | The Highwaymen | Peter Israelson | WATCH |
247 | When We Was Fab | 1988 | George Harrison | Godley & Creme | WATCH |
248 | Anymore | 1991 | Travis Tritt | Jack Cole | WATCH |
249 | Kiko and the Lavender Moon | 1992 | Los Lobos | Ondrej Rudavsky | WATCH |
250 | Man on the Moon | 1992 | R.E.M. | Peter Care | WATCH |
1 | Take On Me | 1985 | A-ha | Steve Barron | WATCH |
2 | Sledgehammer | 1986 | Peter Gabriel | Stephen R. Johnson | WATCH |
3 | Smells Like Teen Spirit | 1991 | Nirvana | Samuel Bayer | WATCH |
4 | Thriller | 1983 | Michael Jackson | John Landis | WATCH |
5 | Sabotage | 1993 | Beastie Boys | Spike Jonze | WATCH |
6 | Here It Goes Again | 2006 | OK Go | OK Go, Trish Sie | WATCH |
7 | Buddy Holly | 1994 | Weezer | Spike Jonze | WATCH |
8 | Like a Prayer | 1989 | Madonna | Mary Lambert | WATCH |
9 | Rhythm Nation | 1989 | Janet Jackson | Dominic Sena | WATCH |
10 | Formation | 2016 | Beyoncé | Melina Matsoukas | WATCH |
11 | Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) | 2008 | Beyoncé | Jake Nava | WATCH |
12 | Hurt | 2002 | Johnny Cash | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
13 | Nothing Compares 2 U | 1990 | Sinéad O'Connor | John Maybury | WATCH |
14 | Closer | 1994 | Nine Inch Nails | Mark Romanek | WATCH |
15 | This Is America | 2018 | Childish Gambino | Hiro Murai | WATCH |
16 | Tonight, Tonight | 1996 | The Smashing Pumpkins | Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris | WATCH |
17 | Bad Romance | 2009 | Lady Gaga | Francis Lawrence | WATCH |
18 | Bohemian Rhapsody | 1975 | Queen | Bruce Gowers | WATCH |
19 | HUMBLE. | 2017 | Kendrick Lamar | Dave Meyers, The Little Homies | WATCH |
20 | Weapon of Choice | 2001 | Fatboy Slim | Spike Jonze | WATCH |
21 | Wannabe | 1996 | Spice Girls | Johan Camitz | WATCH |
22 | Billie Jean | 1983 | Michael Jackson | Steve Barron | WATCH |
23 | Vogue | 1990 | Madonna | David Fincher | WATCH |
24 | Don't Come Around Here No More | 1985 | Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers | Jeff Stein | WATCH |
25 | All Is Full of Love | 1999 | Björk | Chris Cunningham | WATCH |