The 1990s brought a host of new names to the Billboard 200, as acts in pop, rock, R&B/hip-hop, country and dance made their marks with attention-getting albums.
Still, not all artists lead the list on their first try, as they continue to build a following – making an initial No. 1 that much sweeter.
In the first quarter of the 21st century, notable acts notched their first Billboard 200 No. 1s between the start of 2000 and the end of 2024. For this spotlight, we’re looking at eight artists that: 1, First hit the chart in the ‘90s; 2, Led for the first time between Jan. 1, 2000, and Dec. 31, 2024; 3, First reigned at least 10 years after a first entry; and 4, Charted at least five albums before reaching No. 1.
Related
As Billboard celebrates the top-performing artists, albums and songs of the first 25 years of the century since 2000, browse below, listed chronologically by their first leaders, acts that broke through in the ‘90s and went on to score their first Billboard 200 No. 1s after Y2K.
Plus, check out Billboard’s Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century chart, Top Artists of the 21st Century chart and Top Billboard 200 Albums of the 21st Century chart, as well as all coverage of Billboard’s 21st Century charts here.
Billboard’s Top Artists, Top Billboard 200 Albums and Top Hot 100 Songs of the 21st Century recaps reflect performance on weekly charts dated Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 28, 2024. The Top Artists category ranks the best-performing acts in that span based on activity on the Billboard 200 and Billboard Hot 100. (Titles released prior to mid-1999 are excluded, although such entries that appeared on the Billboard 200 or Hot 100 in that span contribute to the calculation of the Top Artists chart.)