article

Who Are Gen Z and Millennials’ Favorite Musicians?

Gen Z’s favorite musicians are current chart-toppers, while Millennials are staying loyal to the artists that defined their own youth…

Written and Edited by the YPulse Editorial Team
KEY TAKEAWAYS
  • Music fandom is fragmented, but Gen Z and Millennials’ top favorite artists largely reflect the musicians who are most popular from their own generation
  • For Gen Z, today’s chart-toppers like Ariana Grande and NBA YoungBoy dominate their favorites list
  • For Millennials, it’s the artists from their childhood and teen years—like Eminem and Michael Jackson—that rank highest
YPulse knows young people’s love for music runs deep—and it’s not just about listening, it’s about living it. They’re hopping on planes for in-person concerts, packing into music festivals, and curating playlists like they’re personal soundtracks. And at the end of the year, they’re proudly sharing their Spotify Wrapped or Apple Music Replay like badges of honor. But with so many different ways to discover and consume music, fandom  for these gens is more fragmented than ever. When you’re talking about generations with endless access to every genre imaginable, it’s no surprise they’re gravitating toward a wide mix of artists. The music landscape has shifted dramatically thanks to this fragmentation—and the fluid, fast-changing nature of fame. YPulse’s Music report shows 82% of 13-39-year-olds agree, “My music taste doesn’t fall into one specific genre or category,” and 76% say, “I am always trying to discover new music artists.” That coupled with TikTok catapulting decades-old artists back onto the charts and AI fine-tuning playlists in real-time, fandom is evolving to introduce...

Stay on the Pulse

Latest Stories
Related Articles
Article

Gen Z’s Petal Parker weekend, “kinda chic” confessions, and a new kind of gatekeeping are all going viral… 

Article

Gen Z and Millennials name the songs defining 2026and their answers show just how personal—and varied—their listening habits are…

Article

When Gen Z gets the chance to experience an event in-person, they don’t do the bare minimum—they go all in… 

YPulse Weekly Newsletter

Get our editors’ weekly picks on the Gen Z and Alpha stories you need to know.

Your newsletter subscriptions are subject to YPulse’s Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

Enter your colleagues' emails (max 10) to invite them to sign up for a YPulse account. We'll send them a message and let them know you invited them.

plus-circle Created with Sketch Beta.

Are these emails correct? If so, click Submit Invitation(s)?