“Rolling Stone” dropped a nostalgia-packed list ranking the 50 greatest one-hit wonders from the 2000s, and it’s a musical time capsule for anyone who lived through the iPod era.
Leading the pack is Wheatus’ angsty pop-rock anthem “Teenage Dirtbag,” which continues to ride a wave of renewed popularity thanks to TikTok and Y2K revival trends.
Coming in second is Lil Mama’s “Lip Gloss“, a track that turned a cosmetic product into a full-blown cultural moment, complete with an iconic beat and middle-school dance battles. Willa Ford’s “I Wanna Be Bad” grabs the third spot—because who didn’t want to be a little bad in 2001?
The rest of the Top 10 includes a who’s who of early-2000s radio dominance: J-Kwon’s party anthem “Tipsy” (#4), Hoobastank’s melodramatic “The Reason” (#5), and Khia’s raunchy “My Neck, My Back (Lick It)” (#6), a song that’s somehow both infamous and immortal.
Crazy Town’s “Butterfly” (#7) and Blu Cantrell’s “Hit ‘Em Up Style (Oops!)” (#8) round out the hits you couldn’t escape in malls and teen movie soundtracks. Meanwhile, Lumidee’s “Never Leave You (Uh Ooh, Uh Ooh)” (#9) and The Click Five’s sugary “Just the Girl” (#10) cement the era’s love for infectious hooks.
Other familiar names in the Top 25 include:
- Truth Hurts feat. Rakim – “Addictive” (#11)
- Baha Men – “Who Let the Dogs Out?” (#12)
- American Hi-Fi – “Flavor of the Weak” (#13)
- Tweet feat. Missy Elliott – “Oops (Oh My)” (#14)
- La Roux – “Bulletproof” (#15)
- Nina Sky feat. Jabba – “Move Ya Body” (#16)
- D4L – “Laffy Taffy” (#17)
- Eden’s Crush – “Get Over Yourself” (#18)
- Nine Days – “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” (#19)
- The Darkness – “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” (#20)
- MIMS – “This Is Why I’m Hot” (#21)
- Lil Romeo – “My Baby” (#22)
- Kevin Lyttle feat. Spragga Benz – “Turn Me On” (#23)
- The Calling – “Wherever You Will Go” (#24)
- Das Racist – “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” (#25)
At the very end of the list at #50? Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day,” a ballad so emotionally specific, it became a staple of “you’re going home” montages on “American Idol.”
The list is a reminder that a single hit can etch an artist into pop culture history—even if their follow-up albums didn’t quite make it out of the bargain bin. For the full countdown and commentary, head to RollingStone.com.
