History PopularityPolynomial / Music

* Music/TakeThat have had a phenomenal comeback after they reformed in 2006 after a decade apart - their three studio albums since their reformation vastly outselling their three before their breakup and their 2011 tour becoming the 22nd highest grossing in history.

* Rock music, of all things, was practically dead in the early '60s, when most of the big stars were put out of commission -- Music/ElvisPresley got drafted and then turned to acting, the Day the Music Died took the life of Music/BuddyHolly, Music/LittleRichard became born-again and started recording exclusively gospel songs, Music/JerryLeeLewis derailed his career by marrying his [[KissingCousins 14-year-old cousin]], Music/ChuckBerry did the same with his own run-ins with the law, and the remaining artists were mostly recording forgettable novelty songs. It was felt that, soon, RockAndRoll would be swept in the dustbin of history where the MoralGuardians felt it belonged... and then came UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion, providing a new jolt of creativity and mainstream appeal to the genre. While its popularity has been challenged by the rise of other musical genres throughout the decades, and no longer has the hegemony it enjoyed during the British Invasion era, it and its many offshoots remain prominent fixtures of the modern music landscape in both the mainstream and the underground.

However, the album proved to be a FranchiseOriginalSin for Metallica, as the process of their sound moving away from metal and the HypeBacklash from disgruntled thrash fans would just keep going further and further. Over the course of TheNineties, the band gradually shed even more of their metal elements, cutting their hair and changing to a BluesRock[=/=]SouthernRock[=/=]AlternativeRock sound for the decidedly SoOkayItsAverage ''Load'' and ''Reload'' albums. While both albums were successful and spawned quite a few radio staples[[note]]Although "Fuel" is probably the only song that still gets regular play to this day[[/note]], they ultimately failed to match the popularity of The Black Album. They partially regained credibility among metal fans with the 1998 [[CoveredUp all covers album]] ''Garage, Inc.'' and a live collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra one year later. However, in 2000, they became embroiled in the controversy over Napster, which was the first major blow to their mainstream credibility. After that, things went haywire for the band. Frontman James Hetfield went to rehab for alcoholism, bassist Music/JasonNewsted left the band for good, and then the double whammy of ''St. Anger'' and the {{Documentary}} ''Some Kind of Monster'' hit in 2003/2004. ''St. Anger'' proved to be a disastrous trainwreck that sounded like a Music/{{Korn}} album GoneHorriblyWrong (although it did sell reasonably well), and ''Some Kind of Monster'' made the band (especially drummer Lars Ulrich) come across as pretentious prima donnas who were well past their prime. After that, the band's name was permanently sullied, and became a punchline in both the mainstream and amongst metalheads. Fortunately, the band had a WinBackTheCrowd period in 2008-2009 with the ''Death Magnetic'' [=LP=] (which, despite its problems with [[LoudnessWar clipping]] and accusations of the songs being too long, was widely considered to be a welcome return to form for the band), ''[[VideoGame/GuitarHero Guitar Hero Metallica]]'', and their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. However, they fell from grace yet again with their controversial 2011 collaboration with Music/LouReed, ''Lulu'', which was slammed by critics and reviled by fans. Today, Metallica's in a bit of a precarious position, as their anticipated new album (set to be released sometime in 2016) will likely be a crucial make-or-break moment for the band's credibility and popularity.

* Music/ArianaGrande was always a very successful singer since she first broke out onto the scene in 2013, but for quite a while, she was largely a very unpopular figure in the general public, after she was caught licking donuts and bragging about hating Americans in a donut shop. Although she still did well on the pop charts, he success since then was lower than that of her first two albums. Unfortunately, a horrible tragedy hit in 2017, when a concert of hers was bombed by an ISIS terrorist, killing several of her fans and injuring many more. The attack reversed her reputation overnight, with Grande once again seen by the public as an influential role model for teens and a figure of bravery.

It wasn't until spring 2015 that audiences decided to give Bieber another chance. That was because he collaborated with Music/{{Skrillex}} and Music/{{Diplo}} for their side project Jack U, producing "Where Are U Now", which became Bieber's first top 10 hit since 2013 (the song's success can be attributed to Skrillex and Diplo's popularity and curiosity from fans wondering how a collaboration between them would work). In late summer 2015, he released "What Do You Mean?", a single that gained respect from even Bieber's haters and debuted at #1 in over a dozen countries. His next two singles, "Sorry" and "Love Yourself", also topped the Hot 100; the corresponding album ''Purpose'' went straight to #1 as well. He also got his first taste of widespread critical acclaim in his entire career, with ''SPIN'' naming "What Do You Mean?" the best song of 2015, and other publications rating the song highly in their own year-end lists. All this ultimately solidified that Bieber was back and bigger than ever (One Direction, meanwhile, has underwent a series of problems following the departure of Zayn Malik from the group). He continued this success into 2016 when he appeared on Music/MajorLazer's "Cold Water" (making it their biggest hit) and DJ Snake's "Let Me Love You". His proudest moment came at the end of 2016, when ''Billboard'' declared "Love Yourself" and "Sorry" the biggest hits of the year. This made him the third artist in history to have the two biggest hits of the year (after Music/TheBeatles in 1964 and Music/{{Usher}} in 2004). Only time will tell if he manages to stick around for very long.

** The [[TheNineties 1990s]] and early 2000s revived [[TheSeventies 1970s]]-style hard rock and metal into grunge and post-grunge. Hip-hop and R&B songs sampled every '70s funk and disco track they could get their hands on. British Invasion-era music became popular for much of the 90s with ''Series/{{Friends}}'' and the "Cool Britannia" phenomenon.

* During the 2000s, the music industry considered that physical formats would be dead in a few years, with the popularity of {{MP3}}s and streaming. However in 2014-15 many artists weary of the royalties paid by Spotify and the like jumped ship to the premium subscription service Tidal as their only means of digital distribution. Since then, physical sales have taken a rebound, not only for [=CDs=] but also for vinyl records and cassettes. And on that note...

** Cassettes are beginning to make a silent resurgence in popularity in TheNewTens. In 2014 alone, [[http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2015/09/the-cassette-tapes-comeback.html over 10,000,000 cassette tapes were sold]] while [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Cassette#21st_century_use sales went up by 20% in 2015,]] and seem to have risen alongside vinyl amongst the same crowd. Reasons for this sudden re-popularity can be traced to their similar immunity to (or necessary removal of) the LoudnessWar, their relative cheapness compared to [=CDs=], decent players providing surprisingly good quality, and the artists of genres that ''did'' make use of cassettes during their dormancy getting greater exposure. The fact that labels such as Sony and Universal have readopted cassette tapes, with their use of them making up 70% of sales in 2014, speaks volumes.

* Rock music, of all things, was practically dead in the early '60s, when most of the big stars were put out of commission -- Music/ElvisPresley got drafted and then turned to acting, the Day the Music Died took the life of Music/BuddyHolly, Music/LittleRichard became born-again and started recording exclusively gospel songs, Music/JerryLeeLewis derailed his career by marrying his [[KissingCousins 14-year-old cousin]], Music/ChuckBerry did the same with his own run-ins with the law, and the remaining artists were mostly recording forgettable novelty songs. It was felt that, soon, RockAndRoll would be swept in the dustbin of history where the MoralGuardians felt it belonged, and then came UsefulNotes/TheBritishInvasion, providing a new jolt of creativity and mainstream appeal to the genre, and it hasn't looked back since, although its popularity has been challenged by the rise of other musical genres throughout the decades, and no longer has the hegemony of the 50's rock and roll or British Invasion eras.

* Vinyl records. They were already starting to become old-hat in TheSeventies with the introduction of audiocassettes. Then they went out of style in TheEighties as the cassette surpassed it in popularity, and more importantly the compact disc took over the market and they saw themselves pushed back to the indie rock genre and niche applications (particularly DJ-ing). However, beginning around the late 2000s or so, they've come back to the forefront, thanks to a combination of factors: the audio distortion caused by the LoudnessWar having a nasty effect on CD audio quality (an effect that killed cassettes, and was ''not'' heard on vinyl, since such loudness can't be achieved on that medium), a growing preference for the sound of vinyl records (possibly for the reason discussed), the obsolescence of [=CDs=] themselves due to the internet, and the surging popularity of indie rock and dance music, the two genres that made the most use of vinyl records since TheEighties. By the mid-2010s, many companies began to mass-produce turntables, and Sony announced it would manufacture a record player at CES 2016.
* Cassettes are beginning to make a silent resurgence in popularity in TheNewTens. [[http://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2015/09/the-cassette-tapes-comeback.html In 2014 alone, over 10,000,000 cassette tapes were sold]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Cassette#21st_century_use while sales went up by 20% in 2015,]] and seem to have risen alongside vinyl amongst the same crowd. Reasons for this sudden re-popularity can be traced to the same immunity to (or necessary removal of) the LoudnessWar, its relative cheapness compared to [=CDs=], decent players providing surprisingly good quality, and the artists of genres that ''did'' make use of cassettes during their dormancy are getting greater exposure. The fact that labels such as Sony and Universal have readopted cassette tapes and their use of them made up 70% of sales in 2014 speaks volumes.
* In the late 2000s, the music industry considered that physical formats would be dead in a few years, with the popularity of {{MP3}}s and streaming. However in 2014-15 many artists weary of the royalties paid by Spotify and the like jumped ship to the premium subscription service Tidal as their only means of digital distribution. Since then, physical sales have taken a rebound (specially for cassettes).
* While there were still bands playing more traditionally rooted styles of metal in the late 90s and early 2000s that received a fair amount of attention from fan of their particular styles, bands playing modern styles of metal, such as GrooveMetal and modern TechnicalDeathMetal, was grew to be more popular with the average metal fan. However, by the mid 2000s, several thrash metal bands began to receive a lot more attention than you would expect for a band playing that style in that period, and these bands kicked off the ThrashMetal revival, which remained fairly popular for a couple of years. In the meantime, interest in older forms of metal other than thrash was also increasing thanks to Darkthrone who adopted a more straightforward, punkier sound and inspired an entire "metalpunk" movement. This was followed by an old school DeathMetal revival, the rise of a "retro" doom/70s occult rock scene and "new wave" of traditional heavy metal. Many older bands had also reformed during this time. Though the bands playing more modern forms of metal were still as popular as ever, the interest in older forms of metal among people who would normally have ignored it had grown. With the subsequent interest in the music of the 1990s as of TheNewTens, metal has seen a major rise in stoner and sludge metal; additionally, while [[{{Metalcore}} melodic metalcore]] as people knew it from the 2000s is essentially dead (having largely been integrated into post-hardcore and/or modern rock), there has been a large uptick in traditional metalcore as people started rediscovering the founders of the genre, while a new form that mixes that style with Swedish death metal, crust punk, and powerviolence has also been making waves.

* ElectronicMusic (SynthPop, NewWave, early HouseMusic and {{Ambient}} specifically) dominated pop music in America during the '80s, hitting a peak during the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Summer_of_Love "Second Summer of Love"]] in 1988-89. In the '90s and '00s, though, it was supplanted by RAndB, {{idol singer}}s, and alternative rock, and was viewed as overly-synthesized and artificial. It also was not helped by the fact that a tidal wave of bad publicity surrounding electronic music's association with drugs and deaths related to overdoses led to panicked ThinkOfTheChildren-type laws that targeted raves and electronic parties specifically. As a result, the scene ended up being a largely underground (or overseas) affair. In the late '00s, artists like Music/LadyGaga, Music/{{Kesha}}, Music/LaRoux and Music/OwlCity used elements of synth-pop to their music, bringing it back into the mainstream and helping to pave the way for a full electronic dance music craze to take over in the states.

All that changed in [[TheNineties the following decade]] with the 1970s nostalgia wave, which revived public interest in ABBA's songs. A particularly important landmark for the group was the release, in 1992, of ''ABBA Gold'', which was a huge commercial success and got many younger people to listen to their music for the first time and eventually become fans. In the following years, the group managed to increase more and more its popularity, with the re-release of the original studio albums in CD, as well as the release of new compilation albums, some of which even included previously unreleased songs, such as ''I Am The City'', featured in ''More ABBA Gold'' (1993). In 1995, the band's listing in the landmark ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_Alternative_Record_Guide SPIN Alternative Record Guide]]'', complete with a glowing write-up, was the first indication of a major, positive re-evaluation of the band's discography by music critics. Films such as ''[[MurielsWedding Muriel's Wedding]]'' and tributes by other bands, such as {{Music/Erasure}} and [[{{Music/ATeens}} A-Teens]], also helped increasing the group's popularity. Another great leap was the debut, in 1999, of ''[[MammaMia Mamma Mia!]]'' [[JukeboxMusical (the musical)]], which expanded to multiple locations worldwide, became one of the longest-running musicals in the history of [[UsefulNotes/BroadwayAndTheWestEnd Broadway]] and spawned a theatrical movie in 2008, starring Creator/MerylStreep, Creator/PierceBrosnan and a then little-known actress named Creator/AmandaSeyfried. Nowadays, over 40 years after their debut - and over 20 years after their revival - ABBA remains highly popular, selling millions of records each year and occasionally appearing in the media, in spite of never having reunited (officially).

* While never getting the same amount of backlash other '80s artists got, and still having some hits during this period (in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns one episode of]] ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Smithers said he was "feeling worse than Madonna after a recording session", [[spoiler:the joke being key to prove his innocence in Mr. Burns' shooting]]), by the mid-'90s Music/{{Madonna}} was better known for her complicated personal life and her ridiculously sexualized image than her music. The 1998 album ''Music/RayOfLight'' provided a CareerResurrection, while the '80s nostalgia craze in the '00s led to a further surge in her popularity. Now, she has become the role model for practically every female pop star of the 2010s thanks to the explosion of [[ElectronicDanceMusic pop-EDM]], and while her newer material is often polarizing, her position as a pop music icon on account of her '80s and '90s output is virtually unchallenged.

It wasn't until spring 2015 that audiences decided to give Bieber another chance. That was because he collaborated with Music/{{Skrillex}} and Music/{{Diplo}} for their side project Jack U, producing "Where Are U Now", which became Bieber's first top 10 hit since 2013 (the song's success can be attributed to Skrillex and Diplo's popularity and curiosity from fans wondering how a collaboration between them would work). In late summer 2015, he released "What Do You Mean?", a single that gained respect from even Bieber's haters and debuted at #1 in over a dozen countries. His next two singles, "Sorry" and "Love Yourself", also topped the Hot 100; the corresponding album ''Purpose'' went straight to #1 as well. He also got his first taste of widespread critical acclaim in his entire career, with ''SPIN'' naming "What Do You Mean?" the best song of 2015, and other publications rating the song highly in their own year-end lists. All this ultimately solidified that Bieber was back and bigger than ever (One Direction, meanwhile, has underwent a series of problems following the departure of Zayn Malik from the group). He continued this success into 2016 when he appeared on Music/MajorLazer's "Cold Water", making it their biggest hit. His proudest moment came at the end of 2016, when ''Billboard'' declared "Love Yourself" and "Sorry" the biggest hits of the year. This made him the third artist in history to have the two biggest hits of the year (after Music/TheBeatles in 1964 and Music/{{Usher}} in 2004). Only time will tell if he manages to stick around for very long.

It wasn't until spring 2015 that audiences decided to give Bieber another chance. That was because he collaborated with Music/{{Skrillex}} and Music/{{Diplo}} for their side project Jack U, producing "Where Are U Now", which became Bieber's first top 10 hit since 2013 (the song's success can be attributed to Skrillex and Diplo's popularity and curiosity from fans wondering how a collaboration between them would work). In late summer 2015, he released "What Do You Mean?", a single that gained respect from even Bieber's haters and debuted at #1 in over a dozen countries. His next two singles, "Sorry" and "Love Yourself", also topped the Hot 100, Then the corresponding album ''Purpose'' was released and went straight to #1 as well. He also got his first taste of widespread critical acclaim in his entire career, with ''SPIN'' naming "What Do You Mean?" the best song of 2015, and other publications rating the song highly in their own year-end lists. All this ultimately solidified that Bieber was back and bigger than ever (One Direction, meanwhile, has underwent a series of problems following the departure of Zayn Malik from the group). Only time will tell if he manages to stick around for very long.

* Music/{{Queen}} had been one of the definitive bands of TheSeventies, only to seriously derail in 1982 with their album ''Hot Space'' album, which was heavily influenced by {{disco}} at a time when it was undergoing massive backlash in North America and Britain (this was averted outside English-speaking countries, where Queen never saw a backlash.). Their follow-up, 1984's ''The Works'', almost restored their popularity with the worldwide success of "Radio Ga Ga", but while the controversial music video for "I Want to Break Free" was a hit in the UK (it helped that it was a parody of ''Series/CoronationStreet''), it ended the band's credibility in the rest of the English-speaking world. However, with Music/FreddieMercury's [[DeadArtistsAreBetter death]] in 1991, Queen's American popularity finally recovered, and they are now regarded as classic rock icons.

* Music/{{Queen}} had been one of the definitive bands of TheSeventies, only to seriously derail in 1982 with their album ''Hot Space'' album, which was heavily influenced by {{disco}} at a time when it was undergoing massive backlash in North America and Britain. Their follow-up, 1984's ''The Works'', almost restored their popularity with the worldwide success of "Radio Ga Ga", but while the controversial music video for "I Want to Break Free" was a hit in the UK (it helped that it was a parody of ''Series/CoronationStreet''), it ended the band's credibility in the rest of the English-speaking world. However, with Music/FreddieMercury's [[DeadArtistsAreBetter death]] in 1991, Queen's American popularity finally recovered, and they are now regarded as classic rock icons.

* [[HipHop Rap music]] tends to sporadically go in and out of style. It enjoyed its first peak of mainstream success during the late '80s and early '90s, with artists like Music/MCHammer, Music/RunDMC and Music/VanillaIce bringing it out of the South Bronx and onto MTV and mainstream pop radio. However, the rise of GangstaRap and HardcoreHipHop in the mid '90s, while [[VindicatedByHistory now remembered]] as something of a golden age for rap music, earned the ire of the era's MoralGuardians due to its [[DarkerAndEdgier hard-edged]] lyrical content, causing rap to be driven off of mainstream radio playlists. The rise of {{grunge}} and AlternativeRock around the same time didn't help matters either. Rap came back in the late '90s through the mid '00s when Music/JayZ, Music/FiftyCent, Music/LilJon and other artists made GlamRap a fixture of nightclubs and parties all across America, while Music/{{Eminem}} put a white face on gangsta rap to become one of the biggest (and most controversial) stars of the era. Currently, it seems to be entering another hiatus, particularly now that {{synthpop}} and other forms of ElectronicMusic are back in vogue and competing with rap for attention at the aforementioned clubs and parties.

[[AC:Specific]]

[[AC:General]]

* While never getting the same amount of backlash other 80s artists got, by the mid 90s Music/{{Madonna}} was better known for her complicated personal life even if she had some hits during this period (in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns in one episode of]] ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Smithers said he was "feeling worse than Madonna after a recording session", [[spoiler:the joke being key to prove his innocence in Burns' shooting]]). By the 2000s, the 80s nostalgia craze led to a surge in her popularity. Now she has become the role model for practically every female pop star of the 2010s thanks to the explosion of EDM.
* Music/{{Queen}} had been one of the definitive bands of TheSeventies, however they seriously derailed in 1982 with their ''Hot Space'' album, greatly filled with disco music at a time it was widely hated in North America and Britain. Their follow-up, 1984's ''The Works'' almost restored their popularity with the worldwide success of "Radio Ga Ga". However the controversial music video for "I Want to Break Free" caused quite a stir in the UK, but ended with the band's credibility in the rest of the English-speaking world. It was only with Freddie Mercury's death in 1991 when Queen resurged in popularity.
* Between 2004 and 2008, people felt that {{Britney Spears}}'s career and reputation were beyond repair, and that she'd literally kill herself through her out-of-control lifestyle and craziness. Some people were already writing her obituary. The release of her albums ''Circus'' and ''Femme Fatale'', however, put her music back on top of the charts, restoring her to a level of popularity not seen since her TeenIdol days, while her being placed in the conservatorship of her father took her name out of the tabloids.

* Music/EltonJohn began as a critically acclaimed singer-songwriter celebrated for classic albums like ''Elton John'', ''Tumbleweed Connection'', ''Madman Across The Water'' and ''Honky Chateau''. His public popularity grew in 1973 with the albums ''Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player'' and the double album ''Music/GoodbyeYellowBrickRoad''. which spawned some of the biggest hits of TheSeventies. His popularity increased through the first half of the decade, and his outrageous image, employing crazy costumes and glasses made him a phenomenon and TeenIdol, [[CriticalBacklash even though the reviews were less enthusiastic]]. An infamous ''Rolling Stone'' magazine interview in 1976, where he [[StraightGay declared himself bisexual]] (later he'd claimed homosexuality), cost him much of his Middle American fanbase, and his own wish to stop touring, saw his fame taper off. Although he had a successful free concert in Central Park in 1980, sales and airplay were nowhere near as they were in the 1970s. He returned in the mid-1980s with albums like ''Too Low For Zero'' and ''Breaking Hearts'', and enjoyed more success in TheNineties after going sober (especially after co-writing songs for ''Disney/TheLionKing''), and he still has occasional comebacks to this day.
* While few have ever denied the social and cultural impact of Al Jolson's work, from about the 1970s onwards it was generally considered not cool to give him anything more than the most cursory acknowledgement, partly due to the nature of his act, but mostly because of his {{blackface}} makeup. It wasn't until the 2000s -- and ironically mostly through the efforts of modern-day black performers -- that Jolson started to become a widespread cultural icon again, with the turning point widely being seen as when the city of New York agreed to name a section of Broadway after Jolson.

* In 2014, EDM duo the Chainsmokers released the song "Selfie", which became an unexpected viral hit. Due to its memetic and EarWorm-ish nature, the band was quickly written off as a OneHitWonder novelty act. In 2016, however, the duo reinvented themselves shook that image off, scoring smash hits with "Roses", "Don't Let Me Down", and "Closer" (the latter becoming their first #1 hit).

It wasn't until spring 2015 that audiences decided to give Bieber another chance. That was because he collaborated with Music/{{Skrillex}} and Music/{{Diplo}} for their side project Jack U, producing "Where Are U Now", which became Bieber's first top 10 hit since 2013 (the song's success can be attributed to Skrillex and Diplo's popularity and curiosity from fans wondering how a collaboration between them would work). In late summer 2015, he released "What Do You Mean?", a single that gained respect from even Bieber's haters and debuted at #1 in over a dozen countries. His next two singles, "Sorry" and "Love Yourself", also topped the Hot 100, Then the corresponding album ''Purpose'' was released and went straight to #1 as well, ultimately solidifying that Bieber was back and bigger than ever (One Direction, meanwhile, has underwent a series of problems following the departure of Zayn Malik from the group). Only time will tell if he manages to stick around for very long.

All that changed in [[TheNineties the following decade]] with the 1970s nostalgia wave, which revived public interest in ABBA's songs. A particularly important landmark for the group was the release, in 1992, of ''ABBA Gold'', which was a huge commercial success and got many younger people to listen to their music for the first time and eventually become fans. In the following years, the group managed to increase more and more its popularity, with the re-release of the original studio albums in CD, as well as the release of new compilation albums, some of which even included previously unreleased songs, such as ''I Am The City'', featured in ''More ABBA Gold'' (1993). 1995, the band's listing in the landmark ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spin_Alternative_Record_Guide SPIN Alternative Record Guide]]'', complete with a glowing write-up, was the first indication of a major, positive re-evalution of the band's discography by music critics. Films such as ''[[MurielsWedding Muriel's Wedding]]'' and tributes by other bands, such as {{Music/Erasure}} and [[{{Music/ATeens}} A-Teens]], also helped increasing the group's popularity. Another great leap was the debut, in 1999, of ''[[MammaMia Mamma Mia!]]'' [[JukeboxMusical (the musical)]], which expanded to multiple locations worldwide, became one of the longest-running musicals in the history of [[UsefulNotes/BroadwayAndTheWestEnd Broadway]] and spawned a theatrical movie in 2008, starring Creator/MerylStreep, Creator/PierceBrosnan and a then little-known actress named Creator/AmandaSeyfried. Nowadays, over 40 years after their debut - and over 20 years after their revival - ABBA remains highly popular, selling millions of records each year and occasionally appearing in the media, in spite of never having reunited (officially).

* Between 2004 and 2008, people felt that {{BritneySpears}}'s career and reputation were beyond repair, and that she'd literally kill herself through her out-of-control lifestyle and craziness. Some people were already writing her obituary. The release of her albums ''Circus'' and ''Femme Fatale'', however, put her music back on top of the charts, restoring her to a level of popularity not seen since her TeenIdol days, while her being placed in the conservatorship of her father took her name out of the tabloids.

* Between 2004 and 2008, Music/BritneySpears was viewed as the DistaffCounterpart of Music/MichaelJackson. People felt that her career and reputation were beyond repair, and that she'd literally kill herself through her out-of-control lifestyle and craziness. Some people were already writing her obituary. The release of her albums ''Circus'' and ''Femme Fatale'', however, put her music back on top of the charts, restoring her to a level of popularity not seen since her TeenIdol days, while her being placed in the conservatorship of her father took her name out of the tabloids.

* It's easy to forget now, but near the end of his life, Music/MichaelJackson was known for only two things: his degenerating physical appearance and allegations of pedophilia. His death in 2009 pushed his bad qualities far enough into the background that it became [[TooSoon somewhat]] [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead disrespectful]] to bring them up. Radio stations were free to play his hits from TheEighties again, whereas before the only song of his that would receive any airplay was the TitleTrack from his 1982 hit album ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' -- and even then it was only around Halloween. Granted, the resurgence of interest didn't lasted as long as expected; aside from two successful Creator/CirqueDuSoleil JukeboxMusical variants, various postmortem releases -- the concert rehearsal film ''This Is It'', the unreleased tracks compilation ''Michael'', a 25th anniversary rerelease of ''Music/{{Bad}}'' accompanied by a Spike Lee documentary -- didn't live up to mountains of hype, and his post-1980s work remains largely overlooked. Still-ongoing (as of 2013) court cases regarding the ugly circumstances of his death don't help, nor does his [[VocalMinority rabid fanbase's]] unwillingness to tolerate those who don't think he was TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth and the greatest artist/entertainer of all time, as it's discouraged less-worshipful examinations of his work and impact. But at least his GloryDays work is acceptable again.

* While never getting the same amount of backlash other 80s artists got, by the mid 90s Music/{{Madonna}} was better known for her complicated personal life even if she had some hits during this period (in [[Recap/TheSimpsonsWhoShotMrBurns in one episode of]] ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', Smithers said he was "feeling worse than Madonna after a recording session"). By the 2000s, the 80s nostalgia craze led to a surge in her popularity. This coupled with the explosion of synthpop the following decade, she has become the role model for practically every female pop star of the 2010s.

* NuMetal. During the '90s, it brought metal back into the mainstream for the first time in nearly a decade and introduced the genre to a whole new generation of metal heads. It was built on the premise of [[GenreBusting defying]] and [[NeoclassicalPunkZydecoRockabilly mixing]] genres, with influences such a grunge, funk, and hip-hop. Bands like Music/{{KoRn}}, Music/{{Slipknot}}, and Music/LimpBizkit were some of the biggest acts in the industry, which were later joined by Music/LinkinPark, Music/PapaRoach, Music/{{Staind}}, and Music/{{Evanescence}}. However, it eventually died out as the audiences tastes shifted towards {{Emo|Music}} and {{Metalcore}}. Meanwhile, it built such a massive hatedom from metalheads, who gave it derogatory nicknames like "mallcore", "whinecore", "poser metal", "MTV metal", and "sports rock". A stereotype of nu metal fans grew that they were either [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy white trash]] or {{wangst}}y teens. Bands like Music/LinkinPark and Music/PapaRoach only stayed relevant by changing their sound into something more socially acceptable, and it became a taboo to admit being a nu metal fan, while rock radio stations practically blacklisted all songs that fell into the genre.\\

All that changed in [[TheNineties the following decade]] with the 1970s nostalgia wave, which revived public interest in ABBA's songs. A particularly important landmark for the group was the release, in 1992, of ''ABBA Gold'', which was a huge commercial success and got many younger people to listen to their music for the first time and eventually become fans. In the following years, the group managed to increase more and more its popularity, with the re-release of the original studio albums in CD, as well as the release of new compilation albums, some of which even included previously unreleased songs, such as ''I Am The City'', featured in ''More ABBA Gold'' (1993). Films such as ''[[MurielsWedding Muriel's Wedding]]'' and tributes by other bands, such as {{Music/Erasure}} and [[{{Music/ATeens}} A-Teens]], also helped increasing the group's popularity. Another great leap was the debut, in 1999, of ''[[MammaMia Mamma Mia!]]'' [[JukeboxMusical (the musical)]], which expanded to multiple locations worldwide, became one of the longest-running musicals in the history of [[UsefulNotes/BroadwayAndTheWestEnd Broadway]] and spawned a theatrical movie in 2008, starring Creator/MerylStreep, Creator/PierceBrosnan and a then little-known actress named Creator/AmandaSeyfried. Nowadays, over 40 years after their debut - and over 20 years after their revival - ABBA remains highly popular, selling millions of records each year and occasionally appearing in the media, in spite of never having reunited (officially).