# Pop Airplay

Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by Billboard Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the United States. The rankings are based on radio airplay detections as measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems (Nielsen BDS), a subsidiary of the U.S.' leading marketing research company. Consumer researchers, Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron), refers to the format as contemporary hit radio (CHR). The current number-one song on the chart is "That's So True" by Gracie Abrams.

## History

The chart debuted in Billboard Magazine in its issued date October 3, 1992, with the introduction of two Top 40 airplay charts, Mainstream and Rhythm-Crossover. Both Top 40 charts measured "actual monitored airplay" from data compiled by Broadcast Data Systems (BDS). The Top 40/Mainstream chart was compiled from airplay on radio stations playing a wide variety of music, while the Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover chart was made up from airplay on stations playing more dance and R&B music. Both charts were "born of then-new BDS electronic monitoring technology" as a more objective and precise way of measuring airplay on radio stations. This data was also used as the airplay component for Hot 100 tabulations. American Top 40 with Shadoe Stevens used this chart for their show from January 1993 to January 1995.
Top 40/Mainstream was published in the print edition of Billboard from its debut in October 1992 through May 1995, when both Top 40 charts were moved exclusively to Airplay Monitor, a secondary chart publication by Billboard. They returned to the print edition in the August 2, 2003, issue. The first number-one song on the chart was "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men.

## Chart criteria

There are forty positions on this chart. Songs are ranked based on its total number of spins per week. This is calculated by electronically monitoring Mainstream Top 40 radio stations across the U.S. 24 hours a day, seven days a week by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems.
Songs receiving the greatest growth receive a "bullet", although there are tracks that also get bullets if the loss in detections doesn't exceed the percentage of downtime from a monitored station. "Airpower" awards are issued to songs that appear on the top 20 of both the airplay and audience chart for the first time, while the "greatest gainer" award is given to song with the largest increase in detections. A song with six or more spins in its first week is awarded an "airplay add". If two songs are tied in spins in the same week, the one with the biggest increase that week ranks higher.
Since the introduction of the chart until 2005, songs below No. 20 were moved to recurrent after 26 weeks on the chart. Beginning the chart week of December 3, 2005, songs below No. 20 were moved to recurrent after 20 weeks on the chart. Since the chart dated December 4, 2010, songs below No. 15 are moved to recurrent after 20 weeks on the chart.
Whereas the Pop Airplay and Pop 100 Airplay charts both measured the airplay of songs played on Mainstream stations playing pop-oriented music, the Pop 100 Airplay (like the Hot 100 Airplay) measured airplay based on statistical impressions, while the Top 40 Mainstream chart used the number of total detections.
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## All-time achievements

In 2012, for the 20th anniversary of the chart, Billboard compiled a ranking of the 100 best-performing songs on the chart over the 20 years, along with the best-performing artists. "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls ranked as the #1 song on that list. In 2017, Billboard revised the rankings, including the methodologies for how they are calculated. "Another Night" by Real McCoy was the new #1 song, while the previous #1 song, "Iris", dropped to #8. Rihanna ranked as the top artist on both all-time charts. Shown below are the top 10 songs and the top 10 artists from the most recent chart.

### Top 10 Pop Songs of all time (1992–2017)

| Rank | Single | Year released | Artist(s) | Peak and duration |
| 1. | "Another Night" | 1994 | Real McCoy | #1 for 6 weeks |
| 2. | "Smooth" | 1999 | Santana featuring Rob Thomas | #1 for 8 weeks |
| 3. | "Hanging by a Moment" | 2000 | Lifehouse | #2 for 12 weeks |
| 4. | "Apologize" | 2007 | Timbaland featuring OneRepublic | #1 for 8 weeks |
| 5. | "How You Remind Me" | 2001 | Nickelback | #1 for 10 weeks |
| 6. | "Here Without You" | 2003 | 3 Doors Down | #1 for 6 weeks |
| 7. | "Don't Speak" | 1996 | No Doubt | #1 for 10 weeks |
| 8. | "Iris" | 1998 | Goo Goo Dolls | #1 for 4 weeks |
| 9. | "Closer" | 2016 | The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey | #1 for 11 weeks |
| 10. | "I Love You Always Forever" | 1996 | Donna Lewis | #1 for 11 weeks |
Source:

### Top 10 Pop Songs artists of all time (1992–2017)

| Rank | Artist |
| 1. | Rihanna |
| 2. | Pink |
| 3. | Maroon 5 |
| 4. | Katy Perry |
| 5. | Justin Timberlake |
| 6. | Britney Spears |
| 7. | Taylor Swift |
| 8. | Kelly Clarkson |
| 9. | Mariah Carey |
| 10. | Bruno Mars |
Source:

## Song records
### Most weeks at number one

| Number of weeks | Artist | Song | Year(s) |
| 14 | Ace of Base | "The Sign" | 1994 |
| 13 | The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber | "Stay" | 2021 |
| 11 | Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men | "One Sweet Day" | 1995–96 |
| 11 | Donna Lewis | "I Love You Always Forever" | 1996 |
| 11 | Natalie Imbruglia | "Torn" | 1998 |
| 11 | Nelly featuring Tim McGraw | "Over and Over" | 2004–05 |
| 11 | The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey | "Closer" | 2016 |
| 10 | Dionne Farris | "I Know" | 1995 |
| 10 | No Doubt | "Don't Speak" | 1996–97 |
| 10 | Céline Dion | "My Heart Will Go On" | 1998 |
| 10 | 'N Sync | "Bye Bye Bye" | 2000 |
| 10 | Nickelback | "How You Remind Me" | 2001–02 |
| 10 | Mariah Carey | "We Belong Together" | 2005 |
| 10 | Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell | "Blurred Lines" | 2013 |
| 10 | Post Malone | "Circles" | 2019–20 |
| 10 | Miley Cyrus | "Flowers" | 2023 |
| 10 | Taylor Swift | "Cruel Summer" | 2023 |

### Most weeks in the top 10

| Number of weeks | Artist | Song | Year(s) |
| 45 | Rema and Selena Gomez | "Calm Down" | 2023–24 |
| 41 | Harry Styles | "As It Was" | 2022–23 |
| 41 | Benson Boone | "Beautiful Things" | 2024–25 |
| 40 | The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber | "Stay" | 2021–22 |
| 40 | Hozier | "Too Sweet" | 2024–25 |
| 39 | The Weeknd | "Blinding Lights" | 2020 |
| 36 | Sabrina Carpenter | "Espresso" | 2024–25 |
| 35 | Post Malone | "Circles" | 2019–20 |
| 33 | The Weeknd | "Die for You" | 2022–23 |
| 32 | Harry Styles | "Adore You" | 2020 |
| 32 | Lil Nas X | "Thats What I Want" | 2021–22 |
| 32 | Taylor Swift | "Cruel Summer" | 2023–24 |

### Most weeks on the chart

| Number of weeks | Artist | Song | Year* |
| 71 | Rema and Selena Gomez | "Calm Down" | 2024 |
| 63 | Harry Styles | "As It Was" | 2023 |
| 60 | The Weeknd | "Blinding Lights" | 2021 |
| 58 | Benson Boone | "Beautiful Things" | 2025 |
| 54 | Glass Animals | "Heat Waves" | 2022 |
| 50 | The Weeknd | "Die for You" | 2023 |
| 49 | Hozier | "Too Sweet" | 2025 |
| 48 | The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber | "Stay" | 2022 |
| 47 | Lewis Capaldi | "Before You Go" | 2020 |
| 45 | Dua Lipa | "New Rules" | 2018 |
| 45 | Khalid and Normani | "Love Lies" | 2019 |
| 45 | Benny Blanco, Halsey, and Khalid | "Eastside" | 2019 |
| 45 | Post Malone | "Circles" | 2020 |
| 45 | Harry Styles | "Adore You" | 2020 |
| 45 | Lil Nas X | "Thats What I Want" | 2022 |
| 45 | Taylor Swift | "Cruel Summer" | 2024 |
| 45 | Teddy Swims | "Lose Control" | 2024 |
| 45 | Sabrina Carpenter | "Espresso" | 2025 |
*Year when the songs ended their respective chart runs.
Prior to 2018, the song with the most weeks on the chart was "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain, which spent 41 weeks on the chart in 1998. This record run held for almost two decades, but has been surpassed many times since then. Radio stations having more data points, such as streaming, to increase their accuracy at measuring what radio listeners want to hear, have made longer runs more commonplace.

### Highest debut

| Debut Position | Artist | Song | Debut Date |
| No. 12 | Mariah Carey | "Dreamlover" | August 14, 1993 |
| No. 12 | Taylor Swift | "Shake It Off" | September 6, 2014 |
| No. 13 | Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar | "Bad Blood" | June 6, 2015 |
| No. 13 | Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone | "Fortnight" | May 4, 2024 |
| No. 14 | Lady Gaga | "Born This Way" | February 26, 2011 |
| No. 14 | Justin Timberlake featuring Jay-Z | "Suit & Tie" | February 2, 2013 |
| No. 16 | Madonna | "Frozen" | March 7, 1998 |
| No. 16 | Britney Spears | "Hold It Against Me" | January 29, 2011 |
| No. 16 | Miley Cyrus | "Flowers" | January 28, 2023 |
| No. 16 | NSYNC | "Better Place" | October 14, 2023 |
| No. 16 | Dua Lipa | "Houdini" | November 25, 2023 |

### Shortest climbs to number one

| Week reached number one | Artist | Song | Date reached number one |
| 4th week | Whitney Houston | "I Will Always Love You" | December 12, 1992 |
| 4th week | Mariah Carey | "Dreamlover" | September 4, 1993 |
| 4th week | The Rembrandts | "I'll Be There for You" | June 17, 1995 |
| 4th week | Nelly featuring Tim McGraw | "Over and Over" | November 6, 2004 |
| 5th week | Janet Jackson | "That's the Way Love Goes" | May 29, 1993 |
| 5th week | Ace of Base | "All That She Wants" | October 30, 1993 |
| 5th week | All-4-One | "I Swear" | May 28, 1994 |
| 5th week | Boyz II Men | "I'll Make Love to You" | September 10, 1994 |
| 5th week | Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men | "One Sweet Day" | December 9, 1995 |
| 5th week | Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar | "Bad Blood" | July 4, 2015 |
| 5th week | Adele | "Hello" | December 5, 2015 |
| 5th week | Justin Timberlake | "Can't Stop the Feeling!" | June 18, 2016 |
| 5th week | Miley Cyrus | "Flowers" | March 4, 2023 |

### Longest climbs to number one

| Week reached number one | Artist | Song | Date reached number one |
| 37th week | Lewis Capaldi | "Before You Go" | September 26, 2020 |
| 32nd week | Glass Animals | "Heat Waves" | January 29, 2022 |
| 31st week | Benny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid | "Eastside" | March 2, 2019 |
| 28th week | Trevor Daniel | "Falling" | July 25, 2020 |
| 28th week | Rema and Selena Gomez | "Calm Down" | May 13, 2023 |
| 27th week | Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby | "Levitating" | June 19, 2021 |
| 26th week | Alessia Cara | "Here" | February 6, 2016 |
| 25th week | CeeLo Green | "Forget You" | April 16, 2011 |
| 25th week | Demi Lovato | "Give Your Heart a Break" | September 15, 2012 |
| 24th week | Alessia Cara | "Scars to Your Beautiful" | February 4, 2017 |
| 24th week | Khalid and Normani | "Love Lies" | September 22, 2018 |
| 24th week | The Weeknd | "Die for You" | February 11, 2023 |
| 24th week | Sabrina Carpenter | "Feather" | April 6, 2024 |

### Shortest climbs to top 10

| Week reached top 10 | Artist | Song | Date reached top 10 | Source |
| 2nd week | Janet Jackson | "That's the Way Love Goes" | May 8, 1993 | |
| 2nd week | Mariah Carey | "Dreamlover" | August 21, 1993 | |
| 2nd week | The Rembrandts | "I'll Be There for You" | June 3, 1995 | |
| 2nd week | Madonna | "Frozen" | March 14, 1998 | |
| 2nd week | NSYNC | "Pop" | June 9, 2001 | |
| 2nd week | Eminem | "Just Lose It" | October 16, 2004 | |
| 2nd week | Britney Spears | "Hold It Against Me" | February 5, 2011 | |
| 2nd week | Lady Gaga | "Born This Way" | March 5, 2011 | |
| 2nd week | Taylor Swift | "Shake It Off" | September 13, 2014 | |
| 2nd week | Taylor Swift featuring Kendrick Lamar | "Bad Blood" | June 13, 2015 | |
| 2nd week | Justin Timberlake | "Can't Stop the Feeling!" | May 28, 2016 | |
| 2nd week | Taylor Swift | "Look What You Made Me Do" | September 16, 2017 | |
| 2nd week | Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie | "Me!" | May 11, 2019 | |
| 2nd week | Ed Sheeran | "Bad Habits" | July 10, 2021 | |
| 3rd week | 48 songs | 48 songs | 48 songs | 48 songs |

### Longest climbs to the top 10

| Week reached top 10 | Artist | Song | Date reached top 10 |
| 35th week | Lauv | "I Like Me Better" | June 23, 2018 |
| 31st week | Edwin McCain | "I'll Be" | October 17, 1998 |
| 27th week | MAX featuring Gnash | "Lights Down Low" | February 3, 2018 |
| 27th week | Lewis Capaldi | "Before You Go" | July 18, 2020 |
| 27th week | AJR | "Bang!" | December 12, 2020 |
| 25th week | MKTO | "Classic" | July 12, 2014 |
| 25th week | Daya | "Sit Still, Look Pretty" | October 15, 2016 |
| 25th week | Jon Bellion | "All Time Low" | March 11, 2017 |
| 25th week | Madison Beer | "Make You Mine" | September 7, 2024 |
| 24th week | Saweetie featuring Doja Cat | "Best Friend" | July 3, 2021 |

## Artist records
### Most number-one singles

| Number of singles | Artist |
| 13 | Taylor Swift |
| 11 | Rihanna |
| 11 | Katy Perry |
| 11 | Maroon 5 |
| 11 | Bruno Mars |
| 10 | Justin Bieber |
| 10 | Ariana Grande |
| 9 | Pink |
| 8 | Justin Timberlake |
| 8 | Doja Cat |
| 8 | Lady Gaga |

### Most cumulative weeks at number one

| Number of weeks | Artist |
| 47 | Katy Perry |
| 45 | Mariah Carey |
| 43 | Taylor Swift |
| 39 | Maroon 5 |
| 38 | Justin Bieber |
| 37 | Bruno Mars |
| 32 | Pink |
| 32 | Rihanna |
| 30 | Ariana Grande |
| 29 | Ace of Base |

### Most top 10 singles

| Number of singles | Artist |
| 30 | Rihanna |
| 25 | Taylor Swift |
| 22 | Maroon 5 |
| 22 | Ariana Grande |
| 20 | Justin Bieber |
| 19 | Pink |
| 19 | Justin Timberlake |
| 19 | Bruno Mars |
| 17 | Mariah Carey |
| 17 | Katy Perry |
| 17 | The Weeknd |

### Most chart entries

| Number of entries | Artist |
| 51 | Rihanna |
| 47 | Nicki Minaj |
| 45 | Taylor Swift |
| 41 | Justin Bieber |
| 41 | Drake |
| 41 | Chris Brown |
| 40 | Pitbull |
| 37 | Britney Spears |
| 36 | Ariana Grande |
| 34 | Justin Timberlake |

### Simultaneously occupying the top two positions

* Mariah Carey: December 9, 1995
* "One Sweet Day" (with Boyz II Men)
* "Fantasy"
* OutKast: January 31 - February 7, 2004
* "Hey Ya!"
* "The Way You Move" (featuring Sleepy Brown)
* Pharrell Williams: July 27 - August 3, 2013
* "Blurred Lines" (Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell)
* "Get Lucky" (Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams)
* Iggy Azalea: June 28 - July 12, 2014
* "Fancy" (featuring Charli XCX)
* "Problem" (Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea)
* Halsey: February 23 - March 9, 2019
* "Without Me"
* "Eastside" (with Benny Blanco and Khalid)
* Ariana Grande: February 20, 2021
* "34+35"
* "Positions"
* Olivia Rodrigo: August 7–28, 2021
* "Good 4 U"
* "Deja Vu"
* Doja Cat: October 15–22, 2022
* "I Like You (A Happier Song)" (Post Malone featuring Doja Cat)
* "Vegas"
* Bruno Mars: February 8-15, 2025
* "Apt." (Rosé and Bruno Mars)
* "Die with a Smile" (Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars)
Source:

### Simultaneously three or more songs in the top 10

* Ariana Grande: May 15–22, 2021
** "Positions"
** "34+35"
** "POV"
* Doja Cat: October 23–30, 2021
** "Kiss Me More" (featuring SZA)
** "You Right" (with The Weeknd)
** "Need to Know"
* Harry Styles: October 15–29, 2022
** "As It Was"
** "Late Night Talking"
** "Music for a Sushi Restaurant"
* Sabrina Carpenter: November 2–9, 2024
** "Espresso"
** "Please Please Please"
** "Taste"
Source:

### Self-replacement at number one

* Mariah Carey — "Fantasy" → "One Sweet Day" (Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men) (December 9, 1995)
* OutKast — "Hey Ya!" → "The Way You Move" (OutKast featuring Sleepy Brown) (February 14, 2004)
* Iggy Azalea — "Fancy" (Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX) → "Problem" (Ariana Grande featuring Iggy Azalea) (July 12, 2014) †
* Halsey — "Without Me" → "Eastside" (Benny Blanco, Halsey and Khalid) (March 2, 2019)
* Ariana Grande — "Positions" → "34+35" (February 13, 2021) ††
* Doja Cat — "I Like You (A Happier Song)" (Post Malone featuring Doja Cat) → "Vegas" (October 22, 2022)
† Iggy Azalea is the only act in Mainstream Top 40 history to replace herself at number one with her first two chart entries.
†† Ariana Grande became the first artist to succeed herself at number one as the only act credited on both tracks.
Source:

### Additional artist achievements

* Lady Gaga is the only artist to have her first six singles reach No. 1.
* JoJo became the youngest (13) solo artist to have a number-one single on the chart with "Leave (Get Out)".
* Rihanna is the youngest (22) artist to attain at least seven No. 1 singles on the chart.
* Justin Bieber became the youngest (26) male artist to attain at least seven No. 1 singles on the chart with "Intentions" (featuring Quavo).
* Kate Bush broke the record for the oldest song to have ever charted on the Mainstream Top 40 chart with "Running Up That Hill", originally released in 1985. It charted in 2022 after its use in the fourth season of Stranger Things. The previous record holder was Empire of the Sun, whose song "Walking on a Dream", originally released in 2008, charted in 2016 after its use in a Honda commercial.

## Album records
### Most number-one singles from an album

| Number of Singles | Artist | Album | Year (s) |
| 6 | Katy Perry | Teenage Dream | 2010-12 |
| 5 | Taylor Swift | 1989 | 2014-15 |
| 4 | Justin Timberlake | FutureSex/LoveSounds | 2006-07 |
| 4 | Lady Gaga | The Fame | 2009 |
| 3 | Ace of Base | The Sign | 1993-94 |
| 3 | Alanis Morissette | Jagged Little Pill | 1996 |
| 3 | Avril Lavigne | Let Go | 2002-03 |
| 3 | Maroon 5 | Overexposed | 2012-13 |
| 3 | Justin Bieber | Purpose | 2015-16 |
| 3 | Selena Gomez | Revival | 2015-16 |
| 3 | Dua Lipa | Future Nostalgia | 2020-21 |
| 3 | Lil Nas X | Montero | 2021-22 |
| 3 | Doja Cat | Planet Her | 2021-22 |
| 3 | Sabrina Carpenter | Short n' Sweet | 2024 |