Methodology

THE LIST | PREVIOUS VERSIONS

I rank the music videos for the Music Videos Ranked list with a points system, similar to that found on the websites Best Ever Albums, Album of the Year, and They Shoot Pictures, Don’t They. Each music video is awarded a certain number of points for appearing on a critics’ or fans’ list, for winning or being nominated for awards, and for achieving a certain number of views on YouTube, among other factors.

In 2026, I found that recent versions of the list had gotten too conservative and disproportionately favored older videos. So, I consolidated the number of sources considered.

Below is a list of the sources considered in 2026:

MTV Video Music Awards: Video of the Year winners & nominees
MTV Video Music Awards: Videos with 5+ wins, nominations
Grammy Awards for Best Music Video winners and nominees
Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Music Videos of All Time
AV Club's 50 Greatest Music Videos
Slant 100 Greatest Music Videos
TimeOut Worldwide's Greatest Music Videos
Billboard's Greatest Music Videos
4 billion or more views on YouTube
Sight & Sound decennial poll
10 Music Video Milestones That Predated MTV
Music Videos in the Pre-MTV Era
A brief history of the music video told in 17 groundbreaking clips

Do you know of a recent quality list that would make a good addition? Email me at adamcallroberts@gmail.com