You’ve got drinks, you’ve got snacks, and you’ve got a ballin’ new set of speakers to pump out the jams for your next party. There’s just one problem: What do you play?
As you’ve come to expect, we’ve got you. Here is our list of the best party songs we could dig up, ranging from old-school classics you may have heard in your extremely regrettable prom outfit, to contemporary hits you’d hear blasted at the world’s best nightclubs.
Whatever the mood of your next event, this list is sure to create a dance-first atmosphere, one which melds the songs of yesteryear and the songs of today into one superfun time.
Be sure to check out our other great playlists here, and subscribe to our Spotify channel for an ever-expanding group of playlists that cater to every mood — from quiet contemplation to serious work time to raging party extravaganzas.
If you’re trying to decide between Spotify and Apple Music for your streaming service of choice, we’ve compared the two.
Kanye’s classic Graduation-era single is also the perfect song to launch your after-hours shindig. High energy and driven by an impossible to ignore trumpet line, it’s a red carpet rollout for your ear drums.
A dance-happy single that spans generations, Kenny Loggins’ famed 1980s hit Footloose raises the heat on your get-together early, whether or not people have found their dancing shoes yet. Think of this one as a perfect throwback, a musical appetizer.
Miley Cyrus’ anthemic tale about her initial move to Los Angeles from Nashville has become a modern classic at this point. It’s a high-intensity jam made more interesting by the fact that Cyrus went on to embody so much of what her song’s protagonist was confused about when first relocating to the land of fame.
Let’s be honest: No party is complete without a healthy dose of Earth, Wind & Fire. Funky, groovy, and high energy, Boogie Wonderland goes beyond a classic disco jam — it’s a single that immediately becomes the life of any party, regardless of age group.
A classic single that is almost always among the first picks at any karaoke gathering, Come On Eileen works well in a party setting, where it either serves as upbeat background music, or captures a few die-hard fans from back in the day.
U Remind Me offers partygoers a taste of classic R&B from Usher’s golden era. It’s the sort of song that will either make guests smile as they mouth the words, or have them grooving out to the dense boom-bap beat. Either way, they’ll like it.
A heavy-hitting classic that showcases the best of Dr. Dre’s iconic West Coast style, No Diggity is not as danceable as it is a conversation piece — the perfect song to be playing as you grab a fresh one from the bar.
The Trammps may not have ever amassed the catalog to make them a household name outside of passionate disco revivalists, but with Disco Inferno, they will open up your dance floor to new dimensions (and generations) of booty shaking.
As soon as the classic palm-muted guitar intro begins, the sultry sounds of Rick Springfield’s Jessie’s Girl will have all children of the ’80s immediately interested — and singing along.
For whatever reason, a party song about how a white BMW X6 SUV looks like a panda is like catnip for the younger crowd. It’s a trap single that will have everyone younger than 25 packing the dance floor.
There’s a vast assortment of all-boy and all-girl bands from the late-’90s with party-worthy singles, but only one of them was fronted by a young Beyoncé. On Destiny’s Child’s hit single Jumpin’ Jumpin’, the group harnesses their era’s best hip-hop-style beat, transforming it into an R&B banger worthy of any shindig.
Electropop at its very best, Rihanna’s Don’t Stop The Music pulls any party into high gear with it’s four-on-the-floor beat and cleanly performed vocals, reminding of how the Barbados-born singer has been a sensation for almost a decade.
You’ve already got the tune of Gonna Make You Sweat in your head, just from reading the title. That’s how classic this party-tinged single is, and that’s why it’s a must-have on your party playlist.
Low became a timeless party anthem virtually the moment it hit public ears in 2008, a Southern rap classic that will have listeners bumping and grinding in no time.
A tame party jam that still manages to entertain, Young MC’s Bust A Move has stood the test of time, curating instant good vibes with it’s guitar-driven hook.
Ciara’s best pop hit is also one of her oldest, The 2004 single took the music industry by storm, and continues to enthrall at shindigs to this day.
Nelly’s classic single Ride Wit Me is equally suited to the time spent inside a party as it is the drive to it. This is a dirty, groove-heavy anthem that’s simple and a bit ignorant, the sort of song that has normally levelheaded people throwing caution to the wind.
There’s no better way to get your freak on than with Chic’s classic single. It’s a multigenerational dance-floor hit that will have everyone at your get-together getting down, whether they collect Social Security or pay into it.
The seminal split album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below from Atlanta rap duo OutKast holds a number of golden singles, but none of them had the cultural permeation of Hey Ya!. A potent classic with an impossible to ignore beat, this is one of the catchiest songs ever written, plain and simple.
Anyone who was listening to the radio in the mid-2000s knows the massive impact that producer Timbaland had on the musical landscape of the era, pumping out hit party jam after hit party jam with the ease of a chef making pancakes. The Way I Are is no exception. It’s a beautifully packaged single that showcases his legendary production techniques.
Rick James may be best known by the current generation for Dave Chapelle’s hilarious imitation of his ’80s antics, but back in his time, he managed to create some amazing party singles. Case in point: Super Freak, a beat-driven jam that highlights James’ sizzling vocal energy.
An under-the-radar classic, I’m Too Sexy is probably the only song that anyone remembers from London band Right Said Fred, but if it’s any consolation, this early-’90s single is among the catchiest ever created.
This Shakira and Wyclef Jean collaboration took the world by storm when it first hit the airwaves in 2005, and it remains a worthy addition to any party playlist to this day.
Pink’s classic mid-oughts hit Get The Party Started offers musical incentive to shift things up a notch, inviting listeners to let loose on the dance floor with low vocal runs.
Justin Timberlake’s extra-positive single Can’t Stop The Feeling joins Pharell’s Happy as one of the most upbeat hits ever. It’s such a smile-inducing jam that it can even make menial tasks like cleaning the kitchen fun — so just imagine what it will do to your party.
This Taylor Swift-co-penned single from Calvin Harris and pop princess Rihanna took the world by storm in the summer of 2016. It’s a club banger that perfectly utilizes the duo’s knack for hooky singles — and it pairs understandably well with dancing shoes.
Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk is so catchy it will even have your grandma on the dance floor. It’s a modern classic that was deserving of the massive amount of time it spent on the top of Billboard’s pop charts.
Virtually any of Michael Jackson’s myriad hits is ripe for inclusion on a party playlist — heck, you could probably make a party playlist out of all of them alone — but there’s something about the upbeat energy of P.Y.T. that makes it the most fun of all. Rather than explore the catchy darkness of various Thriller hits, this jam highlights happiness and youth, a perfect subject for any get-together.
Created at the height of Britney Spears’ golden era, Toxic has ruled wedding receptions and high school dance floors for more than a decade. It’s become a throwback hit, but the combination of Spears’ voice and a perfectly crafted beat make it sound as fresh as ever.
Rihanna and Drake bring Caribbean dance influences to the fore on their hit collaboration, with cool, slurry vocals that will match your own.
It’s all about the beat with this one. As soon as the groovy guitar combines with the bass drum, every head in the room will be bobbing — a phenomenon that will only increase when Justin Timberlake’s perfectly pitched vocals hit their eardrums.
It’s somewhere between a modern dance floor ripper and a slow jam, but the mellow energy behind Drake’s hit single Hotline Bling brings something special to an otherwise intense list of tunes.
Waterfalls is the kind of song that comes on, and elicits warm emotion from everybody around. They’ll head to the dance floor, they’ll sing along, and everything will feel at least 20 percent more fun.
T-Pain’s classic autotuned hit Buy You a Drank defined an entire era of Southern urban music, and for good reason: It’s among the catchiest pop hits ever written, and your party locale will quickly become the club in which he is being, “like ooh.”
A dancy pop hit from now-old-school R&B impresario Nelly, Where the Party At rose to prominence because of its simple step-and-repeat groove.
This one’s perfect for when you feel like you need to loosen things up a little. Whether a couple of friends are fighting or someone is feeling alienated, there’s something hilarious about Kelis’ classic single.
Island grooves are perfect for any shindig, and Shaggy’s I Got You will rock your socks off with its clave-laden beat. Need the perfect song to dance to? He’s got you.
Drake’s dance floor single relies heavily on a four-on-the-floor beat and meandering vocal runs to entice partygoers, who will find it nearly impossible to avoid the dance floor once the beat drops.
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