The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by Billboard magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems."[1]
It is a format in which the genre is geared more towards an adult audience who are not into hard rock, hip hop, or soft adult contemporary fare. The main genres within this format are a mix of soft and energetic adult contemporary music alongside adult alternative rock and adult-oriented pop music. It is not to be confused with the Adult Contemporary chart which contains more ballad-driven songs played on the radio. The current number-one song on the chart is "Opalite" by Taylor Swift.[2]
The chart was first published in the March 16, 1996, issue of Billboard; however, historically, the chart's introduction was in October 1995, when it began as a test chart.[3]
The Adult Top 40 chart was formed following a split of the "Hot Adult Contemporary" chart due to the growing emergence of Adult Top 40 radio stations in the 1990s. These stations played a wider variety of artists and saw a faster turnover of songs compared to traditional adult contemporary radio. Songs by modern rock, dance, and R&B artists were mixed in with acts more closely associated with adult contemporary. According to Billboard, splitting the chart "better reflect[s] the music being played on adult contemporary and adult/top 40 stations."[3]
The first number-one song on the Adult Top 40, from the test chart of October 7, 1995, was "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal.[4] The first number-one song on the Adult Top 40, from the published chart of March 16, 1996, was "One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.[5]
There are 40 positions on this chart. Songs are ranked based on its total number of spins per week. This is calculated by electronically monitoring Adult 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.
| Issue Date | Criteria | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 16, 1996 - Jun 29, 2002 | Records below the top 20 are removed from the chart after 26 weeks. | [6] | |
| July 6, 2002 - November 26, 2005 | Records below the top 15 are removed from the chart after 26 weeks. | [7] | |
| December 3, 2005 - April 18, 2009 | Songs are removed from the chart if they have been on the chart for
| [8] | |
| April 25, 2009 - Present | Descending songs are removed from the chart if they have been on the chart for
| [9] |
In 2016, for the 20th anniversary of the chart, Billboard compiled a ranking of the 50 best-performing songs and artists on the chart over the 20 years. "Smooth" by Santana featuring Rob Thomas was ranked as the #1 song, while Maroon 5 was ranked as the #1 artist.[10] Listed below are the top 10 songs and the top 10 artists.
| Rank | Single | Year released | Artist(s) | Peak and duration | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Smooth" | Santana featuring Rob Thomas |
| |||
| "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" | Train |
| |||
| "Wherever You Will Go" | The Calling |
| |||
| "How to Save a Life" | The Fray |
| |||
| "Counting Stars" | OneRepublic |
| |||
| "Unwell" | Matchbox Twenty |
| |||
| "I'm Yours" | Jason Mraz |
| |||
| "You and Me" | Lifehouse |
| |||
| "All for You" | Sister Hazel |
| |||
| "Hanging by a Moment" | Lifehouse |
|
| Rank | Artist | |
|---|---|---|
| Maroon 5 | ||
| Matchbox Twenty | ||
| Train | ||
| Nickelback | ||
| Pink | ||
| Kelly Clarkson | ||
| Katy Perry | ||
| Goo Goo Dolls | ||
| Daughtry | ||
| Taylor Swift |
| Number of weeks | Artist(s) | Song | Year(s) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | Alex Warren | "Ordinary" | 2025–26 | [13] |
| 25 | Santana featuring Rob Thomas | "Smooth" | 1999 - 2000 | [14] |
| 23 | The Calling | "Wherever You Will Go" | 2001 - 02 | [15] |
| Taylor Swift | "Cruel Summer" | 2023 - 24 | [16] | |
| 20 | The Weeknd | "Blinding Lights" | 2020 | [17] |
| 18 | Matchbox Twenty | "Unwell" | 2003 | [18] |
| Nickelback | "Photograph" | 2005 - 06 | [19] | |
| 17 | Goo Goo Dolls | "Iris" | 1998 | [20] |
| Miley Cyrus | "Flowers" | 2023 | [21] | |
| 16 | Avril Lavigne | "Complicated" | 2002 | [22] |
| 15 | No Doubt | "Don't Speak" | 1996 - 97 | [23] |
| The Fray | "How to Save a Life" | 2006 - 07 | [24] | |
| Panic! at the Disco | "High Hopes" | 2018 - 19 | [25] |
| Number of weeks | Artist(s) | Song | Year(s) | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75 | Train | "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" | 2001 - 02 | [26] | |
| 73 | Lifehouse | "Hanging by a Moment" | 2001 - 02 | [27] | |
| 72 | Santana featuring Rob Thomas | "Smooth" | 1999 - 2000 | ||
| 71 | The Calling | "Wherever You Will Go" | 2001 - 03 | [28] | |
| 69 | Sister Hazel | "All for You" | 1997 - 98 | [29] | |
| 65 | Goo Goo Dolls | "Slide" | 1998 - 1999 | ||
| The Weeknd | "Blinding Lights" | 2020 - 21 | |||
| 63 | Vertical Horizon | "Everything You Want" | 1999 - 2001 | [30] | |
| 62 | Edwin McCain | "I'll Be" | 1998 - 99 | [31] | |
| 61 | Duncan Sheik | "Barely Breathing" | 1996 - 97 | [32] |
| Debut Position | Artist | Song | Debut Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 8 | Taylor Swift | "The Fate of Ophelia" | October 18, 2025 | [33] |
| No. 9 | "Shake It Off" | September 6, 2014 | [34] | |
| Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone | "Fortnight" | May 4, 2024 | [35] | |
| No. 12 | Ed Sheeran | "Eyes Closed" | April 8, 2023 | [36] |
| NSYNC | "Better Place" | October 14, 2023 | [37] | |
| No. 13 | Alanis Morissette | "Thank U" | October 10, 1998 | [38] |
| Ed Sheeran | "Afterglow" | January 2, 2021 | [39] | |
| No. 14 | Taylor Swift featuring Brendon Urie | "Me!" | May 4, 2019 | [40] |
| Adele | "Easy on Me" | October 23, 2021 | [41] | |
| Miley Cyrus | "Flowers" | January 28, 2023 | [42] | |
| Ed Sheeran | "Azizam" | April 19, 2025 | [43] | |
| No. 16 | Eric Clapton | "Change the World" | June 22, 1996 | [44] |
| Maroon 5 | "Maps" | July 5, 2014 | [45] | |
| Taylor Swift | "Look What You Made Me Do" | September 9, 2017 | [46] | |
| Pink | "Never Gonna Not Dance Again" | November 19, 2022 | [47] |
| Number of singles | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | [48] | |
| Pink | [49] | |
| 8 | [50] | |
| [51] | ||
| 6 | Adele | [52] |
| [53] | ||
| 5 | ||
| [54] |
| Number of weeks | Artist | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | |||
| 72 | |||
| 54 | |||
| 51 | |||
| 47 | |||
| 45 | |||
| 40 | [55] | ||
| 38 | |||
| 35 | |||
| 34 |
| Number of singles | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | ||
| 28 | ||
| 20 | ||
| 18 | ||
| 17 | [56] | |
| 16 | ||
| 15 | ||
| [57] | ||
| 14 | ||
| [58] |
| Number of entries | Artist | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 54 | ||
| 34 | ||
| 33 | ||
| 32 | [59] | |
| 30 | ||
| 29 | [60] | |
| 28 | ||
| 26 | [61] | |
| Artist | Length of break | Preceding hit and final date at number one | Succeeding hit and first date at number one | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruno Mars | 9 years, 8 months and 3 weeks | "Uptown Funk" (March 14, 2015) | "Die with a Smile" (December 7, 2024) | ||
| Hozier | 9 years, 4 months and 2 weeks | "Take Me to Church" (February 14, 2015) | "Too Sweet" (June 29, 2024) | [62] | |
| OneRepublic | 8 years and 9 months | "Counting Stars" (February 8, 2014) | "I Ain't Worried" (November 5, 2022) | [63] | |
| Coldplay | 8 years and 8 months | "Viva la Vida" (October 11, 2008) | "Something Just Like This" (June 10, 2017) | [64] | |
| Train | 6 years, 4 months and 1 week | "Calling All Angels" (October 4, 2003) | "Hey, Soul Sister" (February 13, 2010) | ||
| Maroon 5 | 5 years, 10 months and 1 week | "She Will Be Loved" (December 18, 2004) | "Misery" (October 2, 2010) |
