Every Album of the Year winner at the Grammy Awards since 2000, ranked

There’s no denying the charisma of Bruno Mars, who dominated the charts in 2016 with his ridiculously catchy album "24K Magic." Featuring nine songs all co-written by Mars, the album also won Best R&B Album, Best Engineered Album, Record of the Year and Song of the Year, the latter two trophies going to the album’s title track. 

This British band’s sophomore record managed to impress even the snobbiest of music critics when it was released in 2012, as it blended classic folk instrumentation and modern sonic elements. “I Will Wait,” the album’s lead single, was a massive success and remains the band’s biggest song to date. 

In 2000, it was impossible to turn on any radio station without hearing “Smooth,” the collaboration between guitar virtuoso Carlos Santana and Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas that dominated the airwaves at the start of the millennium and was a hit from the album "Supernatural."

Swift’s second full-length album, "Fearless," made Taylor Swift the youngest artist in history to win an Album of the Year Award at just 20. It also included beloved Swift favorites like “You Belong With Me” and “Love Story,” both of which remain popular among fans a decade later. 

At the 2001 Grammy Awards, Steely Dan’s "Two Against Nature" was practically unbeatable. The band’s first record in more than 20 years following the release of "Gaucho" in 1980, the album also won Best Engineered Album, Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. 

The most nominated album at the 2006 Grammy Awards, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb" took home eight of the trophies it was up for, including Album of the Year. The album’s been certified Platinum in more than a dozen countries, and serious U2 fans might remember that it inspired a red-and-black iPod that was seriously coveted in 2006. 

A truly stunning debut that introduced the world to the raspy, vintage-sounding vocals of Norah Jones, "Come Away With Me" remains one of the best-selling albums of all time. Its title track, "Come Away With Me," was sort of a balm for the politically chaotic year that 2003 was, and that propelled the record to score two Grammys — Album of the Year, of course, and Best Pop Vocal Album. 

The ninth full-length album from ridiculously prolific folk-rocker Beck was arguably one of 2014’s most critically acclaimed albums of the year, which is why it wasn’t much of a surprise that "Morning Phase" took home Album of the Year in 2015. Even now, four years later, tracks like “Heart Is A Drum” and “Blue Moon” still hold up. 

Taylor Swift proved that she wasn’t just a one-win wonder in the Album of the Year category with her 2016 album, "1989," which scored Swift her second trophy in the category. It also marked her full-on transformation into a pop queen, considering that it’s about 100 percent less country than the record that won her Album of the Year just six years prior. 

Combining the legendary talents of Herbie Hancock, who recorded the album, and Joni Mitchell, who wrote the songs, "River: The Joni Letters" features guest vocals from Norah Jones, Tina Turner, Leonard Cohen and of course, Mitchell. It is one of only two jazz albums to ever win Album of the Year. It’s also one of only a few modern jazz albums that’s managed to score mainstream success, peaking at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 after Hancock’s big Grammy win. 

In a move that was a bit controversial with some music fans who’d never heard of this now-iconic indie band, the Recording Academy rewarded Arcade Fire’s sonic diversity and endless catchiness with an Album of the Year win for "The Suburbs" in 2011. 

The long-awaited follow-up to her debut album (and previous Album of the Year winner), "21," Adele struck gold again with "25," a record that showed off the British chanteuse’s powerful voice in an even more impressive way. It sold more copies than any other album in 2015 or 2016 and cemented Adele’s status as the 2010s’ most major new voice. 

Released shortly after Ray Charles’ death in 2004, this blues legend is joined by everyone from Elton John to James Taylor and Willie Nelson on this album of classic covers. Standouts include his duet with Johnny Mathis on “Over The Rainbow” and “Fever,” a killer duet with Natalie Cole. 

Decked out in robot-like helmets, French electronica duo Daft Punk became household names in America in 2014 thanks to their ridiculously catchy smash hit “Get Lucky.” Featuring Pharrell Williams, the song made Daft Punk’s futuristic sound accessible to a whole new generation of fans of electronic music. 

The comeback album following the Dixie Chicks’ blacklisting from country music after frontwoman Natalie Maines made some (then) controversial remarks about President George W. Bush, "Taking The Long Way" is the definition of a triumph. Led with fearless tracks like “Not Ready to Make Nice,” the record also excels in its quieter moments, like “Easy Silence.” 

Breaking the streak of country albums failing to win Album of the Year, Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour” was one of the genre’s most ambitious records of 2019. Blending dance beats, ethereal lyrics and Musgraves’ classic snark, "Golden Hour" was a crossover hit that even listeners who don’t consider themselves country fans could legitimately enjoy. 

This collaboration between Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant and bluegrass icon Alison Krauss, the winningest female artist in Grammys history, was sure to produce an Album of the Year Grammy. A true Americana album, Plant's and Krauss’ voices blend to produce some of the most beautiful and compelling covers of the decade, including The Everly Brothers’ “Gone Gone Gone” and “Please Read The Letter,” co-written by Plant and his Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page. 

In 2012, Adele shocked many with an Album of the Year win for her remarkable debut, "21." Co-written in its entirety by Adele, this record scored some of the biggest hits of the ‘10s in tracks like “Rolling in the Deep” and “Rumor Has It.” 

Bolstered by the smash-hit single “Hey Ya,” "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" was an obvious choice for Album of the Year in 2004. Since its release, the album has been certified 11-times platinum and remains one of the most ambitious works in hip-hop history thanks to its dual-album structure in which OutKast’s Big Boi and Andre 3000 blend all kinds of musical influence in distinct styles on separate albums. 

Produced by music icon T Bone Burnett, the soundtrack for the Coen Brothers film "O Brother Where Art Thou?" kicked off renewed interest in bluegrass music across the country. The song’s featured track, “Man of Constant Sorrow,” was a major country hit, and the album itself topped the all-genre Billboard Top 200. Its success probably had a lot to do with the all-star cast of musicians who contributed to the soundtrack, ranging from icons like Emmylou Harris and Ralph Stanley to modern queen Alison Krauss.