10 Female Pop Artists Redefining the Genre in the 2020s
Pop isn’t what it used to be—and that’s exactly the point.
The Shape of Pop to Come
The 2020s have shattered the mold of what pop is “supposed” to be. Gone are the days when the genre was limited to major-label polish and choreographed videos. Today, pop is a genre in flux—raw, restless, and rooted as much in TikTok virality as in vocal chops or studio finesse. Leading this movement? A group of women pushing boundaries and reshaping expectations.
These 10 artists aren’t just riding pop’s next wave. They’re the reason it exists.
10. Ice Spice
The Bronx Breakout Making Drill Pop
Ice Spice exploded from TikTok to the Billboard charts with a sound that’s both minimal and magnetic. Songs like “Munch (Feelin’ U)” and “Princess Diana” channel drill beats into catchy, melodic hooks that play just as well on pop playlists as in rap cyphers. Her monotone delivery and carefree aesthetic flip mainstream pop conventions on their head, merging street edge with social media savvy.
Ice Spice to Olivia Rodrigo: we play them all (yes, even during your existential crisis).
9. Gracie Abrams
The Whisper-Tone Songwriter Making Quiet Loud
Gracie Abrams speaks to a generation that craves emotional honesty. Her hushed vocals and stripped-down production style helped popularize the bedroom pop aesthetic. With support slots on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and a growing fanbase for her diaristic lyrics, Abrams proves you don’t need volume to make an impact—just vulnerability.
8. Rina Sawayama
Genre-Defying Pop With a Heavy Metal Heart
Rina Sawayama is a musical shapeshifter. Her debut album, SAWAYAMA, mashed Y2K pop with nu-metal riffs and queer anthems. The British-Japanese artist uses maximalism to challenge norms—sonically, culturally, and politically. From arena rock to 2000s R&B, her songs are layered collages that show pop’s capacity to absorb everything and still make it catchy. Listen to “This Hell.”
7. Ariana Grande
The Voice That Made R&B-Pop Mainstream Again
Ariana Grande’s five-octave range and melismatic runs brought vocal theatrics back into mainstream pop. But what makes her genre-defining is how she blends that traditional prowess with modern production—trap beats, lo-fi textures, and sleek R&B influences. Her albums Sweetener, thank u, next, and Positions all demonstrate how pop can evolve without losing its polish.
6. Charli XCX
The Hyperpop Pioneer
Charli XCX went from mainstream flirtation (“Boom Clap”, “Break the Rules”) to full avant-pop innovator. Her collaborations with producers like A.G. Cook helped create the glitchy, genre-smashing sound known as hyperpop. She’s since moved between underground credibility and radio play, all while refusing to settle into any single mold. Her reach has already spread to other pop stars, as heard in Camila Cabello’s “I Luv It,” which sounds an awful lot like Charli’s “I Got It.”
Want more whisper-pop and genre glitches? Tune into Mix before Charli XCX remixes your sleep cycle.
5. Doja Cat
Genre-Chameleon and Meme Machine
Doja Cat doesn’t play by pop’s rules—she rewrites them mid-song. Her catalog ranges from funk and disco to trap and industrial rap. Hot Pink and Planet Her made her a hitmaker, while Scarlet proved she could go darker, weirder, and still top charts. Few artists move between irony and artistry with as much control.
4. SZA
The Poet of Emotional Pop
With Ctrl and SOS, SZA turned confessional songwriting into mainstream hits. Her sound flows between neo-soul, pop, and alternative R&B, but her greatest strength is how she distills messy emotion into poetic, fragmented storytelling. She’s proof that pop doesn’t need to resolve its contradictions—it can thrive in them.
RELATED: Explore SZA’s best songs.
3. Olivia Rodrigo
Teen Angst with a Pop-Punk Pulse
Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR brought rage, heartbreak, and millennial-era guitars back into the spotlight. With GUTS, she leaned deeper into grunge-pop, echoing Alanis Morissette and Avril Lavigne while keeping her Gen Z sensibility intact. She’s made emotional chaos not only acceptable in pop—but essential.
2. Dua Lipa
Retro Pop for a Digital Age
Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia resurrected disco and gave it a glossy, 21st-century update. She balances throwback charm with algorithm-friendly precision, creating tracks that are both timeless and trending. Her stage presence and fashion-forward visuals cement her as a pop traditionalist with a futuristic twist.
1. Billie Eilish
Minimalist Icon, Maximal Impact
Billie Eilish changed the volume of pop—literally. Her hushed vocals and eerie production turned quiet songs into massive hits. Alongside brother Finneas, she built a sound that felt both intimate and cinematic. Her success redefined the pop star archetype: no longer polished, but personal, strange, and self-possessed.
Pop, Reprogrammed
From drill to disco, whisper-core to hyperpop, the genre is splintering in every direction—and that’s where the magic is. These women aren’t just reflecting pop’s changes. They’re causing them.
