Miley Cyrus is Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of 2013 for how she reinvented herself for adult superstardom at the dawn of the streaming age.

Blondie is Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of 1981 for how the band defined pop cool at the outset of the MTV age.

In this sidebar to our Greatest Pop Stars by Year article series, we look at the 10 greatest years in the history of modern ...

Justin Timberlake stepped into unquestioned solo superstardom with the best clothes, moves and songs of anyone in 2006.

Usher is Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of 2004 for how he owned the year front-to-back with his 'Confessions' album.

Whitney Houston is Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of 1986 for how she charmed the entire world with her voice, personality and ...

With the year's biggest single, video and pop blockbuster album, Rihanna took the leap from hitmaker to superstar.

Adele is Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of 2011 for how she zoomed past an entire pop golden age with a one-of-a-kind sound ...

Riding a decade of slowly building momentum, Lil Wayne took his turn in the mainsteram spotlight in 2008 with the year's ...

This Greatest Pop Stars Sidebar looks at Phil Collins and how he became the face of mid-'80s adult corporate pop.

This sidebar to Billboard's Greatest Pop Series looks at how dancehall's second wave made a huge and long-lasting impact on ...

Britney Spears is Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of 1999 for how she set the template for decades of pop stars to come.