Top 10 Movie Soundtracks of the Decade

The Daniels’ genre-defying masterpiece Everything Everywhere All at Once had a soundtrack as unpredictable and powerful as its plot. Composed by experimental band Son Lux, the music traverses multiple genres—from electronica to orchestral swells, punk energy to meditative ambiance—often within a single track.

The score reflects the film’s chaos, multiverse logic, and emotional core. Key moments, such as the rock universe or the climactic bagel confrontation, are elevated by music that defies convention. Guest appearances by artists like Mitski, David Byrne, and André 3000 added depth and richness to the sonic palette.

The soundtrack played a crucial role in amplifying the film’s emotional layers, moving seamlessly between absurdity and sincerity. It challenged traditional scoring norms and became a favorite among cinephiles and musicians alike. Everything Everywhere All at Once reminded audiences that music in film can be weird, wild, and wildly effective—just like the best kind of storytelling.

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie brought unexpected emotional depth and a soundtrack bursting with color, genre variety, and pop brilliance. Featuring artists like Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Lizzo, the album balanced playful empowerment anthems with melancholic reflections on identity and womanhood. “What Was I Made For?” became a global hit and emotional touchstone.

What made Barbie’s soundtrack so impactful was its dual function. It celebrated surface-level glamor while offering moments of introspective vulnerability. The tonal diversity of the soundtrack reflected the film’s feminist message, quirky humor, and existential themes—sometimes within the same scene.

Barbie’s soundtrack became a viral and critical sensation, sparking conversation about femininity, performance, and self-worth. It’s rare for a film to be both pop culture phenomenon and emotional trigger, but the music made that bridge. This album isn’t just catchy—it’s symbolic, thematic, and carefully crafted to mirror Barbie’s inner and outer transformation.

Christopher Nolan’s Tenet featured a mind-bending concept and a soundtrack that matched its cerebral intensity. Composed by Ludwig Göransson, the score is mechanical, pulsating, and layered with complex time distortions that mirror the film’s inverted narrative structure. The music feels like it’s moving forward and backward at once—just like the story.

What distinguishes this soundtrack is its aggressive rhythm. Heavy synths, distorted percussion, and digital layering give it a sense of relentless motion. Unlike traditional scores that sit in the background, Tenet’s music drives the scenes forward, creating urgency and unease.

Tenet’s soundtrack stands out for its technical ambition. Göransson used reversed audio, experimental mixing, and analog synthesis to achieve the film’s chaotic yet precise feel. It doesn’t just score a movie—it scores a concept. This soundtrack is a rare example of music being as high-concept as the narrative itself.

Pixar’s Soul offered an emotional and existential journey paired with one of the most innovative soundtracks of the decade. The film’s music was composed by two distinct forces: Jon Batiste, who handled the jazz segments, and Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, who created the ethereal, ambient score for the afterlife sequences.

The jazz pieces brought a vibrant, lived-in realism to Joe Gardner’s earthly journey, while the ambient tracks provided a mystical contrast for the soul realm. This duality made Soul’s music both grounded and transcendental. The piano solos, in particular, became signature emotional triggers, expressing things words never could.

Soul’s soundtrack won an Oscar and a Golden Globe, but more importantly, it inspired introspection and admiration from audiences of all ages. It reignited a love for jazz in younger generations and introduced abstract film scoring to mainstream audiences. Soul’s music was not just accompaniment—it was a meditation on life, death, and purpose.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse not only revolutionized animation but also delivered one of the most dynamic soundtracks of the decade. Combining hip-hop, lo-fi beats, and urban swagger, the soundtrack mirrored Miles Morales’ journey and cultural roots with sonic precision. Tracks like “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee became instant classics, with billions of streams and TikTok ubiquity.

The album wasn’t just popular—it was perfectly integrated into the film’s rhythm and visuals. Every song matched the kinetic energy of the animation style, creating an immersive, stylized atmosphere. The blending of licensed tracks with original score gave the movie a youthful, modern edge that resonated across demographics.

The soundtrack gave voice to a new kind of superhero—one who felt real, current, and culturally relevant. It spoke to urban youth, hip-hop culture, and anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. Into the Spider-Verse became a musical milestone, proving that animated films can have soundtracks that rival live-action blockbusters in relevance and replay value.

The soundtrack to Joker, composed by Hildur Guðnadóttir, is a masterclass in minimalist dread. Using a brooding cello as its centerpiece, the music mirrors Arthur Fleck’s psychological descent. Each note feels heavy, calculated, and full of foreboding, perfectly syncing with the film’s dark and unsettling atmosphere.

What makes Joker’s score exceptional is its intimacy. Unlike bombastic superhero scores, this one is hauntingly sparse. The cello becomes a voice of internal agony, drawing audiences into the character’s unraveling mind. It’s a rare example of a soundtrack becoming emotionally inseparable from its protagonist.

Guðnadóttir’s work earned an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, and widespread acclaim for its bold simplicity. It proved that less can be more in film music, especially when composed with emotional precision. Joker’s score didn’t just accompany the story—it became the soundtrack of transformation, trauma, and tragic isolation.

The soundtrack for A Star Is Born, led by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, struck a chord with millions. With tracks like “Shallow,” “Always Remember Us This Way,” and “I’ll Never Love Again,” the music not only told a love story—it captured one. The emotional vulnerability in each performance brought the characters to life in a way few soundtracks achieve.

This album blends country, rock, and pop into a cohesive sonic identity that mirrors the rise-and-fall arc of the protagonists. Gaga’s powerhouse vocals and Cooper’s raw delivery created moments of genuine emotional weight. The music wasn’t a backdrop—it was the film’s soul.

The album topped charts worldwide and earned multiple Grammy and Oscar nominations. It became one of the most streamed soundtracks of the decade, and “Shallow” alone became an anthem of resilience and intimacy. A Star Is Born’s soundtrack didn’t just support the film—it expanded its legacy far beyond the screen.

Hans Zimmer’s score for Dune is not just a soundtrack—it’s an otherworldly soundscape. Known for his experimental approach, Zimmer crafted a score that captured the vastness, mystery, and political tension of Arrakis. From eerie throat chants to distorted bagpipes and swelling orchestral movements, every sound was designed to immerse viewers into the film’s alien terrain.

What set Dune apart sonically was its commitment to originality. Zimmer built new instruments, experimented with vocal layering, and pushed the limits of traditional film scoring. The result was a soundtrack that didn’t just accompany the visuals—it expanded them. The booming percussion and ethereal tones created an audio texture that was as haunting as it was hypnotic.

Critics and fans alike hailed Dune’s music as a landmark achievement in modern scoring. It demonstrated that soundtracks could be bold, abstract, and emotionally impactful even without traditional melody. Zimmer’s work on Dune wasn’t just award-winning—it was a reinvention of what epic science fiction can sound like.

Few soundtracks in recent memory have captured hearts quite like La La Land. A throwback to golden-age musicals with a modern twist, the film’s score—composed by Justin Hurwitz—was whimsical, melancholic, and utterly captivating. Tracks like “City of Stars” and “Another Day of Sun” brought an emotional resonance that turned scenes into unforgettable moments.

What makes this soundtrack special is its storytelling. Each song advances the narrative, revealing the hopes, fears, and transformations of its main characters. The jazz-inspired arrangements are light yet intricate, evoking both nostalgia and originality. The way music is integrated into the storytelling makes it feel like an invisible character guiding the plot.

La La Land’s soundtrack became a global sensation, with performances on award shows, viral YouTube covers, and chart-topping streams. It reignited interest in jazz and musicals for a younger generation, proving that timeless composition still has a place in modern cinema. The emotional depth and melodic beauty of this soundtrack ensure its spot among the decade’s best.

The soundtrack to Black Panther redefined what a superhero film could sound like. Curated and produced by Kendrick Lamar, this project fused contemporary hip-hop with African musical traditions to create something both modern and deeply rooted in heritage. Songs like “All the Stars” and “King’s Dead” were more than catchy—they became cultural anthems.

Beyond chart success, the music of Black Panther resonated because it was conceptually tied to the film’s themes of identity, legacy, and resistance. Traditional African instruments blended seamlessly with Lamar’s poetic lyricism, creating an immersive audio experience that paralleled the visual splendor of Wakanda.

The soundtrack won multiple awards and became a cornerstone of discussions on representation and innovation in Hollywood. It’s one of the rare instances where a companion album not only enhanced a film—it became a historic statement. Black Panther’s soundtrack remains a standout for its authenticity, ambition, and cultural significance, making it one of the defining film albums of the decade.