20: One Song That Can Destroy an Entire Pop Era

The lead single is the highest-stakes move in pop music. One song decides if you get to level up  or if the entire era dies on arrival.I ranked every level of lead single from Career Killers to Origin Myths — and some of these placements will start a fight.

From Katy Perry's "Woman's World" (the textbook Career Killer) to Olivia Rodrigo's "drivers license" (the cultural Rorschach test that hard-coded an entire archetype) — this is a complete breakdown of what a lead single actually does to an artist's career. Not chart performance. Not quality. The chessboard moves.

Featuring: Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Adele, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande, Britney Spears & more.