50 best albums of 2023

2023 graced us with a plethora of powerful alternative albums worth writing home about. Early on, we could tell this year would bode well: In February, after a four-year hiatus, Paramore released a funky, complex new project that’s lit a fire under their avid fanbase; Foo Fighters produced a nearly flawless rock ’n’ roll album that both gracefully, and gutturally, taps into their very real pain and loss; GEL gave us a debut album that does their mission statement of making “hardcore for freaks” serious justice. Then, in the back half of the year, there’s blink-182’s reunion album, Kevin Abstract’s left turn, and HEALTH’s apocalyptic rock. From post-hardcore to pop, alt-rap to grunge, the definition of alternative is as wide and inclusive as ever for us at AP. That being said, it was a struggle to fit our favorites into a list of 50, but we’ve managed.

Below are the best albums from another whirlwind year.

The best albums of 2023