100 Greatest Women In Music

In the winter of 2012, VH1 released their list of the 100 greatest women in music. See how many female artists and all-girl groups you can name.
Quiz by bebn123
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Last updated: June 27, 2012
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First submittedJune 27, 2012
Times taken8,447
Average score24.0%
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15:00
Believe it or not, legends like Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Janis Joplin didn't even make the list! Also, if you type the band the woman is in, it will register in most cases.
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Answer
100.
Pussycat Dolls
99.
Demi Lovato
98.
Ashanti
97.
Grace Potter
96.
Mandy Moore
95.
Wilson Phillips
94.
Colbie Caillat
93.
Feist
92.
Jordin Sparks
91.
Monica
90.
Regina Spektor
89.
Hillary Scott
88.
SWV
87.
Robyn
86.
Ingrid Michaelson
85.
Faith Evans
84.
Avril Lavigne
83.
Meg White
82.
Miley Cyrus
81.
Spice Girls
80.
Sara Bareilles
79.
PJ Harvey
78.
Kim Gordon
77.
Hayley Williams
76.
Leona Lewis
75.
Kim Deal
74.
Paula Abdul
73.
Dido
72.
Brandy
71.
Natalie Merchant
70.
Macy Gray
69.
Courtney Love
68.
Indigo Girls
67.
M.I.A.
66.
Natasha Bedingfield
65.
Liz Phair
64.
Eve
63.
Jill Scott
62.
LeAnn Rimes
61.
Shirley Manson
60.
Florence And The Machine
59.
Destiny's Child
58.
Miranda Lambert
57.
Ke$ha
56.
Gloria Estefan
55.
Fiona Apple
54.
Tori Amos
53.
Sarah McLachlan
52.
En Vogue
51.
Nelly Furtado
50.
Lauryn Hill
49.
Amy Lee
48.
Aaliyah
47.
Kylie Minogue
46.
Toni Braxton
45.
Lil' Kim
44.
Erykah Badu
43.
Taylor Swift
42.
Melissa Etheridge
41.
Jewel
40.
Nicki Minaj
39.
Dixie Chicks
38.
Salt-N-Pepa
37.
Faith Hill
36.
Shakira
35.
Shania Twain
34.
Queen Latifah
33.
Norah Jones
32.
Fantasia
31.
Cher
30.
Sade
29.
Björk
28.
k.d. Lang
27.
Fergie
26.
Amy Winehouse
25.
Sheryl Crow
24.
Jennifer Hudson
23.
Carrie Underwood
22.
Annie Lennox
21.
Celine Dion
20.
Rihanna
19.
Kelly Clarkson
18.
Missy Elliott
17.
Katy Perry
16.
Jennifer Lopez
15.
Alanis Morissette
14.
Alicia Keys
13.
Gwen Stefani
12.
TLC
11.
Britney Spears
10.
P!nk
9.
Mary J. Blige
8.
Christina Aguilera
7.
Janet Jackson
6.
Whitney Houston
5.
Adele
4.
Lady Gaga
3.
Beyoncé
2.
Mariah Carey
1.
Madonna
+2
Level 77
Jun 28, 2012
Hill didn't work for Faith Hill. :-(
+1
Level 59
Jun 29, 2012
Yes, I know. The main reason is because Lauryn Hill is at number 50, and I didn't want both of them to count when someone types "Hill". Sorry for the inconvenience.
+1
Level 32
Jul 11, 2012
The Band Perry was accepted for Katy Perry, but the woman in the band is Kimberly Perry. Can you fix that?
+1
Level 59
Jul 14, 2012
Sorry, but I can't really. It wouldn't be very fair to those who type in "Perry" meaning Katy Perry, considering she's the only "Perry" on the list. It sort of follows the same principle as "Hill", because Lauryn Hill and Faith Hill are both on the list, and I don't want people to get one of them by that kind of coincidence.

Thanks for your concern, though.

+2
Level 19
Sep 3, 2012
cant believe nicki minaj is on there, and whats worse is i got her.
+1
Level 59
Sep 4, 2012
It's pretty bull to:

a. List her as one of the 100 greatest women in music.

b. Put her in front of Lil' Kim.

c. Say there are only 39 women in music greater than her.

+2
Level 74
Nov 25, 2012
Lady GaGa, seriously?????
+1
Level 59
Nov 25, 2012
I know. I know she's had a lot of hits, and I'd definitely put her on the list, but I agree that #4 is just bullcrap... Especially when that puts her in front of Whitney Houston.
+5
Level 75
Feb 15, 2013
Pointless list. When I read, before I took the test, that Aretha wasn't on the list, I thought, OK, lets try Dixie Chicks. And if they're on the list I'm done. Sure enough. So I missed 99 and got one. Then I looked at the list to see who was on it and I saw Demi Lovato, Miley Cyrus, Spice Girls, .....and no Aretha, Diva extraordinaire, the Queen of Soul, Motown Legend. Are you kidding me? Pointless!
+1
Level 59
Feb 17, 2013
lolz. Was it really worth it to get only one answer? Especially considering you hate them? Besides, most of the lists on this site are pointless, but they're still fun to go through.
+3
Level 49
Nov 18, 2013
Comment on VH1 and their "list": completely pointless and without merit. Jennifer Lopez. REALLY? I mean, REALLY? No Franklin, Turner, Heart, Go Go's, Jett, Nicks, or Joplin? Or the several others left off. But Jennifer Lopez. Good grief.
+1
Level 59
Nov 19, 2013
Pretty ridiculous, for sure. I mean, I understand JLO being on the list due to popularity, but her music is kinda suckish in my opinion (and I'm not just saying that because I don't like it). At least someone as worthy as Alanis beat her out, if only by one position.
+3
Level 75
Dec 18, 2013
Took this quiz today forgetting that I took it back in February, and was about to make a comment when I saw my February post. VH1 should have named it 100 Greatest Women in modern pop music. Joni Mitchell, Carol King, Aretha, Diana Ross, Linda Ronstadt, Judy Collins, Gracie Slick, Gladys Knight...these are all great women in music but they are obviously not modern. Instead of pointless, maybe I should have just said, "Pointless Title". Most of the quizzes are fun I agree, but they are not all pointless.
+2
Level 59
Dec 19, 2013
First of all, thanks for taking my quiz again; I really appreciate it!

Second, I wouldn't say "pop music" would be the best title either. Perhaps "since the 90s" would be a decent enough title to sum them up. Mainly because Hayley Williams, PJ Harvey, Grace Potter, and several other of these artists aren't in the "pop" category.

But yeah, well said; the title's more of a problem than the list itself.

+2
Level 78
Feb 16, 2014
Justin Bieber would truly complete this awful list. Good quiz, however.
+1
Level 59
Feb 17, 2014
Thanks, but let's not use the gender joke; it's gotten far too old for it to be funny.
+2
Level 69
May 2, 2014
Why naming Edith Piaf right? Miley Cyrus is way more influential and a way better musician. Interesting quiz anyway
+1
Level 59
May 2, 2014
Uhh... what are you saying?
+1
Level 59
May 6, 2014
I assume you mean Britney Spears. Honestly, I'm shocked you're pointing her out compared to some of the other artists on the list. Britney's had a ton of chart toppers, whereas I never would've heard of Tori Amos or Jill Scott if it wasn't for this list.
+1
Level 56
Jan 18, 2015
Are you 14?
+1
Level 59
Jan 21, 2015
Nope.
+1
Level 76
Feb 24, 2015
I thought this was an absolutely ridiculous list. But then I saw that it was based on VH1's top 100 in 2012. Up until then, I couldn't understand why there were no classic artists like Aretha, Stevie Nicks, Carole King, Billy Holliday, etc. It's apparent now that it was a list of current artists. Knowing that, I could probably do a little better.
+1
Level 20
Apr 12, 2015
Why doesn't Minaj work for Nicki Minaj?
+1
Level 59
Apr 14, 2015
It does. You probably just misspelled it.
+1
Level 83
Jul 26, 2015
I really, really wanted to put Debbie Wiseman, one of the best modern composers, or Clara Schumann, one of the most influential female composers and musicians ever, but apparently in this list "music" didn't stretch to actual music.
+1
Level 59
Jul 27, 2015
I'm pretty sure the intent was to base it on performers more so than writers/composers. Either way, it still left out a lot of obvious choices.
+1
Level 66
Sep 18, 2015
The reason that this list doesn't include the iconic women is because this is top 100 women of the past 20 years. I watched this special on VH1.
+1
Level 52
Oct 18, 2015
80% = never heard for me
+2
Level 46
Apr 29, 2016
This list is beyond absurd. What the hell is wrong with VH1?!
+2
Level 46
Jul 18, 2016
Any tiny vestiges of credibility that VH1 still had...just went down the tubes.
+1
Level 1
Aug 25, 2016
I added my own greatest women in music quiz, which I think has a much better selection and might appeal to some people here complaining about the poor selection in the VH1 one, check it out:

http://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/203885/50-greatest-women-in-music

+4
Level 46
Oct 28, 2016
I'm not really adding a new sentiment here, but... what twisted version of "reality" are we living in where Ke$ha and Mandy Moore make the list, while Stevie Nicks, Grace Slick, Tracy Chapman, etc., are missing? Also, this list totally favors currently popular stars, which is really not at all indicative of "all-time" success or popularity. Absurd and idiotic, and not just a matter of taste, but of fact.
+1
Level 59
Oct 29, 2016
Couldn't have said it better myself.
+2
Level 55
Oct 11, 2017
Off the top of my head-

Marion Anderson

Judy Garland

Reba McEntire

Dolly Parton

Patsy Cline

Karen Carpenter

Barbra Streisand

Peggy Lee

Eydie Gorme

Doris Day

Bonnie Raitt

Mahalia Jackson

+1
Level 57
Mar 6, 2024
or even Stevie Nicks. whatever the creator of this list was on, i want some
+2
Level 46
May 25, 2018
Agree 100 % with the above. It is like the real great ladies of song never existed. Deep 6 this quiz.
+1
Level 59
May 26, 2018
Do me a favor and read the description of the quiz.
+2
Level 65
Aug 12, 2020
No Aretha Franklin...I'm out
+1
Level 61
Jul 22, 2023
Worst list ever...
+1
Level 39
Feb 9, 2024
agreed. no kate bush or aretha is literlly criminal