Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, marked the 20-year anniversary since Taylor Swift made her debut into the music industry; little did she know that she would become of the most known music artists today. From starting as a teenage country singer to becoming a strategic and creative singer-songwriter, Taylor Swift has constantly been reinventing herself, with a diverse range of genres in her music, spanning from country to rock-pop, to indie-folk, to pop music.
Making 12 albums over the span of 20 years is no easy feat, but ranking these albums feels even harder than that as a fan of her music. Each album that Taylor Swift has made feels like it has a new sonic or lyrical component that I haven’t heard before and makes it feel even more interesting by approaching the same topics through a new perspective. Ranking these albums is my own way of honoring her for all of Swift’s creativity that I have been honored to experience by listening to her music. Every Swiftie is going to have their own opinions on which albums are better than the others, but these are what I believe are her best albums from first to twelfth.
12. Debut
The lyrics on Debut are good, but I don’t relate to this album as much as I might with some of the other albums that she has made. I’m also not that big of a country music fan; I like a lot of the songs on this album, but that genre isn’t really my vibe. Don’t get me wrong; I still appreciate and love this album for being the place where she started out and for others to see exactly where her career began.
11. the life of a showgirl
I really liked the themes in this album, but it felt like on this album specifically, her lyrics were not as good as they usually are. I did like songs like “Father Figure” and “Ruin the Friendship” where she writes about personal experiences that aren’t specifically about a guy, like getting her music back and the internalized turmoil of losing one of your closest friends and never getting the chance to tell them how you feel. Songs like “Eldest Daughter” and “CANCELLED!” Have good concepts but do not set them up well lyrically throughout the whole song.
10. lover
I really like Lover because of the theme of love and vulnerability being represented, and how each song on the album makes her listeners feel they are falling in love just like Taylor is. Songs like “Cruel Summer,” “The Archer,” and “Soon You’ll Get Better” stand out to me because they show how you can experience more than just one emotion when you are in love. Meanwhile, songs like “ME!,” “It’s Nice to Have a Friend,” and “I Forgot That You Existed” don’t stand out to me as much because other songs on the album seem like they are more meaningful and specific. Overall, Lover is a good album, but some songs have a deeper meaning than others, and I connect with her other albums more.
9. evermore
I like evermore because this album has really elaborated storytelling through songs like “champagne problems” and “no body, no crime,” where she doesn’t specifically say it’s her experience and makes it easier for her listeners to have their own interpretation. I love the storytelling on this album, but I prefer it on albums like “The Tortured Poets Department” and “folklore.” Overall, evermore was beautifully written and very relatable, but I think that some of her other albums have more specifically relatable themes.
8. fearless
I appreciate how important Fearless was for Taylor’s career, but I do not connect with this as much as some of her other albums. Songs like “Love Story” and “You Belong With Me” are very iconic songs on the album that I love, but I also love the deeper storytelling and creativity she has on later albums. I also think that Fearless shows the excitement and feeling of being young in love, but the country-pop sound is not my favorite out of all her albums.
7. reputation
I really liked how Taylor made a change by using a darker and angrier sound, combining it with some very vulnerable love songs, which was very unexpected for this album. Songs like “Getaway Car,” “Delicate,” and “Call It What You Want” are some of the songs that really stand out to me on this album because they show how you can really love something when everything else in your life is still a mess. I also really like how Taylor could take back the narrative with this album by turning the public criticism into something meaningful to others as well.
6. red
I like how Red shows the messy and complicated feelings you have during a heartbreak, especially in a song like “All Too Well (Ten Minute Version),” which showcases Taylor’s creative storytelling and makes fans feel like they’re in the same setting and feeling the same way as her. I really love the autumn aesthetic of this album and the experimentation with different sounds on each song.
5. 1989
I love the way that 1989 represents a theme of happiness and independence at the same time through high-energy and upbeat pop songs. Songs like “Clean,” “Style,” and “Out of the Woods” really stand out to me because they have important storytelling combined with a very memorable production of the sounds of the songs.
4. midnights
The Midnights album is one of the most significant Taylor Swift albums because it explores the themes of second-guessing yourself, and the sound of each song makes you feel like you are in a dream. Songs like “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” “Anti-Hero,” and “Would’ve, Could’ve, Should’ve” show the honest personal connections of regret and growth that Swift is processing.
3. speak now
Speak Now has very emotional storytelling, and I find it amazing that Swift wrote this entire album herself at only 19 years old. Songs like “Enchanted,” “Dear John,” and “Last Kiss” show how brutally honest Taylor is with her fans by making some of the best pop-country storytelling through these songs, making each song feel very personal.
2. folklore
Folklore was the first time that Taylor revealed her incredible poetic skills through lyrics, storytelling, and dream-like sounds, making it feel incredibly unique. Songs like “cardigan” and “august” are ones that stand out to me on this album because these stories feel very realistic and personal even though she does not specifically say they are about her. I also really like the cozy and comforting aesthetic that this album gives off. The beautiful combination of the lyrics and sound makes a unique listening experience.
1. the tortured poets department
The Tortured Poets Department is my favorite Taylor Swift album because of the unfiltered lyrics showing all the feelings that someone feels when they’re going through a heartbreak, making it relatable for her fans who feel the same way without making it seem polished over. Songs like “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived,” “Down Bad,” and “How Did It End?” are tracks from this album that stand out to me because of how intense and dramatic the storytelling is, so you can hear just how heartbroken she was. I love how this album makes it feel like you are looking into Taylor’s diary instead of just listening to one of her songs, making this one of her most compelling albums.