U2 Albums: RANKED

Jun 5
7 min read

Updated: Jun 6

With the release of Bono: Stories of Surrender on Apple TV+, I found myself diving back into the music of U2—one of the most important, influential, polarizing, and flat-out fascinating bands of the last 50 years.

The new film, directed by the great Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford—an absolute masterpiece), captures Bono’s intimate 2023 stage show at the Beacon Theatre. It’s reflective, theatrical, personal. And it got me thinking—it’s time to rank the albums.

Now listen, I’m a fan. I’ve always been a fan. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t had my issues with U2 over the years. This is a band that’s evolved, shape-shifted, reinvented, overthought, overreached, and occasionally disappeared up its own self-importance. And yet, through it all, the music has endured, and the peaks—man, the peaks—are among the most transcendent in rock history.

They formed in 1976 in Dublin, a bunch of kids—Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.—barely out of high school. They were raw, political, emotional. Post-punk kids with big ideas and even bigger ambition.

Their debut, Boy, came out in 1980. Fast-forward to The Joshua Tree in 1987 and they were the biggest band on the planet. Stadiums. MTV. The cover of Time. And that level of success came with a price.

The Rattle and Hum era? For me, the nadir. The music was there, but man... they became unbearable for a bit. The speechifying. The self-importance. The whole thing felt like it needed to be taken down a peg. But here’s the thing—they took themselves down a peg. They saw the backlash. And instead of doubling down on the bombast, they reinvented themselves.

Achtung Baby in 1991? Still one of the greatest reinventions in music history. Suddenly U2 was ironic, industrial, sexy, fun. The Zoo TV tour was a multimedia mind-bender. They weren’t preaching—they were performing. Zooropa, Pop, all of it. They went from earnest to edgy, from sepia-toned Americana to neon-lit chaos. And it worked.

Then in the 2000s, they pivoted again. All That You Can’t Leave Behind was their “we’re grown-ups now” record. A return to clarity. How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb followed and showed they could still write the kind of anthemic arena rock that made them legends in the first place.

Now, I’ll be honest—the past decade? Not quite the same. The music from Songs of Innocence (hello, iTunes controversy) to Songs of Experience to Songs of Surrender has been more hit-or-miss for me. It’s felt more like filler than fire. But I’ve still listened. Because this band, even at their least inspired, is still more interesting than most at their best.

And let’s not forget: U2 is a live band like no other. I’ve seen them in small venues and massive stadiums, and they always bring it. They care. They pour themselves into every show. Say what you want about Bono, but he’s one of the greatest frontmen in rock history. Charismatic, emotional, committed. And The Edge? His guitar sound is otherworldly. Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr.? Rock-solid rhythm section that keeps the whole damn thing grounded.

I’ll also never forget being at Comiskey Park in July 1983. An all-day music fest: The Police, A Flock of Seagulls, Ministry, Joan Jett, The Fixx. And between sets, they played “New Year’s Day” on the big screen. MTV had only been around for a year and a half. When that video played, the crowd went nuts—like the band was actually there. I turned to a friend and said, “These guys are gonna be huge.” And they were. And still are.

So now, nearly 45 years after Boy, it’s time to rank their studio albums. No live compilations. No EPs. No side projects or solo works. Just the 15 proper U2 studio records, ranked from my personal favorite to the least essential. And I’ll say this: even the albums at the bottom of the list are worth hearing. Because when U2 misses, they still miss with ambition.

U2 Albums RANKED (in my order of preference):

1. ACHTUNG BABY (1991)

This is it. The crown jewel. U2 reinvented themselves in the '90s and came out the other side not just relevant, but better than ever. After a stretch of self-importance and bloated seriousness, they found their swagger again. There’s not one bad song on this album. "One" is one of the greatest songs of all time, period. “Mysterious Ways,” “The Fly,” “Until the End of the World,” “So Cruel,” “Ultraviolet,” “Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses”—track after track, it’s flawless. Working with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno pushed them into genius territory. Easily their best album.

2. WAR (1983)

This was the U2 album of my early ’80s life. I wore this record out. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year’s Day" are obviously iconic, but "The Refugee," "Two Hearts Beat As One," "Seconds"—all killer. This is where U2 really found their voice. The Edge’s guitar starts to really cut through, Bono’s political fire ignites, and the band sounds hungry. It's the best of their early era, no question.

3. OCTOBER (1981)

Yeah, I know most people wouldn’t rank this one this high, but for me? It’s personal. "Gloria" is phenomenal. "October," the title track, is haunting. “Tomorrow,” “Rejoice”—there’s a raw beauty here. This is early U2, still finding their way, but I was listening to this stuff before they exploded, and it still resonates with me. Spiritual, emotional, unpolished—it’s a gem.

4. ALL THAT YOU CAN'T LEAVE BEHIND (2000)

This was a lightning bolt. A big, beautiful, re-centered record that kicked off the 2000s with purpose. “Beautiful Day” is my favorite U2 song of all time. I’ll never not feel joy when that song kicks in. "Stuck in a Moment," "Elevation," "Walk On," "When I Look at the World," "New York"—this album is stacked. It’s one of their best. Alongside Achtung Baby, this was U2 coming back to themselves and owning it.

5. THE JOSHUA TREE (1987)

Look, this is a great record. Some people would put it at number one, and I get it. "Where the Streets Have No Name," "With or Without You," "Bullet the Blue Sky"—they’re classics. But for me, this is also the album where the ego started to show. This is when they became “important,” and that weight kinda dragged them down for a bit. Still, it’s powerful. And undeniably legendary. Just… complicated for me.

6. THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE (1984)

This was the album where people I knew started saying, “Oh, wait... U2 might be one of the greats.” "Pride (In the Name of Love)," "Bad," "Wire," the title track—this is where the atmosphere really came in, thanks to Lanois and Eno. It’s lush, dramatic, moody. It set the stage for Joshua Tree, but on its own? Still fantastic.

7. POP (1997)

I love this record. Seriously. U2 got weird here—and it worked. “Discothèque” is funky and strange (and I love it), “If God Will Send His Angels,” “Staring at the Sun,” “Mofo,” “Please”—there’s great stuff here. People hated it at the time. But I’ve always thought Pop was underrated. The PopMart tour was wild and experimental, and the album deserves way more respect than it gets.

8. ZOOROPA (1993)

This came right after Achtung Baby and carried the experimentation even further. It’s trippy, electronic, eccentric—songs like “Numb,” “Lemon,” “Stay (Faraway, So Close!),” “The Wanderer” (with Johnny Cash, no less!) show a band having fun again. It’s weird and wonderful. Not for everyone, but very much for me.

9. BOY (1980)

Their debut. Raw, awkward, energetic—this is U2 before they were U2. “I Will Follow” is an all-timer, and “Out of Control” is a riot. Not everything works ("Stories for Boys" and "The Electric Co." don’t totally hold up), but it’s fascinating to hear the start of something great. The seeds are all here.

10. HOW TO DISMANTLE AN ATOMIC BOMB (2004)

Solid album. "Vertigo" was a great hit and still rips live. "Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own," "City of Blinding Lights"—really good stuff. But this is where the albums started to feel like tour setups. The songs work, the tour was amazing, but the album as a whole doesn’t have the urgency or edge (pun intended) of their best work.

11. RATTLE AND HUM

This is tough. There’s some good music here: "Angel of Harlem," "When Love Comes to Town" (with B.B. King), and some decent live takes. But Rattle and Hum the film was peak U2 pomposity, and this album is dragged down by association. It felt like a band in love with their own mythology. A few highlights, but largely a mess.

12. NO LINE ON THE HORIZON (2009)

There are moments I like—"No Line on the Horizon," "Get on Your Boots," and especially "Moment of Surrender." But overall? Kinda forgettable. It feels like filler. Again, the tour was excellent (they always are), but the album felt like a placeholder more than a statement.

13. SONGS OF EXPERIENCE (2017)

The best of the “Songs of…” trilogy, but that’s not saying a lot. “You’re the Best Thing About Me” and “Love Is Bigger Than Anything in Its Way” are decent. “Get Out of Your Own Way” works. They brought Steve Lillywhite back, which helped, but it still feels like U2 on autopilot.

14. SONGS OF SURRENDER (2023)

This is U2’s KISS solo albums moment. Four “separate” reimaginings that feel like an oddly structured greatest hits set. Some interesting rearrangements, but mostly unnecessary. Bono’s takes are the strongest, and there’s a little fun to be had—but this is U2 tinkering with legacy rather than creating anything new. It’s fine. But forgettable.

15. SONGS OF INNOCENCE (2014)

The infamous iTunes album. This thing caused a lot of drama. People were pissed that it just showed up in their libraries. And after all that controversy… the music wasn’t even that good. "Every Breaking Wave" is fine. "Song for Someone" is okay. But most of it is bland, and the whole rollout was a PR disaster. Easily their worst studio album.