Ranking the top 10 albums released by LGBTQ+ artists in 2024

LGBTQ+ musicians gave us some of the best music moments of 2024!

There's no doubt that queer musicians delivered bangers in 2024 and dominated the music industry all year long. With such an embarrassment of riches in terms of great, queer, pop music, Out has ranked the 10 best albums released by queer artists in 2024.

It should be noted that some of the biggest albums of the year, such as Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter, Charli XCX's Brat, and Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department are missing from the list because those artists are all straight. And even though Chappell Roan's The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess was clearly the biggest LGBTQ+ album of the year, it was released last year! Thus, it was included on Out's list of top albums from 2023, and it felt unfair to include it again.

There are some honorable mentions who, despite not making the list, deserve a shout-out. Namely, nonbinary artist Dua Saleh's I Should Call Them, Raveena's Where the Butterflies Go In The Rain, and SOPHIE's posthumous album were all standout projects released in 2024. But rankings are tough! With those disclaimers out of the way, it's time to dive in.

Scroll through to see the top 10 albums released by queer musicians in 2024.

10. 'God Said No' — Omar Apollo

Despite the ominous title, Omar Apollo's new album God Said No seems to be less about religious trauma or homophobia and more about existentialism and grief. Quiet and contemplative, his sophomore album pivots between depressive self-criticism for spiraling out over a lover, then proclaiming that he doesn't care and never did on the very next track.

"Plane Trees," featuring Mustafa, is one of the most touching songs of 2024. "How could we be dying? / If we're lying down / Underneath this tree," Apollo croons, begging for an answer from someone… anyone! Even Pedro Pascal, who's spoken about his friendship with Apollo, is heard in track "Pedro," which serves as a gentle reminder to stay present and live in the moment.

God Said No officially cements Omar Apollo as one of the most compelling artists of the 2020s.

9. 'Heaven Hates Me' — Gregory Dillon

The gays constantly yearn for the bombastic synth-pop of 2010s. A product of that time, Gregory Dillon has taken the genre and put his own haunting spin on it.

Heaven Hates Me juxtaposes the singer's sensuality with deep religious trauma, sex, and sin — documentation of self-destruction over soaring choruses and Lady Gaga-esque choreography. One song, "James Dean," details the rush of a new crush over an 80s dance beat. "Redline" delivers a killer pop-punk electric guitar riff underneath a headbanger of a hook. And when listening to "What If We Were Wrong," one wonders if Dillon is referring to an ex… or God himself.

Dillon's Heaven Hates Me is nostalgic yet new, fun yet horrifying, and will surely scratch the itch for pop lovers who love to cry at the club.

8. 'Charm' — Clairo

Singer-songwriter Clairo earned her first nomination for the 2025 Grammy Awards with her third studio album Charm. The singer is self-assured and oh so groovy in this LP, which shows that Clairo has clearly hit her stride.

In "Juna," Clairo fights against anxious instincts and allows her guard down around a new lover. "Sexy to Someone" sees her pining for a grand romance. She also wonders if she was ever enough for an ex lover on the ironically cheerful "Add Up My Love."

Fans are so enamored with the Charm album that they made "Clairo shade" a meme on social media — referencing stan culture's obsessiveness with a particular artist becoming so intense that they feel slighted when their fave just isn't even mentioned in a conversation.

7. 'Big Ideas' — Remi Wolf

Remi Wolf's funky new album is full of Big Ideas, and every swing is a home run. It's also for people who are ready for a good time.

The singer slides effortlessly in and out of pop, indie, funk, and disco, never letting listeners forget that she has that killer voice. Psychedelic romp "Toro" throws caution to the wind for a free-spirited lover. "Soup" is so breezy and feel-good that it subtly distracts you from the obsessively codependent lyrics in the song.

Last but certainly not least, if "Slay Bitch" can't get you on your feet dancing, nothing will.

6. 'empathogen' — Willow

Willow Smith and jazz might seem like an unlikely combination, but the pop-punk singer wields the genre with adoration and care on her eclectic new album empathogen.

The chaotic nature of jazz provides a peek into Willow's intrusive thoughts as she puts pen to paper to get out of her own head. "Symptom of Life" ponders the meaning of all the chaos and beauty around us. "Run!" chronicles her attempts to leave anxiety behind. She also explores the masochism in feeling deeply on the ballad "Pain for Fun" with St. Vincent.

The stunning album earned Willow her first Grammy nominations in Best Engineered Album, Nonclassical and Best Arrangement, Instrumentals, and Vocals for the song "Big Feelings."

5. 'Chromakopia' — Tyler, The Creator

Boundary-pusher Tyler, the Creator released his latest album, Chromakopia, at the end of October. The project not only shot up on music streaming charts, but it also entered best-of lists pretty quickly.

Tyler knows the power of a good concept, which is demonstrated throughout this album's visuals. The overall aesthetic involves an eerie face mask of his own features, which read as commentary on the exaggerated performance of his own self. Even though the real person underneath the celebrity is struggling to be seen, he also has a hard time staying hidden.

Chromakopia boasts features from ScHoolboy Q, Teezo Touchdown, Doechii, and Daniel Cesar. Bottoms star Ayo Edebiri stars in the chaotic music video for "NOID." Furthermore, "Sticky" (featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Redd, and Lil Wayne) became a last-minute contender among the best songs of 2024.

4. 'Timeless' — KAYTRANDA

Something clicked for KAYTRANDA this year. The out producer hit his stride and, suddenly, it felt like everyone recognized his immense talent.

The Timeless album boasts features with some of the best pop/R&B singers of our time — names like Childish Gambino, PinkPantheress, and Rochelle Jordan. KAYTRANDA delicately channels the strengths of each artist into groovy dance tracks with surprisingly tender lyrics, and his dance parties end up becoming emotional releases.

On "Hold On," Dawn Richard begs to go back to a simpler time when she was more open for love. Tinashe is haunted by an old flame on "More Than A Little Bit." Childish Gambino yearns for a rare beauty on "Witchy."

3. 'Megan: Act II' — Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion has had one hell of a year. The rap icon released both parts of her self-titled album with a handful of hits, including "Mamushi" (with Yuki Chiba), "Roc Steady" (with Flo Milli), and "Neva Play" (with RM of BTS).

Megan: Part II is also the only project on this list to have a no. 1 hit song on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2024: her explosive diss track, "HISS," which prompted the downward spirals of quite a few mainstream rappers.

The album boasts some of Thee Stallion's most interesting artistic choices. She floats on the beat of Far East Movement's iconic one-hit wonder "Like A G6" on the banger "Like A Freak," and hell hath no fury like a woman scorned on her experimental rap-punk tracks "TYG" and "Cobra." She even takes us down south to Houston on "Bigger In Texas" and "Bourbon."

With something valuable to say, effortless bars, and feeling artistically adventurous, Megan Thee Stallion is at the top of her game.

2. 'Hit Me Hard and Soft' — Billie Eilish

Even after winning nine Grammy Awards at the young age of 23, Billie Eilish continues to outdo herself.

2024 was another landmark year for Eilish, who not only one of the most streamed artists in the world, but also opened up about her sexuality and delivered the second-biggest sapphic song of the year with "Lunch." As with all of Eilish's records, Hit Me Hard and Soft delivers some insurmountable highs along with the lowest of lows in the spectrum of human emotions.

Eilish's own mortality pushes her to love herself even harder, as heard in the massive summer hit "Birds of a Feather." The gobsmacking ballad "The Greatest" starts small with guitar strums, and then soars into the depths of depression over self-sacrificing… to her own detriment. "Chihiro" also stands out as one of Eilish's most sonically interesting tracks.

Overall, Hit Me Hard and Soft is a stunning LP that has her seven nominations at the 2025 Grammy Awards — including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year, to name a few.

1. 'Alligator Bites Never Heal' — Doechii

Doechii is finally getting her flowers.

Alligator Bites Never Heal boasts a few absolute bangers like "Nissan Altima," but the album is perhaps more closely aligned with Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Ye's (née Kanye West's) The College Dropout. In it, Doechii intertwines R&B, jazz, and the 1990s era of beat poetry rap, but with an alternative edge. Moreover, though she flexes her skills, bars, and life lessons on this surprisingly intimate album, it is Doechii's humor, honesty, storytelling, and point of view that shine the most.

The 26-year-old unpacks her own traumas on "Denial Is a River," sharing her perspective on drug use and a closeted ex-boyfriend. "Profit" discloses all the roadblocks Black women in the industry are up against and the self-sacrifice it takes to make something of yourself. And "Catfish" takes aim at all hip-hop posers catfishing their own fans.

The rap star explains on the album that she went in a different direction from making the hip-hop/pop TikTok-geared music that her music label wanted her to do — and her vision absolutely paid off. Through Alligator Bites Never Heal, the previously underrated rapper has now received her first-ever Grammy Awards nominations in four categories: Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance ("Nissan Altima"), Best Rap Album (Alligator Bites Never Heal), and Best Remixed Recording (the KAYTRANADA remix of "Ego").