The chart's 20th anniversary - it launched the week of Oct. 3, 1992 - also coincides with an unprecedented pure pop boom, as mainstream top 40 radio is playing more pure pop than ever before. And, as station ratings soar, such a focus on the format's musical middle ground is reinforcing that the format works best when de-emphasizing such extremes as rock and rap.

A year-by-year analysis of Billboard's Pop Songs chart reveals that pure pop - i.e., melodic, often synth-driven, uptempo fare from the likes of Kelly Clarkson, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry - has made up at least 60% of the survey's total top 10 hits each year from 2008 through 2012 (from January through July annually). Last year, the style accounted for a whopping 79% of the list's top 10s - the highest percentage in the chart's history - as 30 of the 38 top 10s during that period fit a pop classification.

What's behind the pure pop boom? It's no coincidence that 2008 marked the arrival of two of the format's reigning stars: Perry and Gaga. Rihanna, meanwhile, continued to solidify her star status as an almost constant chart staple, adding touches of R&B and reggae to her overall pop focus. Add the continued domination or resurgences in that span of such acts as Christina Aguilera, Clarkson, Maroon 5 (which, in recent years, has segued from rock to a more pop lean), P!nk and Britney Spears, and it's clear that pop became tops at mainstream top 40 radio.

Programmers' adherence to, and the availability of, pure pop music at the format has ebbed and flowed since Billboard premiered Pop Songs, born of then-new BDS electronic monitoring technology, 20 years ago. (Ironically, given its title, Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" led the inaugural list. Current No. 1 "One More Night" by Maroon 5 is the chart's 252nd topper.)

While pure pop has comprised more than 60% of all Pop Songs top 10s each year since 2008, the sound encompassed just 41% in 1993, when R&B from the likes of Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson and TLC infused format playlists.

In 1996, pop accounted for just 19% of all top 10s, as such rock/alternative acts as Gin Blossoms, Hootie & the Blowfish and Alanis Morissette became the format's - and the public's - flavor of choice.

And, in 2003, pop's percentage rose to 45%, but the amount of rap top 10s doubled to 12 from the previous year, too. The heyday of 50 Cent, Diddy and Eminem at pop radio contrasted with 1993-2002, when no more than one rap title reached the top 10 annually.

Since 2008, however, Rihanna has reigned with 15 more top 10s after "Umbrella," Gaga's implored us to just dance (while racking seven Pop Songs No. 1s) and Perry's tallied a record six Pop Songs No. 1s from one album ("Teenage Dream"). And, she, um, kissed a girl. Clearly, we've liked it all.

While the names have changed - Peter Cetera, En Vogue, Guns N' Roses, Elton John and Toad the Wet Sprocket inhabited the maiden Pop Songs chart; Miley Cyrus wasn't born until a month after the list's launch; Justin Bieber, a year and a half later - the survey continues to help guide pop programmers' decisions. "The Pop Songs chart came along at point when country and hip-hop were competing heavily with the format," Ross recalls. "It gave mainstream top 40 PDs their own chart to look at."

Read more: http://www.billboard.com/column/char...07965412.story

The trinity slaying!

Further confirmation, Rih, Gaga, an Katy are the top.

wow

Amazing.

The new trinity?

The new trinity
Britney, Xtina, Beyonce of our Generation tbh

The 3 Queens

the 10s trinity slaying

the new trinity bow down

Katy

Clearly, the Trinity

It's safe to say, they are the next trinity

They are the trinity. Congrats

They are already the Trini...dad and Tobago. Congrats!

Jk.

Trinity of this generation tbh

my Queen being part of both trinities
who else

The Trinity is a lie

But, congrats to them

Queens

No.