This week, we’re doing year-end genre lists that correlate with how genres appear on Pitchfork. The following list of 20 records includes both pop and R&B, but it’s fair to say that in 2016, the lines between these spheres (and others) were blurrier than ever. R&B continued to embrace electronic textures, while pop pushed the limits of commerciality further. Many notable albums, from Blonde to A Seat at the Table, reinvigorated the use of interludes, oftentimes in its spoken-word form. Perhaps this was because these genres—from Beyoncé all the way down—were exceptionally political this year, so the necessity to be understood was high. In addition to reiterating that Black Lives Matter, pop and R&B still had room for meditations on love and joy and sadness and going out and everything else music has been soundtracking since the dawn of time. Here, in alphabetical order, are 20 of the most electrifying pop and R&B records of the year.