The best albums of 2003

Ranked by every score on sleeves, critics' and listeners'. An album with few scores is pulled toward the average until more come in, so one perfect score cannot top the list.

  1. 1Speakerboxxx / The Love BelowOutKast · 4.5 from 3 scores
  2. 2TransatlanticismDeath Cab for Cutie · 4.3 from 2 scores
  3. 3Thirteenth StepA Perfect Circle · 4.5 from 1 score
  1. 4ElephantThe White Stripes4 from 3 scores
  2. 5The Golden Age of GrotesqueMarilyn Manson4 from 1 score
  3. 6blink‐182blink‐1824 from 1 score
  4. 7Deep CutsThe Knife4 from 1 score
  5. 8Fever to TellYeah Yeah Yeahs3.8 from 2 scores
  6. 9Give UpThe Postal Service3.8 from 2 scores
  7. 10Get Rich or Die Tryin’50 Cent3.8 from 2 scores
  8. 11Room on FireThe Strokes3.7 from 3 scores
  9. 12AbsolutionMuse3.5 from 2 scores
  10. 13Hail to the ThiefRadiohead3.5 from 2 scores
  11. 14In the ZoneBritney Spears3.5 from 2 scores
  12. 15De‐Loused in the ComatoriumThe Mars Volta3.5 from 2 scores
  13. 16MeteoraLinkin Park3 from 1 score
  14. 17Sleeping With GhostsPlacebo3 from 2 scores