Pop music is a genre that is no stranger to leading the charge on the charts, and this is thanks to its willingness to always look for something fresh. There have been major trends that the genre has seen through the years, and its partly why it will always remain a fixture in the music industry.
During the 90s and 2000s, boy bands became all the rage, and the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC were the biggest ones on the block. They sold millions of records and were in direct competition with one another, eventually cementing their own legacies in the business. Their competition led to incredible album sales, but only one group can lay claim to having sold more records than the other.
Let’s see which boy band sold more records.
They Were The Biggest Boy Bands Around
During the late 90s and 2000s, there was an explosion of popular boy bands taking the pop music world by storm. There had been plenty of boy bands in the past that conquered music, sure, but during this particular era, it seemed like a new boy band was popping up every month looking for a piece of the pie. Despite the attempts of others, the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC were the big two.
Both groups were assembled by Lou Pearlman and were able to achieve mainstream success in no time. While there were similarities between the groups, they each offered something different from one another, which helped them stand out on the radio. They spearheaded the boy band craze of the era, and once they broke out, groups like 98 Degrees and O-Town came right along.
Eventually, things would peter out for boy bands, and the pop music scene was looking for something fresh. Despite this, there is no denying the impact and legacy that the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC put together when they were regularly competing for mainstream attention. To put it simply, these groups were doing things that the vast majority of artists could only ever dream of.
Naturally, people have grown curious about the record sales that the groups achieved and which one actually outsold the other. Turns out, a little longevity helped one group soundly sell more records than the other.
NSYNC Has Sold Over 70 Million Records
It has been estimated that NSYNC was able to sell 70 million records during their time together. Comprised of Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass, and JC Chasez, NSYNC was a powerhouse on the charts that sold an astounding amount of records during their years together.
From 1997 to 2001, the group released 4 studio albums together, and they were selling records at an alarming pace. In fact, their album, No Strings Attached, would sell more than 2.4 million copies in its first week of release, which was a record that stood for 15 years. The group had one colossal hit after the next, and it seemed like nothing was going to stop them.
After the release of the 2001 album, Celebrity, the group went on tour and eventually called it a day. Justin Timberlake would take no time at all in becoming a powerhouse solo artist, effectively putting an end to NSYNC getting back together. While the other guys have seemed on board for it, Timberlake appears to be the one who wants to keep his distance from a reunion.
70 million albums in a few short years is an incredible feat, but the guys still fall short of what their biggest competition has done.
Backstreet Boys Have Sold Over 100 Million Records
It has been estimated that the Backstreet Boys have sold over 100 million records, making them the biggest boy band of all time. They were the first ones on the scene to kick off the boy band craze, and they have remained together for all these years. They don’t sell records like they used to, but in their prime, these guys were superstars who conquered the globe.
In total, the group has released 9 studio albums, with their most recent one coming out back in 2019. Surprisingly, that album, DNA, hit number one on the Billboard 200, which was something the group had not done since 2000’s Black & Blue. It showed that the guys have an incredible amount of staying power and that they still have fans that love their music.
As if the album sales weren’t impressive enough, the group also had a record-breaking run of shows in Las Vegas, generating over $38 million in ticket revenue. Expect even bigger things when they make their Vegas return.
Both groups have incredible legacies in the music business, but when looking at record sales, the Backstreet Boys take home the gold here.
