Beyoncé Named Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of 21st Century

It wasn't really a mystery ... when you take Taylor Swift, Rihanna, Drake and Lady Gaga out of the equation ... it was pretty clear Billboard would name Beyoncé the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century ... and that's exactly what it just did.

Billboard ran through all of Bey's achievements in music, including "Countdown" and "Love on Top." It's all pretty impressive.

They also directly addressed putting Bey at the No. 1 spot over Taylor ... who is technically the bigger artist based on numbers alone.

Yet, as Billboard defended in their announcement, they felt the Destiny's Child alum earned the honor "based on her full 25 years of influence, evolution and impact."

For the record, Taylor was named the 2nd greatest pop star ... which is still a pretty big honor given the lineup.

The mag further elaborated on their decision to pay tribute to Beyoncé. They gave special mention to her Super Bowl halftime show in 2013, which it says "re-confirmed her peerlessness as a performer and the unassailability of her catalog," and then years later announced new music in a 2024 Super Bowl commercial -- which would be on her latest album, "Cowboy Carter."