Best Animated Music Videos of the 2010s

Canvas of the Decade: How Animated Music Videos Defined the 2010s

The 2010s was a fascinating transitional era for popular culture. It was a time when internet platforms like YouTube fully matured, streaming began to dictate the charts, and visual art forms collided in unprecedented ways. Among all trends, the animated music video underwent a massive renaissance.

Free from the physical constraints of green screens, budgets for live-action sets, or an artist’s scheduling conflicts, animators turned music videos into surreal short films, profound social commentaries, and vibrant explosions of internet culture.

Breaking Free from Reality

Before the 2010s, animation in music videos was often treated as a novelty or a niche choice for indie and electronic acts. In the 2010s, however, mainstream heavyweights embraced it to tell stories that live-action simply couldn’t capture.

Without physical laws to hold them back, creators could bend reality, pivot genres, and evoke deep emotional resonance through strokes, lines, and pixels.

1. The Viral Thrills and Indie Masterpieces

• Stuck in the Sound – “Let’s Go” (2012): Directed by Alexis Beaumont and Rémi Bastie, this indie-rock video follows an astronaut crashing onto a hostile alien planet. The vibrant, clean-lined, Western-animation style masked a deeply emotional, action-packed narrative about survival and sacrifice, turning a great song into an unforgettable cinematic experience.
• Caravan Palace – “Lone Digger” (2015): A masterclass in stylized, anthropomorphic animation. Set in a smoky, 1920s-style gangster bar populated by sleek cats, dogs, and foxes, the video spirals into a chaotic, neon-drenched brawl. Its fluid choreography and punchy violence made it a massive viral sensation across the web.

2. Art as Social and Political Commentary

Animation also became a powerful tool for artists wanting to deliver heavy conceptual messages without being tied down to literal interpretations.

• Childish Gambino – “Feels Like Summer” (2018): Visually styled like a lazy, sun-drenched Saturday morning cartoon, this video was anything but lighthearted. It featured a walk-through of hip-hop and pop culture icons—drawn with melancholy expressions—as Donald Glover’s animated avatar strolled down a suburban street, subtly commenting on climate change, systemic struggles, and the fleeting nature of celebrity culture.

3. Gaming, Anime, and Cross-Media Universes

The 2010s blurred the lines between music, gaming, and anime. Virtual spaces and fictional bands began to take over.

• Porter Robinson & Madeon – “Shelter” (2016): Co-produced with A-1 Pictures, this gorgeous piece of anime storytelling follows Rin, a 17-year-old girl living inside a futuristic simulation where she can create her own virtual reality. The collaboration between Western electronic music giants and Japanese animation studios proved that emotional storytelling transcends language and cultural barriers.
• League of Legends / Riot Games: Throughout the decade, Riot Games transformed itself into a music powerhouse, dropping heavily animated cinematic videos like “Legends Never Die” and introducing virtual K-pop groups like K/DA. These weren’t just promotional clips; they were polished multimedia events that set a new gold standard for production value.

Why the 2010s Animation Boom Mattered

The explosion of animated music videos in the 2010s shifted how we consume art. It democratized creativity: independent animators on platforms like YouTube and Vimeo could suddenly catch the eye of global superstars, leading to unique visual pairings that defined the decade’s aesthetic.

Ultimately, these videos proved that animation is not a genre meant exclusively for children—it is a limitless medium capable of capturing the highest highs, the deepest sorrows, and the most complex ideas of the modern human experience.