Essential albums every girl should listen to before turning 25

A girl’s early 20s are full of ups and downs, new experiences, tragedies, heartbreaks and, most of all, the unexpected.

We’ve complied the best, most essential albums by the greatest women in music — ok, fine, there’s a few boys in here too — that best capture these amazing-crazy-terrible-beautiful time in our lives to help you feel all the feels.

There’s an artist, an album, a song for everything you’re going through — get listening.

Live Through This, Hole

I want to be the girl with the most cake

Version 2.0, Garbage

When I grow up, I’ll be stable

A Seat At The Table, Solange

I ran my credit card bill up, thought a new dress would make it better, I tried to work it away but that just made me sadder

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQelgDpghm1/?tagged=cranesinthesky

Daydream Nation, Sonic Youth

I can’t stay a candle, gotta change my mind before it burns out

1989, Taylor Swift

Cause baby, I could build a castle out of all the bricks they threw at me

ANTI, Rihanna

Didn’t they tell you that I was a savage, fuck your white horse and a carriage

Blue, Joni Mitchell

Crown and anchor me or let me sail away

Emotion, Carly Rae Jepsen

Let your feelings be revealing that you can’t forget me

Lemonade, Beyonce

I am the dragon breathing fire, beautiful mane, I am the lion

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQgX_GYDojd/?tagged=formation&hl=en

Crazy For You, Best Coast

I don’t even know why I care as much as I do, I just wish that you would tell me is this real or are we through

Days Are Gone, Haim 

And if it gets rough, it’s time to get rough

Begin, Lion Babe

They can’t catch me ‘cause I’m too strong, they all want what I got, never leaving me alone

Cannibal, Ke$ha 

I have a heart I swear I do, but just not baby when it comes to you

Bury Me at Makeout Creek, Mitski 

I am not gonna be what my daddy wants me to be

Ultraviolence, Lana Del Rey

They judge me like a picture book, by the colors, like they forgot to read 

The Dutchess, Fergie

Boys just come and go like seasons

Tidal, Fiona Apple

It that why they call me a sullen girl, they don’t know I used to sail the deep and tranquil sea

The Hot Rock, Sleater-Kinney

And when the body finally starts to let go, let it all go at once, not piece by piece but like a whole bucket of stars dumped into the universe

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, David Bowie 

Oh, don’t lean on me, man, ‘cause you can’t afford the ticket

The Cookbook, Missy Elliott

My style can’t be duplicated or recycled, this chick is a sick individual

Lungs, Florence and the Machine 

I belong to the hurricane

Let Go, Avril Lavigne

If you’re trying to turn me into someone else it’s easy to see I’m not down with that, I’m not nobody’s fool

Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks 

I hit the highway in a pink RV with stars on the ceiling, living like a gypsy, six strong hands on the steering wheel

Every Open Eye, Chvrches 

Anything you ever did was strictly by design, but you got it wrong

Purple Rain, Prince 

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life

Survivor, Destiny’s Child

Now that you’re out of my life, I’m so much better, you thought I’d be weak without you, but I’m stronger

Lights Out, Ingrid Michaelson

If I had a time machine, and if life was a movie scene, I’d rewind and I’d tell me run

Night Time, My Time, Sky Ferreira 

You’re not the one

Dangerous Woman, Ariana Grande 

Don’t need permission, made my decision to test my limits

Born This Way, Lady Gaga

I’m gonna marry the night, I’m not gonna cry anymore, I’m gonna marry the night, leave nothing on these streets to explore

Rumors, Fleetwood Mac 

Have you any dreams you’d like to sell?

Electra Heart, Marina and the Diamonds

Got you wrapped around my finger babe, you can count on me to misbehave

Pure Heroine, Lorde 

Explosions on TV and all the girls with heads inside a dream so now we live beside the pool where everything is good

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQBp5cJlVzE/?tagged=buzzcutseason&hl=en

The Pinkprint, Nicki Minaj 

When I walk in, sit up straight, I don’t give a fuck if I was late

Santigold, Santigold

Tell him don’t hold his breath for me, I got some money I was saving, got some hearts that I’ll be breaking

Riot, Paramore

I don’t wanna be the blame, not anymore. It’s your turn, so take a seat we’re settling the final score

This Is Acting, Sia

I wanna dance in the open breeze, feel the wine in my hair, hear the ocean sing, I got good things to feel in my life

Back To Black, Amy Winehouse

He floods me with dread, soaked in soul, he swims in my eyes by the bed, pour myself over him, moon spilling in and I wake up alone

It’s Not Me, It’s You, Lily Allen

Believe me when I tell you that I never wanna’ see you again, and please can you stop calling cause it’s getting really boring

https://www.instagram.com/p/BPNn1AtA2oK/?hl=en

Tragic Kingdom, No Doubt

Oh I’m just a girl, what’s my destiny? What I’ve succumbed to is making me numb.

Spice, Spice Girls

If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my friends

Fanmail, TLC 

No, I don’t want your number, no, I don’t want to give you mine

Bangerz, Miley Cyrus

It’s our party we can love who we want, we can kiss who we want, we can sing what we want

So Jealous, Tegan and Sara

Bright just like the stars above me, proud just like my mother planned it

Stripped, Christina Aguilera

After all you put me through, you’d think I’d despise you, but in the end I wanna thank you, ‘cause you’ve made me that much stronger

Speak For Yourself, Imogen Heap 

Speak no feeling, no, I don’t believe you, you don’t care a bit