2011 in American music

• 24 – Original Adema vocalist Mark Chavez leaves the band for the second time.[1]
• 29 – Britney Spears's Hold It Against Me debuts at #1 on US Billboard Hot 100, making Spears the second artist to have more than one single to debut at no. 1, behind Mariah Carey. She also being the third female artist, behind Cher, Madonna and Janet Jackson to top the Hot 100 in three decades, as well as the seventh artist overall.

• 11 – Lady Gaga released "Born This Way" the first single off her new album of the same name. It became the fastest iTunes single at the time. It later went on to remain number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 6 consecutive weeks, as well as the 1,000th number-one single in chart's history.
• 13 – The 53rd Annual Grammy Awards were held at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Lady Antebellum win five awards, including both Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Need You Now". Arcade Fire's The Suburbs wins Album of the Year, while Esperanza Spalding wins Best New Artist.

• 11 – Kyuss began their reunion tour in Europe under the moniker Kyuss Lives.[2]
• 15 – Former rapper Nate Dogg dies at age 41 from strokes

• 3 – LCD Soundsystem played their final show at New York City's Madison Square Garden.[3]
  • The Academy of Country Music Awards took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
• 20 – TV on the Radio bassist Gerard Smith dies of lung cancer at the age of 36, just nine days after the band released their fourth album, Nine Types of Light.

• 12 – Katy Perry, with her fourth single from Teenage Dream, "E.T.", becomes the only artist in history to spend 52 consecutive weeks in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.[4]
• 23 – Lady Gaga released her sophomore studio album, Born This Way. It sold 524,000 copies on its first day, and one million copies on its first week, making Gaga the first person to do that.
• 25 – Scotty McCreery is crowned winner of the tenth season of American Idol. Lauren Alaina is named runner-up.

• 18 – Clarence Clemons, Bruce Springsteen's longtime saxophonist for the E Street Band dies at the age of 69.
• 28 – Taking Back Sunday released their self-titled fifth album, which was the band's first album to feature their original lineup since their 2002 debut, Tell All Your Friends.
  • Limp Bizkit released their first studio album in eight years, Gold Cobra. It was the first album with the band's original lineup since 2000's Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water.
• 29 – Javier Colon won the inaugural season of The Voice. Dia Frampton was named runner-up. Vicci Martinez and Beverly McClellan was declared third and fourth place.

• 17 – Cheap Trick is unharmed after a stage collapses during a performance at the Cisco Bluesfest in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[5]
• 19 – Cold released their first studio album in six years, Superfiction.

• 8 – JAY Z and Kanye West release their highly anticipated collaboration album, Watch the Throne.
• 15 – Blink-182 started their 20th Anniversary Tour. The tour visited Canada in 2011, the United States and Europe in 2012 and Australia in 2013.
• 27 – "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" by Katy Perry becomes the fifth single from the album Teenage Dream to reach #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, tying Michael Jackson's record for the most singles from one album to do so. She is the second artist and only woman in history to achieve this.
• 29 – Red Hot Chili Peppers released their first studio album in five years, I'm with You. It was also their first album with guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

• 2 – It was announced that drummer Mike Pedicone was kicked out of My Chemical Romance due to Pedicone stealing from the band. No charges were pressed.
• 17 – With Katy Perry's fifth single from Teenage Dream, "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)", she completed 69 consecutive weeks inside the top ten, more than any artist in history.[6]
• 21 – Rock and Roll Hall of Famers R.E.M. disband after 31 years together. They played their last show in 2008.[7]
• 24 – "I Wanna Go" by Britney Spears became Spears's 21st top-forty single, the third-highest female total since her first week on the chart on November 21, 1998, and only behind Taylor Swift with 27 and Rihanna with 22. It also broke the record for longest duration between the first and last # 1 on the pop chart.
• 27 – Blink-182 released their sixth studio album Neighborhoods. This is the first album they recorded together since their indefinite hiatus in 2005. It debuted at number 2 on the Billboard 200. This was their last album with Tom DeLonge until he returned to the band in 2022.

• 8 - Tony Bennett's Duets II debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming the oldest male with a No. 1 solo album, at age 85.

• 9 - The Country Music Association Awards took place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee.
• 7 – David Lynch released his first stuffing album in ten years, Crazy Clown Time.
• 21 - Pentatonix wins Season 3 of NBC's The Sing-Off, beginning their rise in popularity.

• 6 – Korn's tenth studio album, The Path of Totality, debuts at number 10 on the Billboard 200 with 55,000 copies sold in its first week. This album marks the beginning of a new direction for nu metal, with artists like Skrillex and many more contributing to the album with dub step and more electronic sounds. Cimorelli also releases their second EP The CimFam EP

• "Black and Yellow" – Wiz Khalifa (1 week)
• "Born This Way"- Lady Gaga (6 weeks)
• "E.T." – Katy Perry feat. Kanye West (5 weeks)
• "Firework" – Katy Perry (2 weeks in 2010, 2 weeks in 2011)
• "Give Me Everything" – Pitbull feat. Ne-Yo, Afrojack, and Nayer (1 week)
• "Grenade" – Bruno Mars (4 weeks)
• "Hold It Against Me" – Britney Spears (1 week)
• "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" – Katy Perry (2 weeks)
• "Moves Like Jagger" – Maroon 5 feat. Christina Aguilera (4 weeks)
• "Party Rock Anthem" – LMFAO feat. Lauren Bennett and GoonRock (6 weeks)
• "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (7 weeks)
• "S&M" – Rihanna (1 week)
• "Someone Like You" – Adele (5 weeks)
• "We Found Love" – Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris (8 weeks in 2011, 2 weeks in 2012)

All songs that reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart during the year, complete with peak chart placement.