How would you rank the generations music-wise??

[WalesNote]

V
IV
VII
VIII
III
II
I
VI

It's hard to rank them. I would say gen I has great route music, but I think that's all mostly nostalgia.
All I can say is that IV, V and VII are the best.

 

[NovaBrunswick]

It's become a meme, but the use of voice also helps contextualise the League and upscale the spectacle; Marnie's final theme is the standout. Rose is also great, but shame it's in service to a heavily-neutered plot.

Music with vocals isn’t really a new thing in the Pokemon games; Roxie’s Gym theme, the Village Bridge, the Team Skull battle theme and (arguably) the Tapu battle theme come to mind. I always loved the “P-O-K-E-M-O-N, Pokemon!” song that Roxie’s band play. (In the Japanese version, they sing “D-O-G-A-R-S, Dogars!” which is Koffing’s Japanese name.)

 

[Leonhart]

Music with vocals isn’t really a new thing in the Pokemon games; Roxie’s Gym theme, the Village Bridge, the Team Skull battle theme and (arguably) the Tapu battle theme come to mind. I always loved the “P-O-K-E-M-O-N, Pokemon!” song that Roxie’s band play. (In the Japanese version, they sing “D-O-G-A-R-S, Dogars!” which is Koffing’s Japanese name.)

I didn't even notice the vocals in the island deity battle theme until recently when someone pointed out that it includes Hawaiian words. I thought it was just gibberish at first. I'll admit that it's one of the better battle themes in the Alola games and almost as good as the Four Heavenly Kings (Elite Four) battle theme in that generation.

 

[NovaBrunswick]

I didn't even notice the vocals in the island deity battle theme until recently when someone pointed out that it includes Hawaiian words. I thought it was just gibberish at first. I'll admit that it's one of the better battle themes in the Alola games and almost as good as the Four Heavenly Kings (Elite Four) battle theme in that generation.

The only words I can really make out are “Guardian” and “Go, go, go!”

 

[The Teller]

Wow, I thought I would be the only one to say that Gen 5 had the best overall music. I loved how chaotic and offbeat several of the tracks were (Vs. Neo Team Plasma; the legendary Pokemon battle theme). The heartfelt "friendship and maturity growth" song. The gym battle music (I forgot that B2W2 had each gym do a different take on that!; I loved Marlon's elevator music!). The Elite Four's deep, cerebral battle music. The end credits theme.

Uhhh...other, non-Unovan themes! Kalos's gym battle song rocks! The song that plays during the flashback is really heartbreaking. For nostalgia's sake, I always really liked Johto's Violet City theme. It stands out so much from all the other cities' themes. ORAS's Vs. Archie theme is so good, and Wally's battle theme was so surprising when I first heard it. The song that plays when you encounter Cynthia as a Champion, but not her battle theme (that piano, though!). Guzma's battle theme is really unique. For the newest games, the gym battle theme is obviously a crowd favorite. I also really liked Rose's battle theme, Bede's battle theme, as well as the Battle Tower fight theme. So basically I tend to like anything that's really quirky and breaks the rules of convention.

 

[janejane6178]

Nothing beats gen 6 music

 

[NeganTheSavior]

Worst to best

8
1
3
7
5
2
6
4

 

[Twilight-Kun]

Unova (Gen V)
Johto (Gen IV)
Hoenn (Gen III)
Kanto (Gen III)
Galar (Gen VIII)
Kalos (Gen VI)
Sinnoh (Gen IV)
Alola (Gen VII)

I really like the drums of FRLG/RSE, and BW/2
BW2 has better trumpets than RSE
The claps in RSE are used well

Been poking through the instruments and finding a lot of fun neat little tricks sprinkled into the music that makes me enjoy gens III-V over the later stuff, which isn't nearly as experimental and in many cases a flat downgrade, which is disappointing

 

[juiccbox]

Ranked from Best to Worst

Gen 5
Gen 4
Gen 2
Gen 8
Gen 3
Gen 7
Gen 6
Gen 1 (iconic, but not as good as the rest of the series yknow?)
I adore the music in Pokémon

 

[Italianbaptist]

Hard for me to rank them but I’ll echo @MotostokeonTrent’s sentiment on the simplicity of the Gen 1 and 2 making them so great. I’m sure there’s nostalgia there too to an extent. Beyond that, Unova would round out my top three, possibly even higher than Gold/Silver/Crystal but not as high as Red/Blue/Yellow.

I need to give Sword and Shield’s music another listen. The Pokémon Center theme annoys me greatly and I spend way too much time there so I got the high tech earbuds as soon as possible and turned the music off. But apparently the Wild Area music is worth a listen with the bagpipes

 

[NovaBrunswick]

But apparently the Wild Area music is worth a listen with the bagpipes

There's bagpipes in Pokémon now?

(I haven't really heard any music from Sword/Shield, because I don't have the game, or a Switch.)

 

[Missingno.Fan]

Gen V is my favorite. I love N’s Castle. I also love Champion Iris, rival battle, Elite Four, and the intro. I loved the individual theme music each gym had, especially Skyla and Drayden.