Podcasts have gained popularity in recent years and become an essential source of fun and entertainment. The Podcasting industry is wide, and many genres and topics must be discussed. We have curated the list of most popular podcasts in different genres and times.
The podcast provides information on many topics that we can not count on. As we look back, some years ago, there were only a few podcast genres, but now, with time the podcasting Industry is evolving, and there are a lot of genres of podcasts that are leaving positive impacts on listeners.
Most Popular Podcasts of 2024
Here we have listed the most popular podcasts along with their genre. So go through them, find your favourite genre, and listen to the popular podcasts.
Arts Podcasts
Arts podcasts are one of the best genres that allow listeners to learn more about the forms of music, poetry, painting, visual arts, literature, theater, and many other forms. Art is a world that everyone needs to explore by listening to podcasts because they provide all the insights and necessary information with creativity about the culture and history, and tells that it can be entertaining and educational.
Top Arts Podcasts:
- The Modern Art Notes Podcast
- ArtCurious Podcast
- Creative Pep Talk
- Creative Rebels
- The Great Women Artists
Comedy Podcasts
Comedy podcasts are a way to entertain listeners with fun and entertainment. These podcasts feature funny content like sketch comedy, standup comedy, interviews of comedians, and discussions on comedy. This podcast provides listeners to have fun and laugh.
Top Comedy Podcasts:
- WTF with Marc Maron
- Office Ladies
- Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend
- How Did This Get Made?
- SmartLess
Business Podcasts
Business podcasts are the best platform to learn all about business tactics. These podcasts provide information on business, leadership, entrepreneurship, finance, and marketing topics. Listeners can learn new skills, stay up-to-date, and get insights on the latest industry trends that are going on to advance in your career.
Top Business Podcasts:
- The Best Business Podcast
- Entrepreneurs on Fire
- The Tim Ferriss Show
- Masters of Scale
- How I Built This
Education Podcasts
Education is a podcast genre perfect for everyone who wants to stay updated on the latest trends and topics. Listeners can engage and learn about different subjects and topics because this genre is vast. A podcast is available on every topic, from ideas for educators to learning different subjects.
- MindShift by KQED
- House of #EdTech
- Too Dope Teachers and a Mic
- Radiolab
- The Creative Classroom
Fiction Podcasts
With the genre of fiction podcasts, you can get transported to other worlds with engaging stories that will provide listeners with an immersive and entertaining experience. Fiction podcasts and characters are a unique form of entertainment that will stimulate your emotions and your.
Top Fiction Podcasts:
- Limetown
- Welcome to Night Vale
- Alice Isn’t Dead
- Wooden Overcoats
- Wooden Overcoats
Government Podcasts
A podcast related to the government genre provides news and information on state, and local policies, federal government operations, and programs affecting the people. They can provide insights into government officials’ decision-making while encouraging community involvement and participation.
Top Government Podcasts:
- The Lawfare Podcast
- The Daily
- The Langley Files: A CIA Podcast
- Reasons to be Cheerful
- What Roman Mars Can Learn About Con Law
Health & Fitness Podcasts
Health and fitness is a genre that provides all the necessary information and insights on many mental and physical health topics like exercise, nutrition, mental awareness, and disease prevention. These podcasts give users useful tips and motivation for listeners to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Top Health & Fitness Podcasts:
- Mind Pump
- The Model Health Show
- Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris
- 40+ Fitness Podcast
- Hurdle
History Podcasts
History podcasts allow listeners to explore the world of past events and learn about famous people from the past. These podcasts provide in-depth analysis and interview experts with different engaging narratives. Listeners can get insights into political, social, and cultural aspects that shaped the world we are living in.
Top History Podcasts:
- Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History
- The Memory Palace
- Revisionist History
- Slow Burn
- The British History Podcast
Kids & Family Podcasts
Kids and family is a genre with the podcast available for families and children. It features educational content, interactive games, and storytelling, providing the family with fun and entertainment that can engage listeners.
Top Kids & Family Podcasts:
- But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
- Circle Round
- Brains On! Science Podcast for Kids
- Story Pirates
- Stories Podcast: A Bedtime Show for Kids of All Ages
Leisure Podcasts
The leisure podcast genre discusses entertainment, leisure Activity, hobbies, and other things. It provides insights about news, reviews, and interesting topics, from gaming to travel and cooking. It provides info on these things in an informative and fun way for listeners to explore new interests and hobbies.
Top Leisure Podcasts:
- Trash Taste
- Planet Money
- Past Gas by Donut Media
- The Best of Car Talk
- The Official The Last of Us Podcast
Music Podcasts
Music podcasts allow users to explore the world related to music and discuss the latest trends, news interviews, reviews, the history of music, and all about its culture. Music podcasts discuss the different genres and their background to give listeners an idea about the origin of music.
Top Music Podcasts:
- Song Exploder
- Song Exploder
- Questlove Supreme
- Questlove Supreme
- All Songs Considered
News Podcasts
News podcasts focus on delivering breaking news and current events to listeners. They also cover many topics, such as international and national news, politics, culture, business, technology, and so listeners can stay up-to-date on the newest news.
Top News Podcasts:
- The Daily
- The Globalist
- Up First
- On the Media
- Today, Explained
Science Podcasts
With the science genre, listeners can access the way to learn about the latest breakthroughs and discoveries. It provides insights into all the new trends and many topics in scientific fields from the experience of science experts who promote scientific literacy and critical thinking.
Top Science Podcasts:
- Ologies
- Science Vs
- The Naked Scientists
- StarTalk Radio
- 60-Second Science
Self Help Podcasts
Self-help podcasts are a genre that gives listeners tips and practical advice on developing personal growth and what strategies you need to use to overcome the challenges in your life and achieve your goals. Listeners can also learn more about self-awareness and have the motivation and inspiration to apply these things to have a positive change.
Top Self-Help Podcasts:
- Self Growth Podcast
- Unlocking Us
- The Calmer You Podcast
- Happier with Gretchen Rubin
- Power Hour
Religion & Spirituality Podcasts
Religion and spirituality are among the best podcast genres that give listeners the insights, inspiration, guidance, and motivation to learn and explore more about faith. They also provide opportunities for learning about diverse religious and spiritual perspectives and traditions.
Top Religion & Spirituality Podcasts:
- Mind Body Zone: Living Outside the Box
- Joel Osteen Podcast
- SuperSoul
- Tara Brach
- On Being
Society & Culture Podcasts
Society and Culture are thought-provoking podcasts with insightful discussions on cultural trends, social issues, and current events. They also promote diverse perspectives and people trying to broaden their understanding of different societies and cultures.
Top Society & Culture Podcasts:
- Society & Culture
- We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle
- This American Life
Sports Podcasts
Sports podcasts are a genre for sports enthusiasts to learn about the sports happening worldwide. These podcasts cover many sports and give listeners about the news, and current events, an update on scores, and also provide an analysis of your favorite players and teams.
Top Sports Podcasts:
- The Bill Simmons Podcast
- Bussin’ With The Boys
- New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce
- The Lowe Post
- Fantasy football
Technology Podcasts
Technology podcasts are a genre that includes a vast knowledge of topics related to evolving digital technology, including analysis, news, and reviews on the latest software and gadgets. These podcasts also discuss the ethical and social implications of technology.
Top Technology Podcasts:
- Reply All
- The Vergecast
- How I Built This
- Accidental Tech Podcast
- TechStuff
True Crime Podcasts
True crime is an interesting genre that explores all about the crime life and topics of real-life criminal cases, trials, and investigations that deep dive into all the details and perspectives of crimes and the people involved in them. It also looks into the darker side of human behavior, which can often be unsettling.
Top True Crime Podcasts:
- Best True Crime
- Casefile
- Serial
- Sword and Scale
- Crime Junkie
TV & Film Podcasts
Film and TV podcasts provide listeners with analysis, insightful reviews, and perspectives behind the scenes on new movies and show releases. TV and film are vast genres, and movies and films also have genres that host informative discussions that help people stay connected to these movies and shows.
Top TV & Film Podcasts:
- Scriptnotes
- The Big Picture
- Pop Culture Happy Hour
- The Rewatchable
- You Must Remember This
Top 9 Most Popular Podcasts of all the time
Do you want the best podcast from all genres? Then there are the 9 most popular podcasts of all genres with millions of downloads. So check out these podcasts and enjoy listening to them.
1. The Joe Rogan Experience
The Joe Rogan Experience is one of the most famous podcasts hosted by UFC commentator and comedian Joe Rogan. The podcast is diverse and features experts from different industries, such as scientists, authors, actors, politicians, and many other famous people.
The podcast covers science, culture, and current events with industry experts. The host often explores controversial and unconventional topics and ideas in a very casual and conversational tone without offending anyone. Due to this, it has gained many dedicated audiences who have been following the podcast since 2009.
Listeners eagerly wait for the new episode, and after the release, easy episodes get more than 10 million views which makes it one of the most listened-to podcasts due to its notable guests, which are Mike Tyson, Edward Snowden, Bernie Sanders, Elon Musk, Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, and Bill Burr.
2. The Daily
The Daily podcast is the most famous and best podcast for listeners who want to have daily news. The podcast is aired by the New York Times and hosted by the talented journalist Michael Barbaro. Each episode of the podcast comes up with new single stories and covers them in depth by featuring interviews with news journalists and industry experts who have covered the story.
The Daily podcast host covers various topics, from international news to politics and culture to business, giving listeners a thorough analysis of the most recent story of the day. Several people appreciated the podcast, and it won many awards for its high-quality reporting.
3. This American Life
The American Life is a podcast that revolves around documentaries, fiction pieces, personal stories, and the theme around these topics. This weekly podcast is hosted by Ira Glass, who explores different perspectives and themes.
The American Iife has won several awards, which include the Edward R. Murrow awards, Peabody, and Emmy awards, since its airing in 1995. The awards were given due to the ability to capture the experience of people and the captivating talent of storytelling. Some of the best episodes of American Life podcasts are No Story (#589), No Coincidence, Harper High School (#487), and Notes on Camp (#109).
4. Crime Junkie
Crime Junkie is a podcast based on true crime hosted by two amazing host’s Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat. The podcast is full of curiosity for listeners. Each episode of the podcast explores a different crime case, and most of the cases are focused on lesser-known stories or cases that did not receive any media coverage.
The host storytelling and discusses the situation with experts and the victim’s family about the case in a very casual conversation and engaging way so that it does not hurt anyone’s feelings. Because of the narrating and engaging style of the podcast, it has become very famous. It had gained many dedicated fan bases since 2017, when it first started, and it has been consistently ranked on the most famous true crime podcasts.
5. Stuff You Should Know
The podcast is hosted by Chuck Bryan and Josh Clark, who discuss various topics like history, science, pop culture, and many others from our daily life. There are 1400 episodes available, and each episode of this podcast explores different topics and goes in-depth on the subject to provide insights and have an accessible overview of the topic in a conversational way.
The hosts also the experts to interview them and the information on certain research topics. The podcast has won several awards and has a loyal and dedicated fan following, making it one of the most popular podcasts.
6. Pod Save America
Pod Save America is a podcast based on the political genre hosted by the former staff of the Obama administration Dan Pfeiffer, Jon Lovett, Jon Favreau, and Tommy Vietor. The podcast is all about political analysis by interviewing activists and political leaders to get their points of view on current affairs related to the politics of America.
The hosts give their reviews on progressive perspectives and also advocate for democratic candidates and policies. Pod Save America provides a detailed and critical view of the Republican party. The podcast has become one of the most famous political podcasts due to its engaging topics and discussion about current events.
7. Planet Money
The Planet Money podcast is all about economics and finance. The podcast is aired by NPR, which explores the worlds of finance and economics through the art of journalism and storytelling. It covers various topics like financial markets, the global economy, personal finance, and many other related topics.
The podcast was first launched in 2008 to cover the financial crisis of 2007- 2008. For those who do not know much about finance and the economy then, this podcast is one of the best ways to learn about it.
8. My Favorite Murder
Georgia Hardstark and Karen Kilgariff host the My Favorite Murder podcast. The podcast is based on a true crime comedy where in each episode, a murder case is discussed. However, most of the cases that are discussed in this podcast are low-profile cases that did not have any media coverage.
The host’s approach to discussing the true crime is in light humor with lighthearted ways to discuss the cases. The podcast also covers genres of sex work, mental health, women’s rights, and sexual abuse. The hosts do not back away from discussing these hard issues and engagingly discuss them so listeners can have as much information and insights into them as possible. Lastly, it is one of the most famous true crime podcasts with a devoted and engaging audience.
9. Serial
Serial is a podcast based on the genre of true crime, which focuses on different real-life cases throughout the season. In 2014 the first season of this podcast was aired, which tells the story of Adnan Syed and how he was convicted of murdering Hae Min Lee, his girlfriend from high school.
The host, Sarah Koenig, interviews the people involved in the cases and tries to dive deep into the case and investigate it to the core to give users all the information. The Serial podcast has made the true crime genre famous and inspired many other podcasters to work on true crime documentaries.
Conclusion
You can find everything from true crime to politics and comedy to economics because there are so many genres of podcasts available where you can find your interest.
However, no matter if you are a die-hard fan of podcasts or just randomly looking for something to listen to, there is a treasure of content available all you need is to get started. So find your favorite genre, choose the best podcast and your headphones, and enjoy listening to these podcasts.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1: What is the most famous podcast genre in 2024?
There are a lot of genres available in the podcast industry, and the most famous genre in 2024 is true crime, Comedy, news and politics, and self-improvement.
Q2: What are the popular podcasts overall in 2024?
There are thousands of podcasts available on every topic. However, some of the best podcasts in 2024 include” “Serial,” “The Joe Rogan Experience, “The Daily,” “My Favorite Murder,” and “Radiolab.”
Q3: What are the popular podcasts in the News and Politics genre in 2024?
The most popular podcast in the news and politics genre include “The Langley Files”, “A CIA Podcast”, and “Pod Save America.”
