The Irish rock band U2 has released 16 studio albums, two live albums, three compilation albums, 85 singles, and twelve extended plays (EPs). The band formed at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in 1976 as teenagers. In 1979, the group issued their first release, the EP U2-3, which sold well in Ireland. The following year, the group signed to Island Records and released their debut album, Boy. It reached number 52 in the UK and number 63 in the US. They followed it up with the release of October (1981) and War (1983). War was a commercial success, becoming the band's first number-one album in the UK while reaching number 12 in the US. The album included the singles "Two Hearts Beat as One", "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "New Year's Day". On the subsequent War Tour, the group recorded the live album Under a Blood Red Sky and concert film U2 Live at Red Rocks, both of which sold well and helped establish them globally as a live act.
The band shifted towards a more ambient, abstract musical direction for The Unforgettable Fire (1984), their first collaboration with producers Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois. The album went to number one in the UK and produced the group's biggest hit to that point, the UK top-10 single "Pride (In the Name of Love)". The group's fifth album, The Joshua Tree (1987), made them international superstars and was a critical and commercial success, reaching number one in over 20 countries; it is one of the best-selling albums in the US (10 million copies shipped) and worldwide (25 million copies sold). It produced their only number-one singles in the US, "With or Without You" and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". U2 followed this up with the 1988 release of Rattle and Hum, a double album and companion documentary film which documented their experiences with American roots music from the Joshua Tree Tour with a collection of new studio tracks, cover songs, and live recordings. The lead single "Desire" was the band's first number-one single in the UK. The album sold over 14 million copies, while the film grossed $8.6 million.
Facing a backlash from Rattle and Hum and creative stagnation, U2 reinvented themselves musically in the 1990s. The band's following album, Achtung Baby (1991), marked a dramatic shift towards alternative rock, industrial music, and electronic dance music. It debuted at number one in the US, eventually sold 18 million copies worldwide, and spawned five singles, including "One", "Mysterious Ways", and the UK number-one "The Fly". U2's follow up albums Zooropa and Pop continued the band's experimentation with alternative rock and electronic dance music, reaching number one worldwide but with reduced sales. U2 regained commercial favour with the release of All That You Can't Leave Behind in 2000, returning to a more mainstream sound. The album sold over 12 million copies and won seven Grammy Awards. It spawned several successful singles, including "Beautiful Day", "Walk On", "Elevation", and "Stuck in a Moment You Can't Get Out Of". The following album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), was promoted with the popular lead single "Vertigo". The album was another commercial success and ultimately won all nine of its Grammy Award nominations. The group's twelfth album, No Line on the Horizon (2009), reached number one in 30 countries but its sales of 5 million were seen as a disappointment by the band, and it did not contain a hit single. Their 2014 album Songs of Innocence was released at no cost to over 500 million iTunes Store users but the pervasiveness of the promotion brought controversy; the album's sales and charting duration were among the weakest in the band's discography. In 2017, U2 released Songs of Experience and began the 2017 and 2019 Joshua Tree Tours to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Joshua Tree.
U2 have sold 170 million records worldwide. With 52 million certified units by the RIAA, U2 rank as the 22nd-highest-selling music artist in the US. U2 have eight albums that have reached number one in the US, the third-most of any group.
Albums Studio albums + List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart position Sales Certifications IRLPeaks from 2000 in Ireland: Other peaks: AUSAustralian chart peaks: Top 100 (Australian Music Report) peaks to 12 June 1988: N.B. the Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 12 June 1988. Top 50 (ARIA) peaks from 13 June 1988: Top 100 (ARIA) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: "Ordinary Love" (ARIA) peak: "Invisible" (ARIA) peak: "You're the Best Thing About Me" (ARIA) peak: "Even Better Than the Real Thing (Remixes)" (ARIA) peak: Days of Ash: CAN Note: Albums must be searched manually. FRA Days of Ash: GER NZ SWE SWI UK US BoyReleased: 20 October 1980 Label: Island Format: LP, cassette 13* 35 12 — — 13 38 — 52 63ARIA: Gold BPI: Gold MC: Platinum RIAA: Platinum SNEP: Gold OctoberReleased: 12 October 1981 Label: Island Format: LP, cassette 17* 34 — — — 6 40 — 11 104ARIA: Gold BPI: Platinum RIAA: Platinum SNEP: Gold WarReleased: 28 February 1983 Label: Island Format: LP, cassette, CD 16* 9 4 4 59 5 2 — 1 12 WW: 11,000,000ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: 2× Platinum BVMI: Gold IFPI SWI: Gold MC: 3× Platinum RIAA: 4× Platinum RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: 2× Platinum The Unforgettable FireReleased: 1 October 1984 Label: Island Format: LP, cassette, 8-track, CD 1 1 5 — 14 1 6 24 1 12BPI: 2× Platinum MC: 3× Platinum RIAA: 3× Platinum RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Gold The Joshua TreeReleased: 9 March 1987 Label: Island Format: LP, cassette, 8-track, CD 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 UK: 2,880,000 WW: 25,000,000ARIA: 5× Platinum BPI: 10× Platinum BVMI: 2× Platinum IFPI SWE: Platinum MC: Diamond RIAA: Diamond RMNZ: 14× Platinum SNEP: 2× Platinum Rattle and HumReleased: 10 October 1988 Label: Island Format: Double LP, 8-track, cassette, CD 1 1 1 8 1 1 2 1 1 1 WW: 14,000,000ARIA: 7× Platinum BPI: 4× Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI SWE: Gold IFPI SWI: 2× Platinum MC: 7× Platinum RIAA: 5× Platinum RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Platinum Achtung BabyReleased: 18 November 1991 Label: Island Format: LP, cassette, CD, DCC 1 1 1 1 4 1 3 3 2 1 WW: 18,000,000ARIA: 5× Platinum BPI: 4× Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI SWE: Platinum IFPI SWI: Gold MC: Diamond RIAA: 8× Platinum RMNZ: 5× Platinum SNEP: 2× Platinum ZooropaReleased: 5 July 1993 Label: Island Format: LP, cassette, CD 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 WW: 7,000,000ARIA: 3× Platinum BPI: Platinum BVMI: Gold IFPI SWE: Gold MC: 4× Platinum RIAA: 2× Platinum RMNZ: 4× Platinum SNEP: Platinum PopReleased: 3 March 1997 Label: Island Format: Double LP, cassette, CD 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 US: 1,500,000 WW: 5,000,000ARIA: Platinum BPI: Platinum BVMI: Gold IFPI SWE: Gold IFPI SWI: Platinum MC: 3× Platinum RIAA: Platinum RMNZ: 2× Platinum SNEP: Platinum All That You Can't Leave BehindReleased: 30 October 2000 Label: Island/Interscope Format: LP, cassette, CD 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 3 FRA: 550,000 UK: 1,170,000 US: 4,400,000 WW: 12,000,000ARIA: 5× Platinum BPI: 4× Platinum BVMI: 3× Gold IFPI SWE: Platinum IFPI SWI: 2× Platinum MC: 5× Platinum RIAA: 4× Platinum RMNZ: 3× Platinum SNEP: Platinum How to Dismantle an Atomic BombReleased: 22 November 2004 Label: Island/Interscope Format: LP, cassette, CD, download 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 US: 3,300,000 WW: 10,000,000IRMA: 10× Platinum ARIA: 4× Platinum BPI: 4× Platinum BVMI: 3× Gold IFPI SWE: Platinum MC: 5× Platinum RIAA: 3× Platinum RMNZ: 3× Platinum SNEP: Platinum No Line on the HorizonReleased: 27 February 2009 Label: Island/Interscope Formats: CD, LP, download 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 US: 1,100,000 WW: 5,000,000IRMA: 4× Platinum ARIA: Platinum BPI: Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI SWE: Platinum IFPI SWI: Platinum MC: 2× Platinum RIAA: Platinum RMNZ: Platinum Songs of InnocenceReleased: 9 September 2014 Label: Island Formats: CD, LP, download 2 7 5 1 2 6 2 3 6 9 UK: 62,620 US: 101,000BPI: Silver BVMI: Gold Songs of ExperienceReleased: 1 December 2017 Label: Island Formats: CD, LP, download 1 5 1 3 2 9 2 2 5 1 WW: 1,300,000BPI: Gold BVMI: Gold MC: Gold SNEP: 2× Platinum Songs of SurrenderReleased: 17 March 2023 Label: Island/Interscope Formats: CD, LP, cassette, download 1 3 5 2 1 8 2 1 1 5SNEP: Gold Carnaval de Luz Releasing: 13 November 2026 Label: Island/Interscope Formats: CD, LP, cassette, download colspan="12" "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. "*" information comes from a source which started recording data in 2005.
Live albums + List of live albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications IRL AUS BEL(WA) GER SWE UK US Under a Blood Red SkyReleased: 21 November 1983 Label: Island Records Format: LP, cassette, CD 48 2 39 20 22 2 28ARIA: 4× Platinum BVMI: Platinum BPI: 3× Platinum MC: 2× Platinum RIAA: 3× Platinum RMNZ: Platunum SNEP: Platinum Live from ParisReleased: 20 November 2007 Label: Mercury Records Format: DVD, digital download — — — — — — 54
Compilation albums + List of compilation albums, with selected chart positions and certifications Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications IRL AUS AUT CAN NLD (Album data are from 1993 onward); NZ SWE SWI UK US The Best of 1980–1990 Released: 10 November 1998 Label: Island Records Format: LP, cassette, CD1111111112ARIA: 8× Platinum BPI: 5× Platinum IFPI AUT: 2× Platinum IFPI SWE: Gold IFPI SWI: 3× Platinum MC: 6× Platinum RIAA: 4× Platinum RMNZ: 9× Platinum The Best of 1990–2000 Released: 12 November 2002 Label: Island Records Format: LP, cassette, CD1111116123ARIA: 2× Platinum BPI: 2× Platinum IFPI AUT: Platinum IFPI SWE: Gold IFPI SWI: 2× Platinum MC: 3× Platinum RIAA: Platinum RMNZ: 4× Platinum U218 Singles Released: 17 November 2006 Label: Island Records Format: LP, cassette, CD11233141412IRMA: 6× Platinum ARIA: 5× Platinum BPI: 4× Platinum IFPI SWI: Platinum MC: Platinum RMNZ: 4× Platinum
Collaborations Title Album details Peak chart positions AUS CAN FIN* Before 1995: After 1995: NLD UK US Original Soundtracks 1(with Brian Eno as "Passengers")Released: 6 November 1995 Label: Island Records Format: LP, cassette, CD 11 15 32 38 12 76
Box sets Title Album details The Complete U2 Released: 23 November 2004 Label: Island Records Format: Download The Italian Collection Released: 16 August 2016 Label: Island Records Format: CD
Subscriber-exclusive albums + List of subscriber-exclusive albums Title Album details Melon: Remixes for PropagandaRemix album Propaganda fan club magazine subscriber exclusive Released: 30 March 1995 Label: Island Records Format: CD Hasta la Vista Baby! U2 Live from Mexico CityLive album Propaganda fan club magazine subscriber exclusive Released: September 2000 Label: Island Records Format: CD U2.CommunicationLive album U2.com member exclusive Released: 22 April 2005 Label: Island Records Format: CD Zoo TV LiveLive album U2.com member exclusive Released: 18 November 2006 Label: Island Records Format: CD U2 Go Home: Live from Slane Castle, IrelandLive album U2.com subscriber exclusive Released: 21 November 2007 Label: Island Records Format: CD Medium, Rare & RemasteredCompilation album U2.com subscriber exclusive Released: 27 March 2009 Label: Island Records Format: CD Artificial HorizonRemix album U2.com subscriber exclusive Released: 25 March 2010 Label: Island Records Format: CD, triple LP DualsCompilation album U2.com subscriber exclusive Released: 10 May 2011 Label: Island Records Format: CD U22Live album U2.com subscriber exclusive Released: 1 May 2012 Label: Island Records Format: CD From the Ground Up: Edge's Picks from U2360°Live album U2.com subscriber exclusive Released: 17 December 2012 Label: Island Records Format: CD Another Time, Another Place: Live at the Marquee London 1980Live album U2.com subscriber exclusive Released: 2015 Label: Island Records Format: LP, MP3 The Joshua Tree Singles Vinyl Collection: 1987 & 2017Studio/live album