List of Billboard 200 number-one albums of 1991

The album chart name changed from "Top Pop Albums" to "Billboard 200 Top Albums" on September 7, 1991.^[1] The highest-selling albums and EPs in the United States are ranked in the Billboard 200, which is published by Billboard magazine. In 1991, a total of 14 albums claimed the top of the chart. One of which, American rapper Vanilla Ice's To the Extreme started its peak on the issue dated November 10, 1990, and spent 8 weeks atop the chart in 1991.

Mariah Carey's self-titled debut album was the longest running number-one album of the year, spending 11 consecutive weeks atop the chart and was the best-selling album of 1991.^[2] Starting in 1991, Billboard began using Nielsen Soundscan data for its album chart, which provided more precise and accurate sales figures.^[3] The first date to use this methodology was the June 1, 1991 dated chart when the number one album was Out of Time by R.E.M., which topped the chart with sales of 89,000.^[4]

Mariah Carey topped the chart with her self-titled album Mariah Carey; it stayed in its position for 11 weeks.

Michael Jackson's Dangerous was his third straight album to top the Billboard 200.

Slave to the Grind by Skid Row (singer Sebastian Bach pictured) was the first album to debut at number one in the Soundscan era.

Chart history

Key

†	Indicates best performing album of 1991
	Indicates #1 album before Nielsen SoundScan tracked sales

Issue date	Album	Artist(s)	Sales	Ref.
January 5	To the Extreme	Vanilla Ice		[5]
January 12				[6]
January 19				[7]
January 26				[8]
February 2				[9]
February 9				[10]
February 16				[11]
February 23				[12]
March 2	Mariah Carey †	Mariah Carey		[13]
March 9				[14]
March 16				[15]
March 23				[16]
March 30				[17]
April 6				[18]
April 13				[19]
April 20				[20]
April 27				[21]
May 4				[22]
May 11				[23]
May 18	Out of Time	R.E.M.		[24]
May 25	Time, Love & Tenderness	Michael Bolton		[25]
June 1	Out of Time	R.E.M.	89,000	[26][4]
June 8	Spellbound	Paula Abdul	88,000	[27][28]
June 15			89,000	[29][30]
June 22	Niggaz4Life	N.W.A	154,000	[31]
June 29	Slave to the Grind	Skid Row	134,000	[32][33]
July 6	For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge	Van Halen	243,000	[34][35]
July 13			195,000	[36]
July 20			142,000	[37]
July 27	Unforgettable... with Love	Natalie Cole	517,000	[38]
August 3			329,000	[39]
August 10			287,000	[40]
August 17			211,000	[41]
August 24			170,000	[42]
August 31	Metallica	Metallica	598,000	[43][44]
September 7			290,000	[45][46]
September 14			213,000	[47]
September 21			171,500	[48]
September 28	Ropin' the Wind	Garth Brooks	300,000	[49][50]
October 5	Use Your Illusion II	Guns N' Roses	770,000	[51][52]
October 12			340,000	[53][54]
October 19	Ropin' the Wind	Garth Brooks	254,000	[55][56]
October 26			270,000	[57][58]
November 2			230,000	[59][60]
November 9			220,000	[61][62]
November 16			190,000	[63][64]
November 23			175,000	[65][66]
November 30			167,000	[67][68]
December 7	Achtung Baby	U2	295,000	[69][70]
December 14	Dangerous	Michael Jackson	326,500	[71][72]
December 21			378,000	[73][74]
December 28			370,000	[75][76]

See also

• 1991 in music
• List of number-one albums (United States)