This is a list of singles that charted in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 during 1996.
Mariah Carey, R. Kelly, LL Cool J, and Whitney Houston each had three top-ten hits in 1996, tying them for the most top-ten hits during the year.
| Weeks in top ten | ||||||
| Singles from 1995 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 11 | "Name" | Goo Goo Dolls | 5 | January 27 | 15 | |
| December 23 | "Breakfast at Tiffany's" | Deep Blue Something | 5 | January 20 | 8 | |
| December 30 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Free as a Bird" | The Beatles | 6 | January 6 | 2 |
| Singles from 1996 | ||||||
| January 13 | "Missing" | Everything but the Girl | 2 | February 17 | 13 | |
| January 20 | "One Of Us" | Joan Osborne | 4 | February 3 | 10 | |
| January 27 | "Be My Lover" | La Bouche | 6 | February 24 | 8 | |
| February 3 | "Nobody Knows" | The Tony Rich Project | 2 | March 23 | 23 | |
| February 10 | "Not Gon' Cry" | Mary J. Blige | 2 | February 24 | 10 | |
| February 17 | "Sittin' Up in My Room" | Brandy | 2 | March 9 | 11 | |
| February 24 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Jesus to a Child" | George Michael | 7 | February 24 | 2 |
| March 2 | "Follow You Down" / "Til I Hear It from You" | Gin Blossoms | 9 | March 9 | 8 | |
| March 9 | "Wonderwall" | Oasis | 8 | March 9 | 1 | |
| "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" | R. Kelly featuring The Isley Brothers | 4 | March 30 | 11 | ||
| March 16 | "Because You Loved Me" | Céline Dion | 1 | March 23 | 19 | |
| March 23 | "Ironic" | Alanis Morissette | 4 | April 13 | 15 | |
| March 30 | "Lady" | D'Angelo | 10 | March 30 | 1 | |
| April 6 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Always Be My Baby" | Mariah Carey | 1 | May 4 | 15 |
| "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)" | Coolio | 5 | April 27 | 8 | ||
| April 13 | "Doin' It" | LL Cool J | 9 | April 13 | 1 | |
| April 20 | "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check" | Busta Rhymes | 8 | April 20 | 3 | |
| bgcolor = #99FFFF | "You're The One" | SWV | 5 | June 8 | 10 | |
| "Count On Me" | Whitney Houston and CeCe Winans | 8 | May 4 | 7 | ||
| May 11 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Tha Crossroads" | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony | 1 | May 18 | 12 |
| "Give Me One Reason" | Tracy Chapman | 3 | June 15 | 17 | ||
| June 1 | "Fastlove" | George Michael | 8 | June 1 | 3 | |
| "Keep On, Keepin' On" | MC Lyte featuring Xscape | 10 | June 1 | 1 | ||
| June 8 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "You're Makin' Me High" / "Let It Flow" | Toni Braxton | 1 | July 27 | 20 |
| bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Until It Sleeps" | Metallica | 10 | June 8 | 1 | |
| June 15 | "" | Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen | 7 | June 22 | 4 | |
| June 22 | "How Do U Want It" / "California Love" | 2Pac featuring K-Ci & JoJo / featuring Dr. Dre | 1 | July 13 | 11 | |
| June 29 | "Macarena (Bayside Boys Remix)" | Los Del Rio | 1 | August 3 | 23 | |
| July 6 | "Why I Love You So Much" / "Ain't Nobody" | Monica | 9 | July 6 | 2 | |
| July 13 | "Twisted" | Keith Sweat | 2 | August 17 | 18 | |
| "C'mon N' Ride It (The Train)" | Quad City DJ's | 3 | August 17 | 15 | ||
| July 20 | "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" | R. Kelly | 5 | August 3 | 10 | |
| bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Change the World" | Eric Clapton | 5 | August 17 | 16 | |
| July 27 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "You Learn" / "You Oughta Know" | Alanis Morissette | 6 | July 27 | 7 |
| August 3 | "Loungin" | 3 | August 24 | 11 | ||
| August 17 | "I Love You Always Forever" | Donna Lewis | 2 | August 24 | 16 | |
| August 31 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Hit Me Off" | New Edition | 3 | August 31 | 2 |
| September 14 | "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" | Céline Dion | 2 | October 26 | 19 | |
| September 28 | "Where Do You Go" | No Mercy | 5 | October 12 | 12 | |
| October 12 | "Last Night" | Az Yet | 9 | October 19 | 4 | |
| October 19 | "No Diggity" | Blackstreet featuring Dr. Dre | 1 | November 9 | 18 | |
| October 26 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "This Is for the Lover in You" | Babyface | 6 | November 9 | 5 |
| "Mouth" | Merril Bainbridge | 4 | November 23 | 15 | ||
| November 2 | "Un-Break My Heart" | Toni Braxton | 1 | December 7 | 25 | |
| November 9 | "Nobody" | Keith Sweat featuring Athena Cage | 3 | December 7 | 18 | |
| November 16 | "Pony" | Ginuwine | 6 | November 23 | 6 | |
| December 7 | "I Finally Found Someone" | Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams | 8 | December 7 | 5 | |
| December 21 | "I Believe I Can Fly" | R. Kelly | 2 | December 21 | 16 | |
See main article: List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1995.
| Weeks in top ten | ||||||
| August 26 | "Gangsta's Paradise" | Coolio featuring L.V. | 1 | September 9 | 22 | |
| September 30 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Fantasy" | Mariah Carey | 1 | September 30 | 16 |
| November 25 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" | Whitney Houston | 1 | November 25 | 15 |
| "Hey Lover" | LL Cool J | 3 | December 2 | 14 | ||
| "Diggin' on You" | TLC | 5 | December 30 | 9 | ||
| December 2 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "One Sweet Day" | Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men | 1 | December 2 | 19 |
| December 9 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "You'll See" | Madonna | 6 | December 16 | 5 |
| December 30 | "Before You Walk Out of My Life" | Monica | 7 | December 30 | 5 | |
See main article: List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1997.
| Weeks in top ten | ||||||
| November 30 | "Don't Let Go (Love)" | En Vogue | 2 | January 18 | 17 | |
| "I'm Still in Love with You" | New Edition | 7 | January 11 | 11 | ||
| December 28 | bgcolor = #99FFFF | "I Believe in You and Me" | Whitney Houston | 4 | February 1 | 9 |