You don’t need to love music documentaries to fall for one.
You just need the right story.
Netflix has quietly built a library where pop stars feel human, legends feel fragile, and unknown artists suddenly matter a lot. This isn’t about background noise. These films ask you to listen. Properly. Sometimes uncomfortably.
And yeah, you might walk out a fan of a genre you once skipped without thinking.
Let’s start.
Pop & Contemporary: The Art of the Spectacle
This is where performance becomes legend. It’s not just about singing. It’s about vision, control, and sheer, unbelievable work.
1. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé.
Call it a concert film? No. It’s a cultural thesis statement. A masterclass in reclaiming history. Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance (dubbed “Beychella”) was a celebration of Black college culture, an HBCU-inspired epic. This film shows the relentless, year-long grind to build that moment. The detail is insane. You see the creator, the strategist, the exhausted human. It redefines what a pop star can be.
2. Miss Americana
Raw. Vulnerable. A departure from the myth. This is Taylor Swift stepping out of the narrative others wrote for her. We see her grappling with political voice, public scrutiny, and the search for artistic authenticity beyond the charts. It’s a fascinating look at the person behind the persona, trying to build a life in the blinding spotlight.
3. Halftime
Jennifer Lopez at the Super Bowl. Seems like pure glamour, right? This doc pulls back the curtain on the immense pressure of the world’s biggest stage. Juggling creative vision, network constraints, and a career spanning decades—all while proving she’s still got it. It’s about legacy, in real time.
4. BLACKPINK
Light Up the Sky. The global explosion of K-pop, through the eyes of its biggest girl group. It demystifies the phenomenon. You see the years of brutal, dormitory-style training. The sacrifice. Then the dizzying payoff: screaming stadiums, fashion weeks, world domination. It’s a crash course in modern pop stardom.
Rock & Classic Artists: Legends, Myths & Also-Rans
This section has ghosts, giants, and beautiful, glorious failures. The stories that built the soundtrack of the 20th century.
5. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese.
“A story.” Not “the” story. Key difference. Scorsese weaves real 1975 tour footage with playful, fictionalized interviews. It’s surreal, poetic, and as enigmatic as Dylan himself. You won’t get simple answers. You’ll get the myth, the magic, and the mischief. A fascinating puzzle of a film.
6. Big Star: Nothing Can Hurt Me.
The definitive “what could have been” story. Big Star made perfect power-pop albums in the 70s. Critics adored them. They sold almost nothing. This doc tracks their beautiful, heartbreaking influence. How a band that failed commercially inspired everyone from R.E.M. to The Replacements. A tribute to artistic purity, commercial fate be damned.
7. We Are Twisted F*ing Sister!**
Yes, the “We’re Not Gonna Take It” guys. This is shockingly one of the best music docs period. It’s not a joke. It follows a decade of grinding in New Jersey bars before overnight, makeup-covered fame. It’s about dogged persistence, brotherhood, and the wild truth behind a glam-metal cartoon. Seriously, watch it.
8. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream.
Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, this is an epic. Four hours tracing the journey from Gainesville, Florida to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It’s a deep, loving portrait of a band, their integrity, and Petty’s stubborn dedication to his craft. The blueprint for American rock and roll.
Soul, R&B & Hip-Hop: Voice, Power & Revolution
Here, music isn’t just entertainment. It’s identity, resistance, and social history. The personal is profoundly political.
9. What Happened, Miss Simone?
This isn’t a standard biodoc. It’s a searing, unflinching portrait of a tortured genius. Using Nina Simone’s diaries and raw footage, it explores her civil rights activism, her battles with mental illness, and the price of her uncompromising vision. You feel her rage, her pain, her sublime talent. It’s heavy. Essential.
10. Quincy
Co-directed by his daughter, Rashida Jones, this is a whirlwind through Quincy Jones’s seven-decade career. From jazz trumpeter to producing “Thriller.” The breadth is staggering. You see the collaborator, the innovator, the force of nature who shaped the sound of multiple generations. His energy alone is inspiring.
11. Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop.
A vital, celebratory correction to the narrative. It traces the pioneering women—from MC Lyte and Queen Latifah to modern icons—who shaped hip-hop from day one. It’s about claiming space, breaking barriers, and the undeniable impact of their voice and vision. A powerful, necessary history lesson.
For the Curious & Undiscovered: The Gems You Can’t Forget
These are the underdog stories. The ones that feel like secrets you have to share.
12. Anvil! The Story of Anvil.
Often called the “real-life Spinal Tap.” But it’s so much more. It follows two Canadian childhood friends still chasing their 80s metal dreams in their 50s. It’s hilarious, cringe-worthy, and profoundly moving. A testament to friendship, absurd hope, and why we create even when the world isn’t listening. You will root for them like family.
13. Searching for Sugarman.
A modern fairy tale. In the 70s, a singer named Rodriguez made two brilliant folk-rock albums in Detroit. They flopped. He vanished. Unbeknownst to him, his music became the soundtrack to the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, where he was bigger than the Beatles. This film is a detective story, a mystery, and the most heartwarming comeback you’ll ever see. (Note: Availability shifts, but hunt it down.)
What’s the Point? Why Watch?
A great music doc does something simple. It connects the sound to a soul. It turns a background singer into a main character in your head.
That synth line? Now you know the heartbreak behind it. That guitar solo? You saw the 10,000 hours of practice in a garage.
It makes you listen differently. It makes you a fan of the journey, not just the song. You don’t just hear the music. You feel the weight of it.
So. Pick one from a genre you love from this list by It’s Netflix Nerd. Or better yet, pick one from a genre you don’t. You might just find your new favorite artist. Or finally understand why an old one mattered.
Which one will you watch first? The backstage pass is waiting. Hit play.