Several music outlets have published rankings of top albums from 1976, with one outlet focusing specifically on hard rock albums from that year. The rankings appear to vary in scope, with some covering hard rock, others covering a broader range of genres, and some considering albums from the entire 1970s decade. The rankings also differ in size, ranging from top 20 to top 51 lists, and some outlets have also ranked albums from adjacent years, such as 1975.