And by “decade” I mean ten continuous years- It could be 1940 to 1950, 1312 to 1322, 1066 to 1076 etc., and by “single” I mean just that. No picking one decade for the jazz, another for the rock, and another for the neo classical, please.
1965-1975.
1982-1992
This would largely cover my youth (8-18) and the music I think of most readily, and also cuts some of the most disco-y (not bad, but not idea) bits of the 80s and keeps some of the interesting stuff of the early 90s.
1780-1790, when Mozart and Haydn were at the peak of their careers.
My favorite decade of music is 1967-1977. It was an era where creativity and innovation were at their peak in popular music, and no one could surpass that. These were the years when giants like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and Jimi Hendrix roared up on the musical horizon—acts that would redefine the boundaries of rock and roll, psychedelic, and blues. It wasn’t only great songs but also cultural revolution, the stretching of social boundaries, and expressing the hopes and frustrations of a generation that its music was about—albums like ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,’ ‘Dark Side of the Moon,’ and ‘Led Zeppelin IV’ were not just groups of songs but singular works of art, the influence of which continues to be felt today by musicians.
Second would be the 1820s. The 1820s were a peak for music in general, concerning the period of great innovation and the rise of romanticism in music. Some of the most significant and long-lasting works in classical music were composed in this decade, like Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, which revolutionized the symphonic form through choral symphony. Schubert and his contemporaries were equally prolific at this time. The 1820s marked a move toward intense and emotional music, representing more significant cultural shifts and setting up some innovations that the Romantic era would later bring.
I guess 2014-2024.
Although I’d miss individual people/groups, that’ll be the case for any decade. On the other hand, any style of music can be found in my decade which wouldn’t be the case if I picked 1973-1983 or some other period. Give me a streaming music service that only plays songs from 2014-2024 and I’ll still be able to find people playing some variant on 60s surf music or 90s grunge or 80s hip-hop or whatever else. And each year the number of music added just gets larger so I’m sure out of the bajillion tracks added, I’ll find something I like.
If I could totally bend the rules, I’d say the current decade, no matter when the question was asked in my lifetime.
If that’s not an acceptable answer, then 2014-2024. It’s got the widest variety, by far.
Different answers at different ages, but ten years is very tough. If it had to be a single decade, maybe the 1990’s? I’ve probably slowly slid into being more an alternative rock fan than any other single genre, so that is probably the most solid chronological decade. But that dumps an awful lot of peak favorites even in that genre like Pixies, early REM and Sonic Youth. 1986-1996 has some appeal (sorta Fables of the Reconstruction to Mellon Collie), but that loses the White Stripes entirely. Hmph. Honestly I like an awful lot of 1950’s to 1970’s stuff as well, from jazz to classic rock, to folk, to punk and new wave, to early “world music”, reggae and ska - sigh. Not to mention, y’know, the 18th and 19th centuries.
Nah, I’m not playing. I reject the premise 
.
1975 - 1985
Gets me from Queen - A Night at the Opera and Pnik Floyd - Wish You Were Here and Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac and Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti
to…
The Smiths - Meat is Murder and Teas for Fears - Songs From the Big Chair and R.E.M - Fables of the Reconstruction and Bryan Ferry - Boys and Girls and Stevie Ray Vaughn - Soul to Soul.
(to name a few)
1957-1967. That’s where I still discover some uncovered gems. I kinda feel I’ve already listed to everything worthwhile after 1968.
1993-2003
1976-1986.
These examples so far are all 11 years. I go with 1/1/1975 to 12/31/1984 inclusive.
The examples are for a year and a day, and I don’t mind.
1967-1977.
From the summer of love to Abbey Road to Tapestry to Live at the Filmore East to Physical Graffiti, Hotel California and Rumours. Then in the jazz realm, you have Bitches Brew, Chick Corea w/ Return to Forever and Weather Report. But I’m just scratching the surface. There is just an astounding amount of good music between these years. I would never get tired listening to the music from that decade.
Big second to Whack-A-Mole!
This also gets us Boston, The Cars, Cheap Trick, Elvis Costello, The Go-Gos, and a huge chunk of excellent Richard Thompson.
1966 - 1976 - unparallelled breadth, depth and variety.
I/m just going with the 80’s.
This is the correct answer.
1963 to 1973. Have to cover the Beatles, and that still gives me a few years of great 70s music.