16 Popular Energy Drinks, Ranked By Customer Reviews

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Let's face it, life can be exhausting. Between work, school, sports, and responsibilities at home, sleep can quickly go by the wayside. Sometimes, you need a little pick-me-up, and energy drinks are a popular option for many people. But with so many types on the market, how do you know which to try? That's where we come in. We've scoured online customer reviews to find the most popular energy drinks and ranked them based on consumer comments. You can learn more about our specific methodologies at the end of this article.

These fruity, flavorful drinks are a relatively new introduction to the world of caffeinated beverages. They were introduced to consumers in Japan in the 1960s, but it took decades for them to become mainstream. Nowadays, there are countless energy drink brands to choose from, and they come in almost every imaginable flavor. Choosing between the myriad options can be a daunting task, and not all energy drinks are created equal. To help you find the right can to jump-start your day, here's a ranking of the best energy drinks you can buy, according to customer reviews.

5-Hour Energy was brought to market by Manoj Bhargava, an entrepreneur who spent his younger years job-hopping and traveling the world, per The Ringer. In an interview with Forbes, he claimed that "5-Hour Energy is not an energy drink, it's a focus drink," and he feels that consuming the shot is not a hindrance in his quest for tranquility. In fact, he drinks it every morning.

According to Era of We, each 5-Hour Energy shot contains 200 milligrams of caffeine; the extra strength variety has a whopping 242 milligrams (via WebMed). Putting this much caffeine in such a small amount of liquid was bound to have negative consequences. In 2012, The New York Times reported that 5-Hour Energy had been included in 13 death reports over the span of three years.

Despite the health concerns, the effectiveness of this energy shot cannot be discounted. Amazon user Lorah868, a devoted consumer of 5-Hour Energy, suggests that the product is incredibly effective in helping her maintain an active lifestyle, per Amazon. Whether she's hitting the slopes, taking a jog at first light, or doing what is perhaps her most exhausting activity — teaching elementary school students — 5-Hour energy is just the thing to propel her through the day, and it does so without making her crash.

If you buy this energy drink, you'll definitely get plenty of bang (no pun intended) for your buck. Bang is available in a staggering amount of flavors, which range from more standard fruity fare like Blue Razz, Mango Bango, Citrus Twist, or Wyldin' Watermelon, to less recognizable tastes like Birthday Cake Bash, Whole Lotta Chocolata, Champagne, and Radical Skadattle. But, not all flavors of Bang are created equal. Reviewing Birthday Cake Bash, Reddit user u/xdeadly_godx says, "I feel like I'm drinking a birthday cake. And that's also exactly the reason it sucks." User u/tricia_le says that Radical Skadattle, "Tastes like rainbow unicorn but a watermelon jolly rancher aftertaste."

Regardless of the flavor you choose, Bang contains Super Creatine, which is, "Creatine bonded to L-Leucine." While Super Creatine is an original invention of Bang's creators, according to Mayo Clinic, creatine is an amino acid that can aid in physical performance and muscle growth.

However, Bang simply has too much caffeine. One 16-ounce can contains 300 milligrams of caffeine, which is the highest amount featured on this list. However, the company advises that the drink not be consumed with any other caffeinated products, per The Silicon Review. Obviously, a pre-workout energy drink has to pack a powerful punch, so careful consumption of Bang can be a great first step to getting your workout on.

In the world of energy drinks, there seems to be a constant state of competition between brands to market one's product in the most epic manner possible. Full Throttle may very well represent the apex of this hardcore hierarchy. If the company's slogan – "Unstoppable, Undefeated, Unbroken. We live Full Throttle" – isn't enough evidence, you need only to look at the most recent can design — which features a shrieking eagle with lightning strikes cracking around its ruffled feathers — to get a sense that the drink means business.

Currently, the Full Throttle Energy Drink website only features two flavors: Original Citrus and True Blue. Kristen, a Walmart reviewer, says that original citrus has a, "... mild citrus flavor," and notes that it lacks the other pungent chemical flavor that creeps into many energy drinks. YouTuber casualgamerreed awarded True Blue four out of five stars. In his review video, he tastes new flavor notes with every swallow, at one point saying, "...the more I sip this and the more I try this, the more I like it."

According to Beastly Energy, Full Throttle has, over the years, experimented with a wide variety of flavors, though many offerings, including their line of coffee-inspired cans, have been discontinued. As such, the drink finds itself in the lower half of this list, as it cannot compete with the sheer number of diverse products offered by other brands.

Mountain Dew Kickstart, which was introduced in 2013, has only 92 milligrams of caffeine in a 16-ounce can, which is considerably less than other energy drinks, per USA TODAY. This makes it a great option for those who want to get a mild caffeine buzz to start their day.

Each can of Mountain Dew Kickstart contains 5% juice. Those who enjoy drinking a tall glass of orange juice in the morning may be inclined to replace that pitcher of pulpy goodness with a can of Kickstart Orange Citrus, which has a taste profile that Fast Food Geek says, "...can be compared to the fancy sparkling fruit beverage San Pellegrino but with a bigger kick." Additionally, according to PepsiCo, a single can of Kickstart Orange Citrus contains 90 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 100% of the recommended daily value.

Mountain Dew Kickstart's fresh flavors have earned it a high ranking on this list. However, its relatively low caffeine content may be somewhat unappealing to ardent energy drink consumers. At the end of the day, Kickstart would simply need a little bit more kick to top this list.

Coming in at the No. 7 spot is Amp, another energy drink in the Mountain Dew family. According to Caffeine Informer, a 16-ounce can of Amp has 142 milligrams of caffeine. This makes it considerably stronger than its cousin, Mountain Dew Kickstart, but weaker than a lot of other beverages highlighted on this list.

Amp has been compared favorably to its parent product, Mountain Dew. REIZECLUB believes that Amp is one of the tastiest energy drinks on the market, relishing in the beverage's, "...high sugar content and soda-like consistency." Reddit user u/guttengroot concurs, explaining that there is, "Something appealing about its crazy sweet citrus flavors."

If you like Mountain Dew, it's virtually guaranteed that you'll enjoy drinking Amp. However, as previously explained, it has a low amount of caffeine in comparison to other energy drinks, and may not give you enough of a boost. Katrina A., a reviewer on Influenster, said that Amp, "...didn't have enough caffeine or give me the kick I'm looking for. If you have a low caffeine tolerance it's probably fine, but mine is higher as I drink coffee daily." Nevertheless, Amp's delicious taste is more than enough to counteract its relatively weak energy effects.

There is something about Alani Nu that reminds us of fun-filled summer days. It's easy to understand why since these energy drinks are packaged in colorful 12-ounce cans, with flavors including Mimosa, Juicy Peach, and Watermelon Wave. The company also gets bonus points for offering energy sticks, providing an on-the-go alternative to your standard cans. Just stash them in your purse or gym bag and mix them with water when you need a boost of energy.

Aside from the 200 milligrams of caffeine, this product also contains guarana and ginseng, which positively affect mood and performance according to Nutrition Reviews. On Amazon, one reviewer stated: "They don't make me feel hyped up, sluggish, or have any weird effects. They give me a great energy boost while having an amazing taste!" Although this particular consumer raved about the flavor, not everyone agreed. After trying the Hawaiian Shaved Ice flavor, another Amazon customer complained: "It tastes like a sour Warhead candy. Very sour! Not what I wanna be drinking."

All energy drinks are bound to get the occasional negative review, but most people had positive things to say. These reviews combined with an aesthetically pleasing product and fun flavors galore place Alani Nu No. 5 in our rankings.

Fans might recognize NOS, or nitrous oxide, from the "Fast & Furious" franchise, where it can be seen supercharging sports cars at critical racing moments, per Screen Rant. In a similar way, drinking NOS energy is a great way to start your engine. In fact, NOS used to be sold in bottles that were modeled after nitrous oxide bottles, Reddit user u/Votethis recalls.

The primary reason that NOS has been chosen to occupy the number three slot in this ranking is its delicious selection of flavors. For example, Amazon reviewer Ron describes his experience with mango NOS, stating, "... it was as if I actually bit into the fruit." He expresses a similar sentiment about several other NOS offerings. Facebook user Jessica Webb describes her affinity for NOS, saying, "I finally found an energy drink that doesn't taste like cough medicine."

NOS is a delicious way to prime your engine. A can of this drink can be just the thing to propel you across the finish line of your goals and aspirations.

Monster Energy drink's logo is instantly recognizable. A jagged "M" — seemingly carved into the side of a can by a tri-taloned beast — serves as a guarantee that you are about to embark on a wild flavor journey.

Several years ago, Reddit user u/kyleplaysguitar compiled a near-exhaustive list of Monster Energy's offerings, and though his scores of the flavors varied, they seldom dipped below a six out of 10; in fact, the average score was over seven. The Impulsive Buy describes the Pipeline Punch as a beautiful, perfectly balanced blend of tropical flavors that are more reminiscent of fruit juice than an energy drink. YouTuber casualgamernerd reviewed sugar-free Monster Ultra Paradise and was stunned to find that the drink lacks the peculiar aftertaste that he feels often plagues drinks that use artificial sweeteners. He awarded the beverage 4.5 out of five stars.

Monster also utilizes hilarious, tongue-in-cheek copy in marketing its products. For example, the description of Monster Assault — a Bourbon Cola flavored beverage — reads, "At Monster, we don't get too hung up on politics. We don't care if you're right wing, left wing, or a chicken wing."

A wide variety of flavors and a creative marketing campaign make Monster the best energy drink currently on the market. Much like its horrifying namesake, this drink has quite the bite and has clawed its way to the top of the heap.