Middle school was an awkward time for us all, but I think we can all agree that the highlight of our middle school years was the dances. Now that we've aged appropriately, it's hard to think of why we enjoyed dancing with a bunch of sweaty people in a dark gym. Still, looking back on those days brings back fond memories. Nothing brings back those memories more than the 2000s music played at every dance. Some of the music played at middle school dances is still played today, but even if you're dancing to "Hips Don't Lie" in a frat house basement, you can't help but remember the days of chaperoned dances in the middle school gym. Here are the top 22 middle school dance songs that take you straight back to your middle school years.

1. "Yeah" by Usher

This song has been played at every single dance since the day it was released, and for good reason. It always got everyone on the dance floor, and it still does today. Plus, you felt really cool if you could rap Ludacris's part.

2. "Low" by Flo Rida

Apple Bottom jeans were never that popular, but this song sure was. No other song is more fun to get low to.

3. "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado

Even though you barely knew what the word "promiscuous" meant in middle school, you always got down to this song. Once you heard "Am I throwin' you off?" at the beginning of the song, you were instantly pumped.

4. "Get Low" by Lil John & Eastside Boyz

This was and always will be your jam. You danced to this song a lot, but the most important part was making sure you shouted "to the window" and you know the rest.

5. "Don't Stop The Music" by Rihanna

This song got everybody pumped up, partially because of its fast beat, and also because you related to this song since you didn't want anyone to stop the music.

6. "Cyclone" by Baby Bash

This was one of the songs that had a ton of grinding and made chaperones and teachers very uncomfortable. Your favorite part to shout was "shorty got hips and shorty got *ss," because you and your friends felt so cool swearing in front of your teachers.

7. "Whatever You Like" by T.I.

The grinding level was also quite high in this one, but in your defense, there isn't really another way to dance to this song.

8. "1, 2 Step" by Ciara

The best part of this song is the Missy Elliot part, and if you could rap that, you were basically the coolest kid in middle school.

9. "Temperature" by Sean Paul

You didn't understand what Sean Paul was saying for most of this song, but that didn't stop you from dancing to it.

10. "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada

The only way to dance to this was in a sweaty circle of people jumping and singing along. It wasn't really a middle school dance without this song.

11. "Love in This Club" by Usher

This song had chaperones hoping that students wouldn't make love in the gym, although with the amount of grinding that was going on, they weren't too sure.

12. "Down" by Jay Sean

Lil Wayne's part made this song, and you had that part down.

13. "So What" by Pink

This is the song that you danced to with your girls when you were trying to get over your breakup with your boyfriend of two weeks. You shouted the lyrics as loud as you could, hoping that your ex would see how much fun you're having without him and come crawling back to you.

14. "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls

When that same ex started dating a new girl, you loved this song because it summed up what you wanted to tell him. You danced to this song with your girls and kept looking over at your ex with that new girl who wasn't hot like you.

15. "Ride Wit Me" by Nelly

This song is a classic, and you still listen to it when you go on drives with your friends.

16. "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira

We all wished that we could dance like Shakira when this song came on. Even though nobody could, that didn't stop people from trying their best (and failing).

17. "Crank That (Soulja Boy)" by Soulja Boy

A dance wasn't a dance without Soulja Boy. If you didn't know how to crank that Soulja Boy, did you really go to middle school?

18. "With You" by Chris Brown

This was the romantic song that you hoped you would dance to with the guy you liked, but you usually spent the duration of this song in the bathroom fixing your hair with your friends.

19. "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga became popular right around the time that we were in middle school, and "Just Dance" was a hit at dances in the late 2000s. You can't listen to this song without dancing; it would just be wrong.

20. "Lollipop" by Lil Wayne

Definitely the top ranked song in terms of making chaperones feel uncomfortable. Not only was there a lot of grinding to this song, but the lyrics probably weren't something that middle schoolers should dance to. You still had fun, even if you got awkward stares of disapproval from your teachers.

21. "Hey Ya" by Outkast

You always knew how to shake it like a polaroid picture.

22. "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake

You danced to this one like a boss, even though your awkward middle school self probably didn't bring sexy back.