This year we got to know a lot of new faces. We got to meet some teen queens, a brother boy band who aren't named Hanson, German pop-rock stars and a pair of love-struck teens whose star-crossed love affair made teen girls everywhere want to fall in love with a vampire. We have this group of young people to thank for making 2008 the year that pop music and culture became teen-driven again.

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift proved to everyone she was "fearless" in 2008. Between battling her ex-boyfriend, Joe Jonas, on the pages of gossip Web sites and getting nominated for a slew of awards, including a VMA, Swift told MTV News, "To me fearless doesn't mean you are completely unafraid. It means you have a lot of fears, but you jump anyway."

Miranda Cosgrove
If Miley Cyrus rules Disney, then Miranda Cosgrove is the queen of all things Nickelodeon. Starring in "iCarly," Miranda sings and vlogs as her onscreen alter ego. This year, the TV movie version of the show was a hit with fans, and even scored more ratings than the Jonas Brothers' juggernaut "Camp Rock." And don't expect Miranda to rest on her laurels in 2009: She's already hard at work on an album, some of which she helped write, that's due sometime next year.

Selena Gomez
She kicked off the year with her TV show, "Wizards of Waverly Place," only to find herself pitted against Miley Cyrus, starring in a Jonas Brothers music video and accidentally leaking news that there's a "Wizards" movie in the works. She also became a member of the Jonas Brothers girlfriends club when she reportedly began dating Nick over the summer.

Jonas Brothers
Nick, Joe and Kevin make girls swoon everywhere they go. They were "Burnin' Up" the music charts, the Disney channel, the VMAs and the loins of their rabid teen base all year long. They have a TV show and some movies, including their foray into 3-D cinema, in the works for 2009, so they may have broken out in 2008 but they'll soon be ranking as MVPs.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
This year Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson solidified themselves as Hollywood players. Starring as Bella and Edward in the amazingly popular "Twilight," they won the hearts of teenage girls everywhere, whose fanaticism and support of the movie made it a surefire hit. They are already lined up to work on its sequel, "New Moon," so you know these two are ready to rule the 2009 box office as well.

Demi Lovato
Early this year, Demi Lovato found herself working alongside the Jonas Brothers in "Camp Rock." She quickly scaled the Disney ranks, where she toured with the JoBros, denied she had any feud with supposed rival Miley Cyrus and released her album "Don't Forget," which debuted at #2 on the charts. She's got a TV show, "Sonny with a Chance," in the works, and we're thinking that Demi has proven she's worth her weight in mouse ears.

Tokio Hotel
A group of German teenagers, whose lead singer defies gravity thanks to his hairstyle choice, quickly won the hearts of teens throughout the world, including the United States. They won a VMA, got waxed and shared their piercings and tats with MTV News. They're already hard at work on the follow-up album to their much loved "Scream," despite their fears that their English just isn't up to par.

Plies
After telling MTV News, "I had to lose something to get where I am today," it must have been a good feeling to have his album "Definition of Real" debut at #2 on the charts. He also put out some tracks that saw him collaborating with everyone from Ne-Yo to Jamie Foxx to Keyshia Cole. He explained, "I wanted to try something differently than I did on my last album." Mission accomplished.

"HSM3" New Class
Justin Martin and Jemma McKenzie-Brown are hoping to pick up where Zac, Vanessa, Corbin and Ashley left off. Describing themselves as a "breath of fresh air" to the franchise, and with rumors of a fourth "High School Musical" in the works, there's definitely the possibility that these two young'uns have what it takes to sing and dance their way into the hearts of teens everywhere.

Who do you think were the hottest rookies and breakout artists of 2008? Sound off below!