I agree 4Msrmyn (long post on Page 3) that Queen's chart positions do not have a lot to do with what music is most popular today and, because of their odd history in the US, really do not reflect their popularity at the time.
From 1975 - 1982 -- Queen's US sales outpaced the UK sales. But after 1982, sales in the US declined and so did their popularity. Part was the shift of US away from classic rock music, part was the 1984 controversy over the "I Want To Break Free" video which was banned in the US by MTV. The song was also not played on US radio.
I do not believe it was an anti-gay movement because Culture Club/Boy George had massive #1 hits in the US in 1983 - 1984. And there is no sign of rock music on the US charts in the mid-1980's. Here are the #1 songs in the US for 1984, in order of number of weeks as #1...
6 Like a Virgin Madonna [includes 4 weeks of 1985]
5 When Doves Cry Prince
4 Jump Van Halen
3 Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) Phil Collins
3 Footloose Kenny Loggins
3 Ghostbusters Ray Parker, Jr.
3 I Just Called to Say I Love You Stevie Wonder
3 Karma Chameleon Culture Club
3 Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go Wham!
3 What's Love Got to Do with It Tina Turner
2 Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run) Billy Ocean
2 Hello Lionel Richie
2 Let's Go Crazy Prince and the Revolution
2 Let's Hear It for the Boy Deniece Williams
2 Out of Touch Daryl Hall and John Oates
2 Owner of a Lonely Heart Yes
2 Say Say Say Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
2 The Reflex Duran Duran
2 Time After Time Cyndi Lauper
1 Missing You John Waite
Even the metal bands were doing pop music -- Van Halen for example.
Minor point but the list on
www.queenpedia.com/index.php?title=USA_Chart_Positions is a bit off for the US. The main US Singles Chart is and was the Billboard Hot 100 which was launched in 1958 (covering the entire Queen sales period) -- so for example, "Killer Queen" is listed as being #12 on the US 1975 Pop Singles chart, but it was #12 on the main chart -- Hot 100. Here are Queen's Billboard chart positions:
www.billboard.com/artist/277241/Queen/chart?page=1&f=379 **
However, I think for people who are under 40, mostly they are familiar with the Queen songs that are frequently used on TV, Video Games and at sporting events. Here's my guess on the most popular/well known Queen songs in the US.
We Will Rock You (a few places list this as the most famous and most popular Queen song because of its use in sport events -- I agree)
We Are the Champions (this song is the "go to" fav for every sport, event figure staking)
Bohemian Rhapsody (Wayne's World reintroduced this song)
Another Bites The Dust (US #1 song, sampled so many times, on sound tracks)
Under Pressure (the riff is on a TV commercial now, Vanilla Ice)
Killer Queen (even made it to Family Guy)
Fat Bottom Girls (JLo/Sir Mixalot cover)
Somebody to Love (a show choir perennial)
smile on that line of my comment, but it did not come out right and I deleted it. The line's font is still wrong because of that... So I wasn't really serious, just tongue-in-cheek because of Wayne's World