Volcanism is one of the main mechanisms transferring mass between the interior of the Earth and the Earth’s surface. However, the total mass of magma erupted, as well as the mass of each volcanic product, remain poorly constrained both at a global and at a regional scale. A recent study in Reviews of Geophysics quantified the mass of each solid volcanic product erupted above the sea level from 1980 to 2019. We asked the lead author to give an overview of eruption styles and products, explain how our understanding of volcanism is advancing, and outline what opportunities their work opens.