Lately; recently; nowadays — referring to the recent period of time.
近頃、仕事が忙しくて休む暇がない。
Lately I've been so busy with work that I don't have time to rest.
近頃の若者はスマホをよく使う。
Young people these days use smartphones a lot.
近頃よく映画館に行くようになった。
Lately I've started going to the cinema more often.
A dated/literary use as an intensifier meaning 'terribly' or 'extremely' (largely archaic in modern speech).
暑い夏は近頃蒸し暑くてたまらない。
This hot summer is terribly humid lately and unbearable.