What is the greatest alternative rock song of all time according to radio listeners?

Combining 115 all-time countdowns from 18 stations, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana ranks first. It appeared on 91 of the countdowns and was voted number one 29 times.

How is the all-time ranking calculated?

Every appearance on an all-time countdown earns points based on its position and the length of the list: number one earns 100 points and the last position earns close to zero. A song's total is the sum of its points across every qualifying countdown.

All-time consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 115 countdowns from 18 stations

The greatest alternative rock songs of all time

Radio stations have been asking their listeners to vote for the greatest songs of all time since the 1970s. This ranking combines KROQ’s Flashback 500, WOXY’s Modern Rock 500, Live 105’s Revolutionary 500, CD101’s Top 2000, De Tijdloze and dozens more: 115 countdowns in all. The result: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana comes out on top, appearing on 91 countdowns and voted number one 29 times.

115all-time countdowns

18stations

7,712songs ranked

Top 100 of all time

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	8,846	91	#1	29	1991
2	Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division	7,880	106	#1	3	2005
3	Alive Pearl Jam	7,446	84	#2	–	1992
4	Creep Radiohead	7,267	84	#2	–	1993
5	Sunday Bloody Sunday U2	7,160	90	#2	–	1983
6	With or Without You U2	6,693	101	#8	–	1987
7	Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers	6,627	88	#3	–	1992
8	Losing My Religion R.E.M.	6,511	86	#6	–	1991
9	One U2	6,323	83	#2	–	1992
10	How Soon is Now? The Smiths	6,175	67	#1	8	1984
11	Just Like Heaven The Cure	5,860	64	#1	1	1987
12	Blue Monday New Order	5,747	65	#1	1	1983
13	Black Pearl Jam	5,674	66	#1	10	1992
14	New Year's Day U2	5,575	76	#4	–	1983
15	Blister in the Sun Violent Femmes	5,543	62	#1	4	–
16	I Wanna Be Sedated The Ramones	5,345	59	#1	1	1988
17	Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Clash	5,337	62	#8	–	1982
18	Bizarre Love Triangle New Order	5,273	61	#1	2	1986
19	Anarchy in the U.K. The Sex Pistols	5,253	73	#1	5	–
20	Disarm The Smashing Pumpkins	5,198	66	#7	–	1993
21	Jane Says Jane's Addiction	4,974	57	#2	–	1988
22	Jeremy Pearl Jam	4,948	73	#3	–	1992
23	Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction	4,934	55	#1	6	1990
24	I Melt With You Modern English	4,916	56	#2	–	1983
25	London Calling The Clash	4,904	63	#4	–	1980
26	Rock the Casbah The Clash	4,847	61	#18	–	1982
27	Boys Don't Cry The Cure	4,833	63	#1	1	1986
28	The One I Love R.E.M.	4,829	75	#10	–	1987
29	Roxanne The Police	4,631	62	#10	–	–
30	Heroes David Bowie	4,610	69	#6	–	1977
31	Come As You Are Nirvana	4,609	64	#7	–	1992
32	Rock Lobster The B-52's	4,597	57	#5	–	2005
33	Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin	4,583	50	#1	3	–
34	Enjoy the Silence Depeche Mode	4,572	69	#3	–	1990
35	A Forest The Cure	4,566	54	#4	–	–
36	Head Like a Hole Nine Inch Nails	4,562	50	#1	1	1990
37	Pride (In the Name of Love) U2	4,513	61	#2	–	1984
38	Dear God XTC	4,513	64	#2	–	1987
39	Wonderwall Oasis	4,321	68	#2	–	1995
40	Burning Down the House Talking Heads	4,294	57	#24	–	1983
41	Tainted Love Soft Cell	4,284	55	#1	2	1982
42	She Sells Sanctuary The Cult	4,258	53	#5	–	1985
43	Personal Jesus Depeche Mode	4,250	54	#17	–	1989
44	Bohemian Rhapsody Queen	4,182	45	#2	–	–
45	Whip It Devo	4,173	56	#18	–	1980
46	People are People Depeche Mode	4,160	53	#14	–	1984
47	It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.	4,145	50	#2	–	1987
48	Give It Away Red Hot Chili Peppers	4,145	47	#11	–	1991
49	Dead Man's Party Oingo Boingo	4,125	53	#6	–	1985
50	Lithium Nirvana	4,095	62	#3	–	1992
51	Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds	4,045	62	#8	–	1985
52	Today The Smashing Pumpkins	4,025	48	#2	–	1993
53	Loser Beck	3,997	45	#2	–	1994
54	Close to Me The Cure	3,945	58	#29	–	1986
55	Even Flow Pearl Jam	3,931	45	#5	–	1992
56	God Save the Queen The Sex Pistols	3,905	55	#3	–	1977
57	True Faith New Order	3,893	58	#10	–	1987
58	Everlong Foo Fighters	3,875	52	#6	–	1997
59	Beds are Burning Midnight Oil	3,819	59	#17	–	1988
60	Lips Like Sugar Echo and the Bunnymen	3,797	50	#4	–	1987
61	Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode	3,774	53	#2	–	1981
62	In Between Days The Cure	3,770	56	#3	–	1985
63	Train in Vain The Clash	3,769	49	#11	–	1980
64	There is a Light That Never Goes Out The Smiths	3,690	65	#9	–	1986
65	Song 2 Blur	3,670	49	#8	–	1997
66	Space Oddity David Bowie	3,650	62	#8	–	–
67	Radio Free Europe R.E.M.	3,631	45	#1	1	1983
68	Longview Green Day	3,626	41	#5	–	1994
69	Child in Time Deep Purple	3,601	39	#1	7	–
70	Psycho Killer Talking Heads	3,583	53	#6	–	2005
71	Sabotage Beastie Boys	3,563	46	#6	–	1994
72	Karma Police Radiohead	3,559	60	#11	–	1998
73	Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine	3,542	54	#2	–	1993
74	Strangelove Depeche Mode	3,486	51	#8	–	1987
75	Sultans of Swing Dire Straits	3,477	44	#6	–	–
76	Tempted Squeeze	3,465	51	#21	–	1981
77	Where Is My Mind? The Pixies	3,435	52	#11	–	2005
78	Lust For Life Iggy Pop	3,434	50	#1	2	1996
79	Closer Nine Inch Nails	3,432	46	#3	–	1994
80	Where the Streets Have No Name U2	3,416	49	#17	–	1987
81	One Metallica	3,395	41	#2	–	–
82	Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears	3,394	51	#10	–	1985
83	Mexican Radio Wall of Voodoo	3,393	50	#9	–	1982
84	Pretty In Pink The Psychedelic Furs	3,393	50	#9	–	1986
85	Monkey Gone To Heaven The Pixies	3,389	52	#6	–	1989
86	Heart-Shaped Box Nirvana	3,384	42	#8	–	1993
87	Are You Gonna Go My Way Lenny Kravitz	3,368	46	#28	–	1993
88	Girlfriend in a Coma The Smiths	3,366	49	#48	–	1987
89	All Apologies Nirvana	3,354	43	#14	–	1994
90	Paranoid Android Radiohead	3,352	53	#5	–	1997
91	Cars Gary Numan	3,339	49	#11	–	1980
92	I Will Follow U2	3,337	52	#15	–	1981
93	Relax Frankie Goes to Hollywood	3,335	47	#18	–	1984
94	Ball and Chain Social Distortion	3,329	45	#2	–	1990
95	Let's Go to Bed The Cure	3,302	45	#9	–	1983
96	Basket Case Green Day	3,238	49	#10	–	1994
97	So Alive Love and Rockets	3,237	47	#13	–	1989
98	Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads	3,207	50	#16	–	1980
99	Never Say Never Romeo Void	3,207	47	#8	–	1981
100	Pictures of You The Cure	3,201	46	#5	–	1990

The countdowns behind the ranking

Every all-time list →

KROQ

91X

Live 105

Q101

WLIR / WDRE

K-Rock

Top 92 Party Songs of All-Time (2002) (not counted)

WFNX

Top 500 Songs of All-Time (June 1999)
Top 50 Grunge Songs of All-Time (June 2002) (not counted)

107.7 The End

WOXY 97X

CD101

Y100

Top 300 Songs of All-Time (July 2004)

CFNY 102.1 The Edge

The Buzz

Top 99 Songs of All-Time (1999)
Top Songs of All-Time (Labor Day 2002, partial) (not counted)

John Peel (BBC Radio 1)

Studio Brussel

Virgin Radio

Triple J

Fred (XM 44)

WBRU

Modern Rock Top 500 (2001)

How the all-time ranking works

Each countdown contributes percentile-based points: a number one earns 100, a song halfway down earns about 50, and the last position earns close to zero. A song’s all-time score is the sum of its points across every qualifying countdown, which rewards songs that appear on many lists and rank highly on them. Themed countdowns (party songs, single-artist lists) are archived but not counted, and each radio format is ranked on its own. Read the full methodology.