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

Combining 132 all-time countdowns from 27 stations, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana ranks first. It appeared on 108 of the countdowns and was voted number one 37 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 · 132 countdowns from 27 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: 132 countdowns in all. The result: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana comes out on top, appearing on 108 countdowns and voted number one 37 times.

132all-time countdowns

27stations

7,765songs ranked

Top 100 of all time

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	10,439	108	#1	37	1991
2	Creep Radiohead	8,725	101	#2	–	1993
3	Alive Pearl Jam	8,725	99	#2	–	1992
4	Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division	7,999	109	#1	3	2005
5	Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers	7,969	104	#2	–	1992
6	Sunday Bloody Sunday U2	7,398	94	#2	–	1983
7	Losing My Religion R.E.M.	7,144	97	#6	–	1991
8	With or Without You U2	6,933	104	#8	–	1987
9	Black Pearl Jam	6,694	81	#1	10	1992
10	One U2	6,569	89	#2	–	1992
11	How Soon is Now? The Smiths	6,458	71	#1	8	1984
12	Jeremy Pearl Jam	6,383	89	#1	1	1992
13	Blister in the Sun Violent Femmes	6,353	73	#1	4	–
14	Disarm The Smashing Pumpkins	6,226	81	#7	–	1993
15	Just Like Heaven The Cure	6,223	70	#1	1	1987
16	Come As You Are Nirvana	6,175	81	#6	–	1992
17	Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction	6,111	71	#1	6	1990
18	I Wanna Be Sedated The Ramones	6,058	70	#1	2	1988
19	Blue Monday New Order	5,845	68	#1	1	1983
20	Jane Says Jane's Addiction	5,749	68	#2	–	1988
21	New Year's Day U2	5,726	80	#4	–	1983
22	Head Like a Hole Nine Inch Nails	5,664	65	#1	1	1990
23	Wonderwall Oasis	5,659	84	#2	–	1995
24	Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Clash	5,628	66	#8	–	1982
25	Bizarre Love Triangle New Order	5,414	64	#1	2	1986
26	Give It Away Red Hot Chili Peppers	5,412	62	#11	–	1991
27	Loser Beck	5,361	62	#2	–	1994
28	Lithium Nirvana	5,328	77	#3	–	1992
29	Today The Smashing Pumpkins	5,322	63	#2	–	1993
30	Anarchy in the U.K. The Sex Pistols	5,297	74	#1	5	–
31	Everlong Foo Fighters	5,278	69	#1	1	1997
32	It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.	5,270	66	#2	–	1987
33	Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine	5,252	77	#2	–	1993
34	Pride (In the Name of Love) U2	5,222	70	#2	–	1984
35	Even Flow Pearl Jam	5,121	59	#2	–	1992
36	Rock the Casbah The Clash	5,082	66	#18	–	1982
37	London Calling The Clash	5,055	67	#4	–	1980
38	The One I Love R.E.M.	5,037	79	#10	–	1987
39	Enjoy the Silence Depeche Mode	5,005	78	#2	–	1990
40	I Melt With You Modern English	4,987	58	#2	–	1983
41	Boys Don't Cry The Cure	4,983	66	#1	1	1986
42	Song 2 Blur	4,903	64	#2	–	1997
43	Longview Green Day	4,820	56	#5	–	1994
44	Closer Nine Inch Nails	4,775	63	#3	–	1994
45	Sabotage Beastie Boys	4,735	61	#6	–	1994
46	Heroes David Bowie	4,707	70	#6	–	1977
47	Rock Lobster The B-52's	4,690	59	#5	–	2005
48	Personal Jesus Depeche Mode	4,684	60	#17	–	1989
49	Roxanne The Police	4,670	63	#10	–	1978
50	Heart-Shaped Box Nirvana	4,633	58	#8	–	1993
51	All Apologies Nirvana	4,626	58	#14	–	1994
52	Dear God XTC	4,620	66	#2	–	1987
53	Tainted Love Soft Cell	4,603	59	#1	2	1982
54	Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin	4,583	50	#1	3	–
55	Basket Case Green Day	4,581	65	#3	–	1994
56	A Forest The Cure	4,566	54	#4	–	–
57	Epic Faith No More	4,552	66	#19	–	1990
58	Train in Vain The Clash	4,532	59	#11	–	1980
59	Burning Down the House Talking Heads	4,453	60	#24	–	1983
60	What I Got Sublime	4,436	54	#1	1	1996
61	She Sells Sanctuary The Cult	4,418	56	#5	–	1985
62	Black Hole Sun Soundgarden	4,370	56	#4	–	1994
63	You Gotta Fight For Your Right (To Party) Beastie Boys	4,350	54	#3	–	1987
64	No Rain Blind Melon	4,333	56	#29	–	1993
65	Karma Police Radiohead	4,290	73	#11	–	1998
66	People are People Depeche Mode	4,282	56	#14	–	1984
67	Whip It Devo	4,279	58	#18	–	1980
68	Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds	4,257	66	#8	–	1985
69	Self-Esteem The Offspring	4,255	57	#6	–	1994
70	Dead Man's Party Oingo Boingo	4,249	55	#6	–	1985
71	In Bloom Nirvana	4,245	52	#10	–	1992
72	Intergalactic Beastie Boys	4,234	52	#4	–	1998
73	Daughter Pearl Jam	4,200	55	#8	–	1993
74	Bohemian Rhapsody Queen	4,182	45	#2	–	–
75	Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve	4,167	58	#8	–	1997
76	Lightning Crashes Live	4,130	53	#12	–	1995
77	Bullet With Butterfly Wings The Smashing Pumpkins	4,066	59	#4	–	1995
78	Close to Me The Cure	4,064	61	#29	–	1986
79	Better Man Pearl Jam	4,017	51	#3	–	1995
80	True Faith New Order	3,974	60	#10	–	1987
81	Interstate Love Song Stone Temple Pilots	3,963	51	#20	–	1994
82	Buddy Holly Weezer	3,957	54	#2	–	1994
83	Beds are Burning Midnight Oil	3,939	62	#17	–	1988
84	God Save the Queen The Sex Pistols	3,938	56	#3	–	1977
85	Tonight, Tonight The Smashing Pumpkins	3,918	52	#4	–	1996
86	Come Out and Play The Offspring	3,913	45	#12	–	1994
87	Zombie The Cranberries	3,902	65	#9	–	1994
88	Lips Like Sugar Echo and the Bunnymen	3,870	52	#4	–	1987
89	Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode	3,869	54	#2	–	1981
90	Low Cracker	3,866	52	#20	–	1993
91	The Distance Cake	3,847	49	#12	–	1996
92	Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) Eurythmics	3,835	50	#29	–	1983
93	Would? Alice In Chains	3,833	56	#5	–	1992
94	Plush Stone Temple Pilots	3,818	48	#3	–	1993
95	Are You Gonna Go My Way Lenny Kravitz	3,775	54	#28	–	1993
96	In Between Days The Cure	3,770	56	#3	–	1985
97	There is a Light That Never Goes Out The Smiths	3,768	66	#9	–	1986
98	Nothing Else Matters Metallica	3,765	48	#5	–	1997
99	1979 The Smashing Pumpkins	3,757	54	#4	–	1996
100	In Your Eyes Peter Gabriel	3,753	52	#10	–	1986

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)

101X

103.3 The Edge

Top 103 New Rock Songs of the Millennium

105.9 The X

94.3 WCYY

John Peel (BBC Radio 1)

Studio Brussel

The Edge

Virgin Radio

X96

Top 500 Alternative Songs of All Time

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.