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

Combining 156 all-time countdowns from 28 stations, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana ranks first. It appeared on 109 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 · All Rock Formats · 156 countdowns from 28 stations

The greatest 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 every all-time countdown in the archive, from alternative and indie to classic rock and metal: 156 countdowns in all. The result: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana comes out on top, appearing on 109 countdowns and voted number one 29 times.

156all-time countdowns

28stations

12,538songs ranked

Top 100 of all time

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Smells Like Teen Spirit Nirvana	10,453	109	#1	29	1991
2	Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division	8,468	113	#1	3	2005
3	Alive Pearl Jam	8,357	97	#2	–	1992
4	Sunday Bloody Sunday U2	8,058	104	#2	–	1983
5	With or Without You U2	7,754	114	#8	–	1987
6	Creep Radiohead	7,619	89	#2	–	1993
7	Losing My Religion R.E.M.	7,413	98	#6	–	1991
8	Under the Bridge Red Hot Chili Peppers	7,229	97	#3	–	1992
9	One U2	7,208	96	#2	–	1992
10	Black Pearl Jam	6,871	83	#1	10	1992
11	How Soon is Now? The Smiths	6,734	74	#1	8	1984
12	Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin	6,473	69	#1	12	–
13	Just Like Heaven The Cure	6,303	69	#1	1	1987
14	New Year's Day U2	6,270	92	#4	–	1983
15	Heroes David Bowie	6,215	88	#1	2	1977
16	Blue Monday New Order	6,183	71	#1	1	1983
17	I Wanna Be Sedated The Ramones	6,166	74	#1	1	1988
18	Bohemian Rhapsody Queen	6,095	65	#2	–	–
19	London Calling The Clash	6,006	79	#4	–	1980
20	Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Clash	5,965	77	#8	–	1982
21	Blister in the Sun Violent Femmes	5,919	68	#1	4	–
22	Jeremy Pearl Jam	5,685	85	#3	–	1992
23	Roxanne The Police	5,633	78	#10	–	–
24	Anarchy in the U.K. The Sex Pistols	5,625	82	#1	5	–
25	Bizarre Love Triangle New Order	5,617	67	#1	2	1986
26	Rock the Casbah The Clash	5,512	77	#18	–	1982
27	Come As You Are Nirvana	5,490	78	#7	–	1992
28	One Metallica	5,328	66	#2	–	–
29	Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine	5,262	75	#2	–	1993
30	Pride (In the Name of Love) U2	5,242	74	#2	–	1984
31	Disarm The Smashing Pumpkins	5,206	67	#7	–	1993
32	The One I Love R.E.M.	5,193	84	#10	–	1987
33	Jane Says Jane's Addiction	5,129	61	#2	–	1988
34	I Melt With You Modern English	5,120	64	#2	–	1983
35	Boys Don't Cry The Cure	5,026	66	#1	1	1986
36	Space Oddity David Bowie	5,023	79	#8	–	–
37	Burning Down the House Talking Heads	4,999	72	#24	–	1983
38	Rock Lobster The B-52's	4,984	64	#5	–	2005
39	Enjoy the Silence Depeche Mode	4,937	74	#3	–	1990
40	Sultans of Swing Dire Straits	4,936	63	#6	–	–
41	Been Caught Stealing Jane's Addiction	4,934	55	#1	6	1990
42	Everlong Foo Fighters	4,931	66	#6	–	1997
43	A Forest The Cure	4,833	58	#4	–	–
44	Where the Streets Have No Name U2	4,694	67	#17	–	1987
45	Wonderwall Oasis	4,687	75	#2	–	1995
46	Head Like a Hole Nine Inch Nails	4,660	52	#1	1	1990
47	Dear God XTC	4,606	66	#2	–	1987
48	Lithium Nirvana	4,602	71	#3	–	1992
49	It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) R.E.M.	4,499	59	#2	–	1987
50	Loser Beck	4,463	52	#2	–	1994
51	Train in Vain The Clash	4,429	62	#11	–	1980
52	Even Flow Pearl Jam	4,401	55	#5	–	1992
53	She Sells Sanctuary The Cult	4,395	57	#5	–	1985
54	Personal Jesus Depeche Mode	4,389	56	#17	–	1989
55	Tainted Love Soft Cell	4,372	58	#1	2	1982
56	Don't You (Forget About Me) Simple Minds	4,364	71	#8	–	1985
57	Give It Away Red Hot Chili Peppers	4,364	53	#11	–	1991
58	Wish You Were Here Pink Floyd	4,313	52	#3	–	–
59	Hotel California The Eagles	4,304	61	#3	–	–
60	Psycho Killer Talking Heads	4,243	65	#6	–	2005
61	God Save the Queen The Sex Pistols	4,212	60	#3	–	1977
62	Once in a Lifetime Talking Heads	4,207	65	#14	–	1980
63	Whip It Devo	4,184	57	#18	–	1980
64	In Your Eyes Peter Gabriel	4,177	59	#10	–	1986
65	I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For U2	4,168	59	#28	–	1987
66	People are People Depeche Mode	4,160	53	#14	–	1984
67	Everybody Wants to Rule the World Tears for Fears	4,143	63	#10	–	1985
68	Beds are Burning Midnight Oil	4,134	68	#17	–	1988
69	Dead Man's Party Oingo Boingo	4,125	53	#6	–	1985
70	Close to Me The Cure	4,109	62	#29	–	1986
71	Today The Smashing Pumpkins	4,082	51	#2	–	1993
72	There is a Light That Never Goes Out The Smiths	4,059	70	#9	–	1986
73	Tempted Squeeze	4,053	66	#21	–	1981
74	Nothing Else Matters Metallica	4,032	57	#5	–	–
75	Sabotage Beastie Boys	4,001	51	#4	–	1994
76	True Faith New Order	3,987	60	#10	–	1987
77	Radio Free Europe R.E.M.	3,962	53	#1	1	1983
78	Karma Police Radiohead	3,956	65	#11	–	1998
79	Paranoid Android Radiohead	3,949	60	#5	–	1997
80	In Between Days The Cure	3,943	61	#3	–	1985
81	Where Is My Mind? The Pixies	3,938	59	#5	–	2005
82	Schism Tool	3,926	51	#2	–	2001
83	Lust For Life Iggy Pop	3,918	60	#1	2	1996
84	Song 2 Blur	3,911	53	#8	–	1997
85	Black Hole Sun Soundgarden	3,861	55	#9	–	1994
86	Lips Like Sugar Echo and the Bunnymen	3,832	51	#4	–	1987
87	Just Can't Get Enough Depeche Mode	3,825	54	#2	–	1981
88	Sympathy For The Devil The Rolling Stones	3,813	61	#1	1	–
89	Master of Puppets Metallica	3,792	47	#1	13	–
90	All Apologies Nirvana	3,716	52	#14	–	1994
91	Child in Time Deep Purple	3,714	42	#1	7	–
92	Enter Sandman Metallica	3,708	61	#8	–	1991
93	I Will Follow U2	3,700	63	#15	–	1981
94	Basket Case Green Day	3,670	56	#10	–	1994
95	Longview Green Day	3,648	44	#5	–	1994
96	Bad U2	3,607	53	#8	–	1985
97	Pictures of You The Cure	3,584	51	#5	–	1990
98	Born to Run Bruce Springsteen	3,560	58	#2	–	–
99	Heart-Shaped Box Nirvana	3,549	47	#8	–	1993
100	Paranoid Black Sabbath	3,546	64	#9	–	–

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)

KEXP

KQRS

KQ 500 (2024)

KXT

917 Song Countdown

Q104.3

Studio Brussel

The Current

Virgin Radio

WCSX

Rock & Roll 500 (2021)

WMGK

WXPN

Triple J

Fred (XM 44)

WBRU

Modern Rock Top 500 (2001)

WNEW-FM

Z-Rock

Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990)

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.