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

Combining 19 all-time countdowns from 2 stations, "Master of Puppets" by Metallica ranks first. It appeared on 19 of the countdowns and was voted number one 13 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 · Hard Rock & Metal · 19 countdowns from 2 stations

The greatest hard 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 hard rock and metal listener polls: 19 countdowns in all. The result: “Master of Puppets” by Metallica comes out on top, appearing on 19 countdowns and voted number one 13 times.

19all-time countdowns

2stations

1,141songs ranked

Top 100 of all time

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Master of Puppets Metallica	1,885	19	#1	13	–
2	One Metallica	1,699	19	#2	–	–
3	Black Fuel Channel Zero	1,685	18	#1	2	–
4	Ace of Spades Motorhead	1,679	19	#3	–	–
5	Chop Suey System of a Down	1,658	18	#2	–	2001
6	Schism Tool	1,641	18	#2	–	2001
7	Fear of the Dark Iron Maiden	1,634	18	#2	–	–
8	Killing in the Name Rage Against the Machine	1,529	18	#2	–	1993
9	Angel of Death Slayer	1,445	18	#5	–	–
10	Raining Blood Slayer	1,423	18	#4	–	–
11	The Number Of The Beast Iron Maiden	1,373	18	#2	–	–
12	Sonne Rammstein	1,351	18	#9	–	2001
13	The Sea Is Dying Steak Number Eight	1,299	16	#3	–	–
14	Help Channel Zero	1,295	18	#8	–	–
15	Paranoid Black Sabbath	1,279	19	#9	–	–
16	Wait and Bleed Slipknot	1,261	18	#13	–	2000
17	Run to the Hills Iron Maiden	1,172	19	#11	–	–
18	Davidian Machine Head	1,165	18	#10	–	–
19	Primo Victoria Sabaton	1,154	15	#6	–	–
20	Walk Pantera	1,154	17	#12	–	–
21	Duality Slipknot	1,150	18	#10	–	2004
22	Thunderstruck AC/DC	1,144	18	#2	–	1990
23	Enter Sandman Metallica	1,070	18	#9	–	1991
24	Toxicity System of a Down	1,045	18	#14	–	2002
25	Suck My Energy Channel Zero	955	18	#14	–	–
26	Down With the Sickness Disturbed	888	15	#15	–	2001
27	Roots Bloody Roots Sepultura	837	18	#10	–	–
28	All along Brutus	785	10	#1	1	–
29	Painkiller Judas Priest	773	19	#20	–	–
30	War Pigs Black Sabbath	757	19	#17	–	–
31	A Solitary Reign Amenra	723	8	#1	2	–
32	Flying Whales Gojira	714	13	#17	–	–
33	Whole Lotta Rosie AC/DC	647	15	#6	–	–
34	Hallowed Be Thy Name Iron Maiden	640	17	#24	–	–
35	Highway to Hell AC/DC	595	11	#14	–	–
36	War Brutus	559	7	#7	–	–
37	Fade to Black Metallica	558	12	#27	–	–
38	Cowboys from Hell Pantera	539	15	#24	–	–
39	The Fall of Consciousness Psychonaut	538	7	#7	–	–
40	Psychosocial Slipknot	533	13	#29	–	2008
41	Seek and Destroy Metallica	523	10	#15	–	–
42	T-shirt van Metallica Fleddy Melculy	509	10	#16	–	–
43	Deutschland Rammstein	508	7	#7	–	–
44	The Trooper Iron Maiden	503	16	#29	–	–
45	Stranded Gojira	464	9	#20	–	2016
46	Du Hast Rammstein	455	10	#22	–	–
47	Feuer frei! Rammstein	433	14	#24	–	–
48	Crushed Parkway Drive	430	11	#28	–	2015
49	Ich will Rammstein	430	12	#29	–	–
50	Stinkfist Tool	427	15	#24	–	1996
51	I Will Be Heard Hatebreed	413	10	#19	–	2002
52	Vicarious Tool	387	14	#35	–	2006
53	Whole Lotta Love Led Zeppelin	375	10	#21	–	–
54	Sad Man's Tongue Volbeat	360	7	#22	–	–
55	In the End Linkin Park	352	8	#23	–	2001
56	Razoreater Amenra	344	9	#22	–	–
57	Battery Metallica	344	7	#21	–	–
58	Freak on a Leash Korn	331	18	#30	–	1999
59	For Whom The Bell Tolls Metallica	327	9	#16	–	–
60	Catatonic Dreams Stake	321	7	#23	–	–
61	Sad But True Metallica	288	7	#21	–	–
62	Last Resort Papa Roach	275	12	#36	–	2000
63	Hammer Smashed Face Cannibal Corpse	274	6	#26	–	–
64	Nothing Else Matters Metallica	273	9	#25	–	–
65	Smoke on the Water Deep Purple	267	4	#14	–	–
66	Iron Man Black Sabbath	259	7	#6	–	–
67	Poison Alice Cooper	258	7	#22	–	–
68	Wild Eyes Parkway Drive	256	7	#33	–	–
69	Blood and Thunder Mastodon	249	9	#30	–	–
70	Back in Black AC/DC	248	8	#12	–	–
71	Refuse/Resist Sepultura	235	5	#21	–	–
72	Crawling Linkin Park	226	8	#38	–	2001
73	Still Counting Volbeat	223	7	#33	–	–
74	Ghost Division Sabaton	212	5	#20	–	–
75	Paradise City Guns N Roses	211	4	#34	–	1989
76	Halo Machine Head	204	7	#28	–	–
77	Unsainted Slipknot	197	4	#28	–	2019
78	In Waves Trivium	194	8	#29	–	–
79	Pneuma Tool	185	4	#26	–	2020
80	Twilight of the Thunder God Amon Amarth	180	8	#42	–	–
81	De Evenmens Amenra	179	5	#29	–	–
82	Creeping Death Metallica	178	3	#29	–	–
83	Wrong Side of Heaven Five Finger Death Punch	176	6	#31	–	2014
84	Dark Days Parkway Drive	173	3	#16	–	–
85	Deliverance Opeth	171	8	#29	–	–
86	Holy Diver Dio	171	7	#47	–	–
87	Symphony of Destruction Megadeth	167	5	#18	–	–
88	Hells Bells AC/DC	160	3	#48	–	1980
89	Mourning Palace Dimmu Borgir	159	4	#36	–	–
90	Throne Bring Me the Horizon	158	7	#27	–	2015
91	No One Knows Queens of the Stone Age	154	4	#28	–	2002
92	We're Not Gonna Take It Twisted Sister	151	3	#23	–	–
93	Welcome to the Jungle Guns N Roses	146	4	#4	–	–
94	Heaven Nor Hell Volbeat	145	7	#27	–	–
95	Monologue Thurisaz	141	3	#19	–	–
96	The Devil in I Slipknot	136	4	#26	–	2014
97	Sweet Child o' Mine Guns N Roses	122	2	#35	–	1988
98	Redneck Lamb of God	122	4	#33	–	–
99	Orath Pothamus	118	4	#28	–	–
100	Nemesis Arch Enemy	118	4	#31	–	–

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.

The greatest hard rock songs of all time

Top 100 of all time

The countdowns behind the ranking

Studio Brussel

Z-Rock

How the all-time ranking works