RockLists.com

Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 15 countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 1998

15 radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 1998: KROQ, 91X, Live 105, Q101, WHFS, WFNX, 107.7 The End, The Buzz, 102.7 WEQX, DC101, John Peel (BBC Radio 1), Virgin Radio, WBER, Triple J and Radio & Records. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 1998 is “Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys, which appeared on twelve of the 15 countdowns and was voted number one by seven of them. Ten different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Intergalactic” by Beastie Boys (6 stations), “Flagpole Sitta” by Harvey Danger, “By Myself” by Litany, “Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls and “Touch, Peel, and Stand” by Days of the New and others. Everclear was the year’s most-charted artist, with three different songs placing 31 times across the countdowns.

15countdowns
462songs charted
10different #1s

Top 100 songs of 1998

All 462 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 1998 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Intergalactic Beastie Boys
1,134		 12 #1 7
2 Flagpole Sitta Harvey Danger
1,114		 12 #1 1
3 Celebrity Skin Hole
1,097		 13 #4 –
4 Inside Out Eve 6
1,048		 11 #2 –
5 Closing Time Semisonic
984		 12 #4 –
6 Father of Mine Everclear
982		 12 #11 –
7 Iris Goo Goo Dolls
961		 11 #1 1
8 I Will Buy You a New Life Everclear
961		 11 #4 –
9 Ava Adore The Smashing Pumpkins
944		 13 #6 –
10 Pretty Fly (for a White Guy) The Offspring
943		 12 #1 1
11 The Way Fastball
941		 11 #6 –
12 One Week Barenaked Ladies
909		 11 #3 –
13 Never There Cake
886		 12 #3 –
14 Fly Away Lenny Kravitz
877		 11 #9 –
15 Push It Garbage
861		 13 #7 –
16 Perfect The Smashing Pumpkins
838		 12 #9 –
17 Sex and Candy Marcy Playground
838		 9 #3 –
18 I Think I'm Paranoid Garbage
823		 12 #10 –
19 Shimmer Fuel
821		 11 #1 1
20 Jumper Third Eye Blind
777		 11 #8 –
21 The Rockafeller Skank Fatboy Slim
769		 12 #10 –
22 What It's Like Everlast
749		 11 #5 –
23 My Hero Foo Fighters
741		 11 #14 –
24 Got the Life Korn
727		 11 #4 –
25 Save Tonight Eagle Eye Cherry
704		 10 #6 –
26 Wishlist Pearl Jam
689		 12 #10 –
27 Given To Fly Pearl Jam
671		 11 #15 –
28 Karma Police Radiohead
668		 10 #2 –
29 Zoot Suit Riot Cherry Poppin' Daddies
655		 9 #6 –
30 Circles Soul Coughing
652		 11 #8 –
31 Dammit blink-182
648		 8 #3 –
32 How's It Going To Be Third Eye Blind
624		 9 #19 –
33 Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) Green Day
610		 7 #2 –
34 The Dope Show Marilyn Manson
596		 10 #20 –
35 Body Movin' Beastie Boys
575		 9 #17 –
36 No Shelter Rage Against the Machine
557		 10 #13 –
37 Everything to Everyone Everclear
555		 8 #8 –
38 My Own Prison Creed
549		 7 #3 –
39 Slide Goo Goo Dolls
549		 10 #28 –
40 Brick Ben Folds Five
536		 10 #12 –
41 Bitter Sweet Symphony The Verve
514		 6 #5 –
42 Don't Drink the Water Dave Matthews Band
497		 10 #26 –
43 Got You (Where I Want You) The Flys
495		 9 #29 –
44 Clumsy Our Lady Peace
488		 10 #12 –
45 Josie blink-182
467		 7 #11 –
46 Everlong Foo Fighters
462		 7 #10 –
47 Beautiful Disaster 311
462		 9 #15 –
48 The Sweetest Thing (remix) U2
456		 9 #2 –
49 Touch, Peel, and Stand Days of the New
456		 6 #1 1
50 Spark Tori Amos
449		 10 #34 –
51 3 A.M. Matchbox 20
426		 7 #31 –
52 Losing A Whole Year Third Eye Blind
416		 9 #16 –
53 Jump Jive An' Wail Brian Setzer Orchestra
414		 8 #25 –
54 Get 'Em Outta Here Sprung Monkey
412		 8 #6 –
55 Torn Natalie Imbruglia
380		 7 #20 –
56 Busy Child The Crystal Method
370		 7 #17 –
57 Walking After You Foo Fighters
359		 8 #23 –
58 Dragula Rob Zombie
358		 9 #23 –
59 Stay (Wasting Time) Dave Matthews Band
354		 6 #34 –
60 What's This Life For Creed
354		 5 #4 –
61 Pure Morning Placebo
353		 8 #21 –
62 Jump Right In The Urge
348		 10 #39 –
63 Teardrop Massive Attack
345		 7 #21 –
64 Save Yourself Stabbing Westward
339		 8 #8 –
65 Heroes The Wallflowers
323		 8 #46 –
66 Lullaby Shawn Mullins
314		 7 #29 –
67 Singing In My Sleep Semisonic
310		 9 #59 –
68 My Favourite Game The Cardigans
310		 9 #10 –
69 Malibu Hole
308		 7 #26 –
70 Time of Your Life (Good Riddance) Green Day
294		 4 #5 –
71 You Get What You Give The New Radicals
284		 6 #19 –
72 Daysleeper R.E.M.
280		 8 #45 –
73 I'm OK, You're OK MxPx
278		 7 #44 –
74 Drinking In L.A. Bran Van 3000
278		 5 #9 –
75 Badfish Sublime
271		 3 #4 –
76 Crush Dave Matthews Band
263		 7 #19 –
77 High Feeder
251		 8 #48 –
78 Wash It Away Black Lab
249		 5 #37 –
79 Mouth Bush
249		 7 #51 –
80 Lucky Man The Verve
248		 8 #37 –
81 In Hiding Pearl Jam
243		 9 #44 –
82 All The Kids Are Right Local H
241		 8 #27 –
83 From Your Mouth God Lives Underwater
236		 9 #57 –
84 Polyester Bride Liz Phair
234		 5 #37 –
85 The Down Town Days of the New
232		 4 #24 –
86 Special Garbage
232		 8 #42 –
87 Real World Matchbox 20
231		 5 #37 –
88 Fire Escape Fastball
227		 8 #54 –
89 You and Me and the Bottle Make 3 Tonight Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
226		 4 #4 –
90 Tropicalia Beck
223		 10 #49 –
91 Brian Wilson Barenaked Ladies
218		 4 #23 –
92 Truly, Truly Grant Lee Buffalo
217		 10 #62 –
93 St. Joe on the School Bus Marcy Playground
206		 5 #36 –
94 Hooch Everything
201		 4 #38 –
95 Song For The Dumped Ben Folds Five
199		 6 #38 –
96 Leech Eve 6
195		 5 #26 –
97 Redundant Green Day
194		 5 #50 –
98 Saint Joe On The School Bus Marcy Playground
194		 5 #25 –
99 Little Plastic Castle Ani DiFranco
190		 3 #20 –
100 Every Morning Sugar Ray
185		 6 #41 –

Every station’s number one of 1998

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Intergalactic Beastie Boys KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1998
91X Intergalactic Beastie Boys 91X Top 91 Songs of 1998
Live 105 Intergalactic Beastie Boys Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1998
Q101 Intergalactic Beastie Boys Q101 Top 101 Songs of 1998
WHFS Intergalactic Beastie Boys WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 1998
WFNX Intergalactic Beastie Boys WFNX Top 101.7 Songs of 1998
107.7 The End Flagpole Sitta Harvey Danger The End Top 107 Songs of 1998
The Buzz By Myself Litany The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 1998
102.7 WEQX Iris Goo Goo Dolls WEQX Top 102.7 of 1998
DC101 Touch, Peel, and Stand Days of the New DC101 Top 101 Songs of 1998
John Peel (BBC Radio 1) Pull The Wires From The Wall Delgados John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1998
Virgin Radio The Bartender and the Thief Stereophonics Virgin Radio Top 10 Songs of 1998
WBER All In The Family Korn WBER Listener Countdown 1998
Triple J Pretty Fly (For A White Guy) The Offspring Triple J Hottest 100 of 1998
Radio & Records Shimmer Fuel Radio & Records Top 103 Songs of 1998

All 1998 countdowns in this ranking

About the 1998 ranking

Radio stations count down their listeners’ favorite songs at the end of every year. Each station’s list reflects its own audience, so a song that ruled Los Angeles could miss the top ten in Chicago. To find the songs that defined 1998 everywhere, RockLists gives every appearance percentile-based points (a number one earns 100, the last position earns close to zero) and adds them up across all 15 qualifying countdowns. Each radio format is ranked separately, so classic rock and hard rock countdowns never shift the alternative results; use the tabs above to switch formats. Read the full methodology.