Decade consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 137 year-end countdowns + 4 decade countdowns

The best alternative rock songs of the 2000s

This ranking of the 2000s combines 137 year-end countdowns from 2000 through 2009 with four “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by 107.7 The End, WFNX and CFNY 102.1 The Edge. The top song of the '00s is “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers, which charted on 31 countdowns and reached number one two times. The decade’s most-charted artists are Linkin Park, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Incubus and Green Day.

4,041songs charted

137year-end countdowns

4decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '00s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Mr. Brightside The Killers	2,413	31	#1	2	2004
2	Are You Gonna Be My Girl Jet	2,340	31	#1	1	2003
3	American Idiot Green Day	2,218	27	#1	5	2004
4	Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day	2,202	29	#1	3	2004
5	No One Knows Queens of the Stone Age	2,160	28	#1	1	2002
6	Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz	2,146	25	#1	6	2005
7	Numb Linkin Park	2,058	28	#2	–	2003
8	Somebody Told Me The Killers	2,043	25	#2	–	2004
9	Float On Modest Mouse	2,017	24	#1	5	2004
10	Best of You Foo Fighters	2,010	23	#1	1	2005
11	The Hand That Feeds Nine Inch Nails	1,992	23	#1	3	2005
12	Seven Nation Army The White Stripes	1,990	21	#1	9	2003
13	Clocks Coldplay	1,970	28	#2	–	2003
14	All My Life Foo Fighters	1,942	27	#4	–	2002
15	Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand	1,895	22	#1	1	2004
16	Last Nite The Strokes	1,818	25	#1	1	2001
17	When You Were Young The Killers	1,816	22	#2	–	2006
18	Vertigo U2	1,798	25	#4	–	2004
19	Soul Meets Body Death Cab for Cutie	1,793	26	#2	–	2005
20	By the Way Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,792	20	#1	1	2002
21	In the End Linkin Park	1,789	21	#1	3	2001
22	Beverly Hills Weezer	1,784	21	#4	–	2005
23	Only Nine Inch Nails	1,752	25	#5	–	2005
24	The Middle Jimmy Eat World	1,723	23	#2	–	2002
25	Dani California Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,707	20	#1	5	2006
26	Like a Stone Audioslave	1,699	21	#1	1	2003
27	I Wish You Were Here Incubus	1,693	23	#5	–	2001
28	Pain Jimmy Eat World	1,663	23	#4	–	2004
29	DOA Foo Fighters	1,659	25	#9	–	2005
30	You Know You're Right Nirvana	1,640	22	#1	2	2002
31	Starlight Muse	1,639	26	#1	3	2007
32	Holiday Green Day	1,628	21	#2	–	2005
33	Blurry Puddle of Mudd	1,624	21	#1	2	2001
34	How You Remind Me Nickelback	1,616	20	#2	–	2001
35	Beautiful Day U2	1,612	23	#2	–	2000
36	Hash Pipe Weezer	1,595	20	#2	–	2001
37	Faint Linkin Park	1,580	19	#1	1	2003
38	Chop Suey System of a Down	1,554	19	#1	2	2001
39	Hey Ya! Outkast	1,549	22	#2	–	2003
40	Welcome to the Black Parade My Chemical Romance	1,547	21	#1	2	2006
41	Wake Me Up When September Ends Green Day	1,521	19	#2	–	2005
42	Drive Incubus	1,517	21	#1	1	2001
43	One Step Closer Linkin Park	1,506	23	#1	1	2001
44	Times Like These Foo Fighters	1,485	20	#3	–	2003
45	Schism Tool	1,483	17	#1	1	2001
46	Megalomaniac Incubus	1,480	21	#1	2	2004
47	Feeling This blink-182	1,478	26	#5	–	2003
48	Fell in Love With a Girl The White Stripes	1,475	19	#1	2	2002
49	Yellow Coldplay	1,448	21	#4	–	2001
50	Speed of Sound Coldplay	1,435	17	#2	–	2005
51	Can't Stop Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,420	20	#4	–	2003
52	The Pretender Foo Fighters	1,416	17	#1	2	2007
53	Talk Coldplay	1,409	23	#7	–	2006
54	Knights of Cydonia Muse	1,398	19	#1	1	2006
55	Icky Thump The White Stripes	1,395	17	#2	–	2007
56	I Hate Everything About You Three Days Grace	1,392	20	#3	–	2003
57	Be Yourself Audioslave	1,387	18	#4	–	2005
58	Crazy Gnarls Barkley	1,383	16	#1	1	2006
59	Lazy Eye Silversun Pickups	1,381	21	#1	3	2007
60	Clint Eastwood Gorillaz	1,358	18	#3	–	2001
61	Little Sister Queens of the Stone Age	1,357	20	#2	–	2005
62	Weak and Powerless A Perfect Circle	1,352	21	#10	–	2003
63	Bring Me to Life Evanescence	1,350	16	#1	1	2003
64	Aerials System of a Down	1,345	17	#1	2	2002
65	Meant to Live Switchfoot	1,326	24	#4	–	2004
66	Tell Me Baby Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,322	18	#8	–	2006
67	Last Resort Papa Roach	1,319	15	#1	5	2000
68	Snow (Hey Oh) Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,319	20	#6	–	2007
69	Precious Depeche Mode	1,317	20	#3	–	2005
70	Alive P.O.D.	1,311	16	#4	–	2001
71	Steady, As She Goes The Raconteurs	1,309	16	#2	–	2006
72	E-Pro Beck	1,297	17	#4	–	2005
73	Miss Murder AFI	1,288	16	#1	1	2006
74	The Red Chevelle	1,286	20	#8	–	2002
75	Love Song 311	1,284	17	#5	–	2004
76	Maps Yeah Yeah Yeahs	1,283	19	#4	–	2004
77	Cold Hard Bitch Jet	1,282	19	#3	–	2004
78	I Miss You blink-182	1,280	20	#10	–	2004
79	Breaking the Habit Linkin Park	1,275	15	#4	–	2004
80	Sweetness Jimmy Eat World	1,266	18	#2	–	2002
81	Somewhere I Belong Linkin Park	1,260	15	#1	1	2003
82	Renegades of Funk Rage Against the Machine	1,259	21	#5	–	2000
83	Smooth Criminal Alien Ant Farm	1,258	15	#4	–	2001
84	The Hardest Button to Button The White Stripes	1,256	20	#10	–	2003
85	Southside Moby	1,250	20	#7	–	2001
86	The Pot Tool	1,247	21	#10	–	2006
87	Such Great Heights The Postal Service	1,241	15	#2	–	2004
88	Youth of the Nation P.O.D.	1,231	17	#1	1	2002
89	Hate To Say I Told You So The Hives	1,229	18	#1	1	2002
90	The Reason Hoobastank	1,225	14	#5	–	2004
91	Dare Gorillaz	1,219	19	#1	1	2006
92	Sugar, We're Goin' Down Fall Out Boy	1,216	19	#5	–	2005
93	Californication Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,213	15	#2	–	2000
94	Ch-Check It Out Beastie Boys	1,213	17	#6	–	2004
95	Still Waiting Sum 41	1,212	21	#11	–	2002
96	Time Is Running Out Muse	1,193	19	#6	–	2004
97	Anna Molly Incubus	1,191	22	#2	–	2006
98	Fat Lip Sum 41	1,185	15	#3	–	2001
99	Chasing Cars Snow Patrol	1,183	18	#5	–	2006
100	Otherside Red Hot Chili Peppers	1,182	13	#1	2	2000

Station countdowns of the '00s

Listener-voted “best of the decade” countdowns as broadcast.

About this ranking

The 2000s ranking adds together two kinds of evidence: the year-end countdowns from each year of the decade, and the retrospective “songs of the decade” countdowns that stations aired afterwards. Year-end lists capture what listeners loved at the time; decade countdowns capture what lasted. Every appearance earns percentile-based points, and the totals are ranked. See the methodology for details.