Decade consensus · Indie & Adult Alternative · 19 year-end countdowns + 2 decade countdowns

The best indie rock songs of the 2000s

This ranking of the 2000s combines 19 year-end countdowns from 2000 through 2009 with two “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by WYEP and 90.9 The Bridge. The top song of the '00s is “I and Love and You” by Avett Brothers, which charted on 10 countdowns and reached number one one times. The decade’s most-charted artists are Coldplay, Wilco, U2, Death Cab for Cutie and Radiohead.

2,098songs charted

19year-end countdowns

2decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '00s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	I and Love and You Avett Brothers	852	10	#1	1	2009
2	1901 Phoenix	835	10	#3	–	2009
3	You are the best thing Ray LaMontagne	744	10	#6	–	2008
4	You Never Know Wilco	709	11	#1	1	2009
5	The Fixer Pearl Jam	708	11	#5	–	2009
6	Magnificent U2	706	9	#2	–	2009
7	Two Weeks Grizzly Bear	703	8	#5	–	2009
8	The Great Defector Bell X 1	687	10	#3	–	2009
9	Use Somebody Kings of Leon	672	8	#1	4	2009
10	Airstream Driver Gomez	659	9	#11	–	2009
11	Say Hey (I Love You) Michael Franti & Spearhead	658	9	#2	–	2009
12	I'm Amazed My Morning Jacket	628	8	#10	–	2008
13	Why I Am Dave Matthews Band	626	8	#11	–	2009
14	Fugitive David Gray	621	9	#3	–	2009
15	Sex On Fire Kings of Leon	607	9	#1	1	2008
16	Viva La Vida Coldplay	606	7	#1	2	2008
17	Mercy Duffy	604	7	#2	–	2008
18	Sometime Around Midnight The Airborne Toxic Event	603	8	#1	1	2009
19	I Will Possess Your Heart Death Cab for Cutie	598	7	#1	1	2008
20	Funny the Way It Is Dave Matthews Band	552	9	#4	–	2009
21	Nothing Ever Hurt Like You James Morrison	541	7	#2	–	2009
22	Home Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros	537	6	#1	3	2010
23	Dreams Brandi Carlile	537	10	#15	–	2009
24	Aint no Rest for the Wicked Cage The Elephant	527	8	#2	–	2009
25	People Got A Lotta Nerve Neko Case	521	9	#8	–	2009
26	21 Guns Green Day	519	6	#5	–	2009
27	My Girls Animal Collective	510	6	#2	–	2009
28	Backwards Down The Number Line Phish	509	9	#12	–	2009
29	Maybe Ingrid Michaelson	509	8	#11	–	2009
30	Say Please Monsters Of Folk	482	9	#4	–	2009
31	Strange Overtones David Byrne and Brian Eno	473	7	#8	–	2008
32	Meet Me On The Equinox Death Cab for Cutie	471	8	#13	–	2009
33	Panic Switch Silversun Pickups	464	8	#3	–	2009
34	A-Punk Vampire Weekend	462	6	#15	–	2008
35	Make You Crazy Brett Dennen	457	8	#11	–	2008
36	I'm Yours Jason Mraz	446	5	#4	–	2008
37	Just Breathe Pearl Jam	438	8	#15	–	2010
38	Rock & Roll Eric Hutchinson	437	6	#4	–	2008
39	The Tornado Loves You Neko Case	428	6	#5	–	2009
40	Life in Technicolor Coldplay	427	5	#6	–	2009
41	Uprising Muse	414	6	#2	–	2009
42	You Found Me The Fray	413	6	#3	–	2009
43	Never Had Nobody Like You M. Ward	409	9	#23	–	2009
44	Crack the Shutters Snow Patrol	408	5	#2	–	2009
45	Beautiful Day U2	398	4	#1	2	2000
46	Fitz and the Dizzy Spells Andrew Bird	394	10	#28	–	2009
47	Lovers in Japan Coldplay	392	6	#11	–	2009
48	House Of Cards Radiohead	391	5	#3	–	2008
49	Mykonos Fleet Foxes	390	6	#9	–	2009
50	Take Back The City Snow Patrol	390	6	#17	–	2008
51	Who Says John Mayer	388	7	#9	–	2009
52	Kids MGMT	386	5	#21	–	2009
53	You and I Wilco	385	8	#8	–	2009
54	The Fear Lily Allen	384	9	#16	–	2009
55	I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight U2	383	6	#7	–	2009
56	Lisztomania Phoenix	379	5	#8	–	2010
57	Chasing Pavements Adele	376	5	#12	–	2008
58	Supernatural Superserious R.E.M.	374	6	#3	–	2008
59	Sequestered In Memphis Hold Steady	374	5	#9	–	2008
60	Lost! Coldplay	369	6	#24	–	2008
61	Wheels Foo Fighters	361	6	#6	–	2009
62	French Navy Camera Obscura	360	6	#24	–	2009
63	Human The Killers	357	6	#12	–	2008
64	Time To Pretend MGMT	355	4	#6	–	2008
65	Little Bribes Death Cab for Cutie	355	7	#6	–	2009
66	Electric Feel MGMT	354	4	#4	–	2008
67	Babylon David Gray	349	4	#3	–	2001
68	(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To Weezer	340	5	#4	–	2009
69	If I Had Eyes Jack Johnson	337	5	#1	1	2008
70	Chasing Pirates Norah Jones	330	7	#9	–	2009
71	Kick Drum Heart Avett Brothers	322	5	#22	–	2009
72	Horchata Vampire Weekend	314	6	#10	–	2010
73	Volet Hill Coldplay	313	6	#16	–	2008
74	Help, Im Alive Metric	305	5	#10	–	2009
75	The Way I Am Ingrid Michaelson	304	5	#5	–	2008
76	No Sunlight Death Cab for Cutie	301	5	#9	–	2009
77	The Rake's Song The Decemberists	298	4	#7	–	2009
78	Working On A Dream Bruce Springsteen	297	7	#16	–	2009
79	Closer to Love Mat Kearney	295	4	#15	–	2009
80	Rehab Amy Winehouse	294	3	#3	–	2007
81	100 Yard Dash Raphael Saadiq	294	5	#20	–	2008
82	When I Go Away Levon Helm	293	4	#4	–	2009
83	Young Folks Peter Bjorn & John	288	3	#4	–	2007
84	White Winter Hymnal Fleet Foxes	286	4	#9	–	2009
85	Little Bit of Red Serena Ryder	286	6	#26	–	2009
86	Do You Realize? The Flaming Lips	284	3	#3	–	2002
87	Don't You Evah Spoon	284	4	#33	–	2008
88	Kandi One Eskimo	283	5	#2	–	2010
89	The Story Brandi Carlile	283	3	#6	–	2007
90	Don't Know Why Norah Jones	279	3	#1	1	2002
91	Jesus Etc. Wilco	277	3	#5	–	2002
92	Cath Death Cab for Cutie	277	6	#20	–	2008
93	Notion Kings of Leon	277	4	#19	–	2009
94	Falling Slowly Glen Hansard	275	4	#16	–	2008
95	Impossible Germany Wilco	274	3	#1	1	2007
96	Shattered (Turn the Car Around) O.A.R.	274	3	#8	–	2008
97	Long Road to Ruin Foo Fighters	273	3	#7	–	2008
98	Summertime Clothes Animal Collective	272	4	#18	–	2009
99	Right As Rain Adele	271	6	#3	–	2009
100	Relator Pete Yorn	271	5	#21	–	2009

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.