RockLists.com

Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 25 countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 2004

25 radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2004: KROQ, 91X, Live 105, Q101, WHFS, K-Rock, WFNX, 107.7 The End, 89X, CD101, Y100, CFNY 102.1 The Edge, CHOI Radio X, The Buzz, Channel 104.9, 102.7 WEQX, 88.3 The Sting, 99X, John Peel (BBC Radio 1), WBER, WHTG, X96, Triple J, Radio & Records and WIRS 107.9. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2004 is “Float On” by Modest Mouse, which appeared on 24 of the 25 countdowns and was voted number one by eight of them. Twelve different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Float On” by Modest Mouse (8 stations), “American Idiot” by Green Day (4 stations), “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day (2 stations), “Megalomaniac” by Incubus (2 stations) and “Take Me Out” by Franz Ferdinand (2 stations) and others. Linkin Park was the year’s most-charted artist, with five different songs placing 50 times across the countdowns.

25countdowns
791songs charted
12different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2004

All 791 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2004 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Float On Modest Mouse
2,144		 24 #1 8
2 Somebody Told Me The Killers
2,114		 23 #2 –
3 Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand
2,071		 23 #1 2
4 American Idiot Green Day
2,060		 23 #1 4
5 Vertigo U2
1,796		 23 #4 –
6 Megalomaniac Incubus
1,796		 22 #1 2
7 I Miss You blink-182
1,610		 21 #8 –
8 The Reason Hoobastank
1,580		 18 #5 –
9 Vindicated Dashboard Confessional
1,580		 22 #4 –
10 Pain Jimmy Eat World
1,576		 22 #10 –
11 Breaking the Habit Linkin Park
1,504		 17 #4 –
12 Love Song 311
1,491		 19 #2 –
13 Ch-Check It Out Beastie Boys
1,451		 20 #6 –
14 Cold Hard Bitch Jet
1,442		 20 #3 –
15 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day
1,436		 20 #1 3
16 Maps Yeah Yeah Yeahs
1,387		 20 #4 –
17 Slither Velvet Revolver
1,365		 17 #2 –
18 Time Is Running Out Muse
1,346		 20 #6 –
19 Last Train Home Lostprophets
1,301		 18 #2 –
20 Mr. Brightside The Killers
1,280		 19 #5 –
21 Talk Shows On Mute Incubus
1,265		 19 #13 –
22 Ocean Breathes Salty Modest Mouse
1,259		 20 #5 –
23 Run Snow Patrol
1,237		 21 #7 –
24 Are You Gonna Be My Girl Jet
1,144		 14 #3 –
25 Fall to Pieces Velvet Revolver
1,138		 16 #6 –
26 Numb Linkin Park
1,110		 14 #2 –
27 Slow Hands Interpol
1,086		 19 #10 –
28 I Believe in a Thing Called Love The Darkness
1,010		 16 #9 –
29 Just Like You Three Days Grace
1,002		 13 #6 –
30 A Decade Under the Influence Taking Back Sunday
974		 17 #1 1
31 Lying From You Linkin Park
948		 13 #2 –
32 Vitamin R (Leading Us Along) Chevelle
946		 17 #4 –
33 Meant to Live Switchfoot
934		 15 #4 –
34 Somewhere Only We Know Keane
925		 17 #12 –
35 Ocean Avenue Yellowcard
891		 15 #6 –
36 This Fire Franz Ferdinand
886		 19 #21 –
37 Reptilia The Strokes
877		 17 #10 –
38 Duality Slipknot
873		 12 #4 –
39 The Outsider A Perfect Circle
860		 14 #8 –
40 Broken Seether
857		 13 #13 –
41 Look What You've Done Jet
829		 17 #23 –
42 One Thing Finger Eleven
823		 14 #13 –
43 Silver and Cold AFI
818		 14 #16 –
44 Down blink-182
810		 18 #15 –
45 I Am the Highway Audioslave
807		 12 #12 –
46 Such Great Heights The Postal Service
805		 9 #2 –
47 The End of the World The Cure
804		 20 #17 –
48 Until the Day I Die Story of the Year
796		 14 #13 –
49 Triple Trouble Beastie Boys
785		 17 #22 –
50 No Phone Cake
745		 15 #24 –
51 Reach for the Sky Social Distortion
733		 15 #21 –
52 So Cold Breaking Benjamin
732		 12 #1 1
53 A Favor House Atlantic Coheed and Cambria
710		 15 #2 –
54 Anthem of Our Dying Day Story of the Year
701		 17 #3 –
55 Hysteria Muse
687		 15 #3 –
56 I'm Not Okay (I Promise) My Chemical Romance
684		 14 #22 –
57 Feeling This blink-182
674		 13 #20 –
58 Hit That The Offspring
662		 13 #7 –
59 I Hate Everything About You Three Days Grace
660		 8 #3 –
60 (Can't Get My) Head Around You The Offspring
658		 15 #25 –
61 Dare You To Move Switchfoot
658		 13 #13 –
62 Darling Nikki Foo Fighters
636		 10 #10 –
63 Getting Away With Murder Papa Roach
585		 11 #11 –
64 Walk Idiot Walk The Hives
580		 17 #32 –
65 C'mon C'mon The Von Bondies
544		 13 #27 –
66 Only One Yellowcard
530		 13 #25 –
67 Irish Blood, English Heart Morrissey
529		 15 #26 –
68 Los Angeles Is Burning Bad Religion
527		 8 #21 –
69 Echo Trapt
517		 12 #10 –
70 Figured You Out Nickelback
509		 7 #4 –
71 We're All To Blame Sum 41
484		 13 #14 –
72 Ride The Vines
483		 15 #43 –
73 Dry Your Eyes The Streets
483		 8 #1 1
74 All Downhill From Here New Found Glory
442		 14 #42 –
75 Personal Jesus Marilyn Manson
425		 11 #16 –
76 Fortune Faded Red Hot Chili Peppers
424		 9 #28 –
77 Wake Up (Make a Move) Lostprophets
418		 10 #18 –
78 Big Brat Phantom Planet
416		 14 #20 –
79 What You Are Audioslave
405		 10 #30 –
80 Mad World Michael Andrews
401		 6 #6 –
81 Faint Linkin Park
390		 5 #14 –
82 It's My Life No Doubt
377		 8 #21 –
83 Cold Crossfade
376		 8 #34 –
84 Still In Love Song The Stills
353		 6 #14 –
85 Word Up Korn
352		 9 #36 –
86 The Sound of Settling Death Cab for Cutie
339		 7 #20 –
87 I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself The White Stripes
334		 9 #26 –
88 My Coco Stellastarr*
330		 6 #14 –
89 So Far So Good Thornley
322		 5 #4 –
90 What's Your Number Cypress Hill
322		 8 #43 –
91 Coin-Operated Boy The Dresden Dolls
320		 6 #12 –
92 Predictable Good Charlotte
303		 6 #27 –
93 Leaving New York R.E.M.
301		 6 #26 –
94 Mad World Gary Jules
299		 6 #20 –
95 All Because of You U2
299		 10 #38 –
96 Spitting Games Snow Patrol
298		 7 #22 –
97 Fit But You Know It The Streets
292		 5 #17 –
98 First Straw 311
292		 11 #29 –
99 Rollover DJ Jet
289		 12 #52 –
100 Weak and Powerless A Perfect Circle
288		 6 #25 –

Every station’s number one of 2004

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Float On Modest Mouse KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2004
91X Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day 91X Top 91 Songs of 2004
Live 105 Float On Modest Mouse Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2004
Q101 Float On Modest Mouse Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2004
WHFS American Idiot Green Day WHFS Top 99.1 Songs of 2004
K-Rock Float On Modest Mouse K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2004
WFNX American Idiot Green Day WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2004
107.7 The End Float On Modest Mouse The End Top 77 Songs of 2004
89X A Decade Under the Influence Taking Back Sunday 89X Top 89 Songs of 2004
CD101 Dry Your Eyes The Streets CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2004
Y100 American Idiot Green Day Y100 Top 100 Songs of 2004
CFNY 102.1 The Edge American Idiot Green Day CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2004
CHOI Radio X So Cold Breaking Benjamin CHOI Top 98 Songs of 2004
The Buzz Megalomaniac Incubus The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2004
Channel 104.9 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day Channel 104.9 Top 104.9 Songs of 2004
102.7 WEQX Float On Modest Mouse WEQX Top 102.7 of 2004
88.3 The Sting What's Coming Next Breaking Ground 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2004
99X Chain The Fire Theft 99X Essential 99 of 2004
John Peel (BBC Radio 1) Theme From Sparta FC #2 Fall John Peel's Festive Fifty of 2004
WBER Float On Modest Mouse WBER Listener Countdown 2004
WHTG Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand G106.3 Top 106 Songs of 2004
X96 Float On Modest Mouse X96 Top 50 Songs of 2004
Triple J Take Me Out Franz Ferdinand Triple J Hottest 100 of 2004
Radio & Records Megalomaniac Incubus Radio & Records Top 100 Songs of 2004
WIRS 107.9 The End of Heartache Killswitch Engage WIRS Top 107 Songs of 2004

All 2004 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2004 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 2004 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 25 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.