RockLists.com

Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 21 countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 2005

21 radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2005: KROQ, 91X, Live 105, Q101, 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, WBER, X96, Triple J, Radio & Records, CRNC 90.1 and ModernRock.com. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2005 is “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz, which appeared on 20 of the 21 countdowns and was voted number one by seven of them. Eleven different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz (7 stations), “The Hand That Feeds” by Nine Inch Nails (4 stations), “Mr. Brightside” by The Killers (2 stations), “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day and “Coin Operated Boy” by The Dresden Dolls and others. Green Day was the year’s most-charted artist, with eight different songs placing 73 times across the countdowns.

21countdowns
847songs charted
11different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2005

All 847 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2005 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz
1,899		 20 #1 7
2 Best of You Foo Fighters
1,841		 20 #1 1
3 Beverly Hills Weezer
1,791		 20 #4 –
4 The Hand That Feeds Nine Inch Nails
1,740		 19 #1 4
5 Speed of Sound Coldplay
1,644		 20 #2 –
6 Holiday Green Day
1,644		 18 #2 –
7 E-Pro Beck
1,496		 19 #2 –
8 Be Yourself Audioslave
1,450		 19 #4 –
9 Soul Meets Body Death Cab for Cutie
1,445		 20 #2 –
10 Mr. Brightside The Killers
1,441		 16 #1 2
11 Only Nine Inch Nails
1,419		 19 #5 –
12 An Honest Mistake The Bravery
1,379		 19 #3 –
13 Sugar, We're Goin' Down Fall Out Boy
1,377		 18 #4 –
14 Little Sister Queens of the Stone Age
1,342		 19 #2 –
15 Wake Me Up When September Ends Green Day
1,295		 16 #2 –
16 Blue Orchid The White Stripes
1,277		 20 #5 –
17 All These Things That I've Done The Killers
1,226		 16 #2 –
18 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day
1,201		 14 #1 1
19 DOA Foo Fighters
1,200		 19 #15 –
20 Don't Tread on Me 311
1,199		 18 #18 –
21 B.Y.O.B. System of a Down
1,198		 15 #1 1
22 Do You Want To Franz Ferdinand
1,196		 18 #10 –
23 Precious Depeche Mode
1,156		 16 #3 –
24 Girl Beck
1,139		 18 #17 –
25 Helena My Chemical Romance
1,134		 15 #4 –
26 My Doorbell The White Stripes
1,113		 17 #7 –
27 Doesn't Remind Me Audioslave
1,088		 17 #8 –
28 The Widow The Mars Volta
1,081		 17 #7 –
29 Sitting, Waiting, Wishing Jack Johnson
1,024		 16 #7 –
30 Fix You Coldplay
989		 17 #13 –
31 Swing Life Away Rise Against
980		 16 #4 –
32 Smile Like You Mean It The Killers
946		 16 #10 –
33 Evil Interpol
880		 14 #5 –
34 I Predict a Riot Kaiser Chiefs
880		 16 #19 –
35 We Are All on Drugs Weezer
879		 17 #28 –
36 Work Jimmy Eat World
869		 17 #6 –
37 Juicebox The Strokes
842		 15 #14 –
38 All Because of You U2
804		 14 #6 –
39 Goodnight Goodnight Hot Hot Heat
796		 14 #15 –
40 Jesus of Suburbia Green Day
792		 14 #11 –
41 Banquet Bloc Party
786		 14 #14 –
42 Middle of Nowhere Hot Hot Heat
784		 14 #6 –
43 Scars Papa Roach
766		 12 #10 –
44 Finding Out True Love is Blind Louis XIV
743		 16 #9 –
45 Why Do You Love Me Garbage
731		 17 #26 –
46 Right Here Staind
715		 11 #8 –
47 King Without a Crown Matisyahu
685		 11 #1 1
48 Dare Gorillaz
684		 11 #5 –
49 Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) The Arcade Fire
650		 11 #9 –
50 Walking With A Ghost Tegan and Sara
636		 9 #4 –
51 Pieces Sum 41
629		 10 #1 1
52 Lyla Oasis
620		 14 #31 –
53 Perfect Situation Weezer
616		 13 #17 –
54 Good People Jack Johnson
611		 11 #20 –
55 Talk Coldplay
604		 12 #24 –
56 Hypnotize System of a Down
591		 11 #19 –
57 Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own U2
529		 11 #27 –
58 Photograph Nickelback
528		 8 #21 –
59 Remedy Seether
527		 7 #3 –
60 Club Foot Kasabian
519		 11 #22 –
61 Save Me Unwritten Law
518		 12 #23 –
62 Where Are You Our Lady Peace
500		 10 #10 –
63 The Clincher Chevelle
488		 7 #15 –
64 New Slang The Shins
486		 6 #3 –
65 Nth Degree Morningwood
463		 11 #8 –
66 Pain Jimmy Eat World
462		 6 #4 –
67 Jerk It Out The Caesars
458		 8 #17 –
68 Happy? Mudvayne
454		 6 #12 –
69 Can't Repeat The Offspring
443		 9 #30 –
70 I Turn My Camera On Spoon
431		 6 #20 –
71 Stricken Disturbed
407		 8 #11 –
72 Dance, Dance Fall Out Boy
403		 8 #35 –
73 Rebellion (Lies) The Arcade Fire
398		 7 #6 –
74 Hysteria Muse
397		 8 #41 –
75 Bat Country Avenged Sevenfold
397		 9 #32 –
76 Question! System of a Down
396		 9 #32 –
77 I'm Not Okay (I Promise) My Chemical Romance
393		 7 #22 –
78 Such Great Heights The Postal Service
388		 5 #9 –
79 Reach for the Sky Social Distortion
387		 6 #21 –
80 American Idiot Green Day
385		 6 #8 –
81 Gangsters and Thugs Transplants
374		 10 #46 –
82 Your Time Has Come Audioslave
373		 11 #54 –
83 All That I've Got The Used
372		 8 #19 –
84 The Ghost of You My Chemical Romance
368		 9 #48 –
85 Galvanize The Chemical Brothers
367		 9 #8 –
86 City of Blinding Lights U2
367		 8 #38 –
87 Catch My Disease Ben Lee
365		 7 #2 –
88 Stars Switchfoot
364		 10 #34 –
89 Not Now blink-182
359		 8 #32 –
90 Chocolate Snow Patrol
355		 7 #11 –
91 Coin-Operated Boy The Dresden Dolls
355		 6 #1 1
92 The Bucket Kings of Leon
351		 10 #28 –
93 Dakota Stereophonics
350		 6 #17 –
94 Vertigo U2
344		 6 #17 –
95 Somewhere Only We Know Keane
343		 6 #14 –
96 Cold Crossfade
341		 4 #8 –
97 Home Three Days Grace
341		 6 #13 –
98 No Surprise Theory of a Deadman
336		 6 #17 –
99 Save Me Shinedown
336		 7 #22 –
100 Always Love Nada Surf
332		 8 #41 –

Every station’s number one of 2005

StationNumber one songCountdown
KROQ Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2005
91X Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz 91X Top 91 Songs of 2005
Live 105 Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 2005
Q101 Mr. Brightside The Killers Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2005
WFNX Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2005
107.7 The End Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz The End Top 107 Songs of 2005
89X Mr. Brightside The Killers 89X Top 89 Songs of 2005
CD101 Coin Operated Boy The Dresden Dolls CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2005
Y100 Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz Y100 Top 150 Songs of 2005
CFNY 102.1 The Edge Pieces Sum 41 CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2005
CHOI Radio X BYOB System of a Down CHOI Top 98 Songs of 2005
The Buzz The Hand That Feeds Nine Inch Nails The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2005
Channel 104.9 Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz Channel 104.9 Top 104.9 Songs of 2005
102.7 WEQX King Without a Crown Matisyahu WEQX Top 102.7 of 2005
88.3 The Sting Janet The Format 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 40 Songs of 2005
WBER Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz WBER Listener Countdown 2005
X96 The Hand That Feeds Nine Inch Nails X96 Top 50 Songs of 2005
Triple J Wish You Well Bernard Fanning Triple J Hottest 100 of 2005
Radio & Records The Hand That Feeds Nine Inch Nails Radio & Records Top 100 Songs of 2005
CRNC 90.1 Best of You Foo Fighters CRNC Top 90.1 Songs of 2005
ModernRock.com The Hand That Feeds Nine Inch Nails ModernRock.com Top 400 Songs of 2005

All 2005 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2005 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 2005 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 21 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.