RockLists.com

Year-end consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 17 countdowns combined

The best alternative rock songs of 2005

17 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, Triple J, Radio & Records, CRNC 90.1 and ModernRock.com. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2005 is “Best of You” by Foo Fighters, which appeared on 17 of the 17 countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. Nine different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Feel Good Inc.” by Gorillaz (6 stations), “The Hand That Feeds” by Nine Inch Nails (3 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 seven different songs placing 63 times across the countdowns.

17countdowns
717songs charted
9different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2005

All 717 songs →

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

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Best of You Foo Fighters
1,589		 17 #1 1
2 The Hand That Feeds Nine Inch Nails
1,520		 16 #1 3
3 Feel Good Inc. Gorillaz
1,515		 16 #1 6
4 Beverly Hills Weezer
1,464		 16 #4 –
5 Holiday Green Day
1,318		 14 #2 –
6 Speed of Sound Coldplay
1,307		 15 #2 –
7 Be Yourself Audioslave
1,277		 16 #4 –
8 Mr. Brightside The Killers
1,277		 14 #1 2
9 Wake Me Up When September Ends Green Day
1,226		 15 #2 –
10 E-Pro Beck
1,197		 15 #4 –
11 Only Nine Inch Nails
1,177		 16 #5 –
12 Little Sister Queens of the Stone Age
1,169		 16 #2 –
13 Soul Meets Body Death Cab for Cutie
1,164		 16 #2 –
14 Sugar, We're Goin' Down Fall Out Boy
1,097		 15 #5 –
15 An Honest Mistake The Bravery
1,088		 15 #3 –
16 Blue Orchid The White Stripes
1,086		 17 #5 –
17 Boulevard of Broken Dreams Green Day
1,045		 12 #1 1
18 B.Y.O.B. System of a Down
1,036		 13 #1 1
19 DOA Foo Fighters
1,024		 16 #15 –
20 All These Things That I've Done The Killers
1,017		 13 #2 –
21 Don't Tread on Me 311
1,006		 15 #18 –
22 Do You Want To Franz Ferdinand
1,003		 15 #10 –
23 Doesn't Remind Me Audioslave
937		 15 #8 –
24 My Doorbell The White Stripes
922		 14 #7 –
25 Precious Depeche Mode
902		 13 #3 –
26 Helena My Chemical Romance
901		 11 #4 –
27 The Widow The Mars Volta
896		 14 #7 –
28 Girl Beck
870		 14 #21 –
29 Sitting, Waiting, Wishing Jack Johnson
846		 13 #7 –
30 Fix You Coldplay
814		 15 #13 –
31 Swing Life Away Rise Against
809		 14 #12 –
32 Juicebox The Strokes
787		 14 #14 –
33 We Are All on Drugs Weezer
784		 15 #30 –
34 I Predict a Riot Kaiser Chiefs
780		 14 #19 –
35 Smile Like You Mean It The Killers
743		 13 #10 –
36 All Because of You U2
737		 13 #6 –
37 Right Here Staind
705		 10 #8 –
38 Evil Interpol
701		 11 #5 –
39 Work Jimmy Eat World
695		 14 #6 –
40 Middle of Nowhere Hot Hot Heat
687		 12 #6 –
41 Finding Out True Love is Blind Louis XIV
685		 15 #9 –
42 Scars Papa Roach
677		 10 #10 –
43 Goodnight Goodnight Hot Hot Heat
663		 12 #15 –
44 Banquet Bloc Party
631		 11 #14 –
45 Why Do You Love Me Garbage
628		 14 #26 –
46 Jesus of Suburbia Green Day
619		 12 #11 –
47 King Without a Crown Matisyahu
585		 10 #5 –
48 Hypnotize System of a Down
585		 10 #19 –
49 Pieces Sum 41
571		 9 #1 1
50 Talk Coldplay
566		 11 #24 –
51 Walking With A Ghost Tegan and Sara
542		 7 #4 –
52 Photograph Nickelback
528		 8 #21 –
53 Lyla Oasis
528		 12 #31 –
54 Remedy Seether
527		 7 #3 –
55 Neighborhood #3 (Power Out) The Arcade Fire
515		 9 #9 –
56 Good People Jack Johnson
509		 9 #20 –
57 Dare Gorillaz
494		 9 #5 –
58 Where Are You Our Lady Peace
478		 8 #10 –
59 Pain Jimmy Eat World
462		 6 #4 –
60 Club Foot Kasabian
439		 9 #22 –
61 Perfect Situation Weezer
437		 10 #33 –
62 Save Me Unwritten Law
422		 10 #23 –
63 Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own U2
406		 9 #27 –
64 Dance, Dance Fall Out Boy
403		 8 #35 –
65 Can't Repeat The Offspring
401		 8 #35 –
66 Rebellion (Lies) The Arcade Fire
398		 7 #6 –
67 Bat Country Avenged Sevenfold
397		 9 #32 –
68 Question! System of a Down
396		 9 #32 –
69 New Slang The Shins
394		 5 #3 –
70 Jerk It Out The Caesars
391		 7 #17 –
71 Happy? Mudvayne
389		 5 #12 –
72 Such Great Heights The Postal Service
388		 5 #9 –
73 Reach for the Sky Social Distortion
387		 6 #21 –
74 American Idiot Green Day
385		 6 #8 –
75 Stricken Disturbed
377		 7 #11 –
76 The Clincher Chevelle
370		 5 #15 –
77 The Ghost of You My Chemical Romance
368		 9 #48 –
78 Hysteria Muse
366		 7 #41 –
79 Stars Switchfoot
364		 10 #34 –
80 Vertigo U2
344		 6 #17 –
81 Somewhere Only We Know Keane
343		 6 #14 –
82 Cold Crossfade
341		 4 #8 –
83 Home Three Days Grace
341		 6 #13 –
84 I Turn My Camera On Spoon
340		 5 #20 –
85 No Surprise Theory of a Deadman
336		 6 #17 –
86 Save Me Shinedown
336		 7 #22 –
87 Dakota Stereophonics
333		 5 #17 –
88 Sooner or Later Breaking Benjamin
332		 5 #17 –
89 City of Blinding Lights U2
324		 7 #38 –
90 Your Time Has Come Audioslave
311		 10 #54 –
91 Stand Up Trapt
311		 6 #35 –
92 Passive A Perfect Circle
298		 8 #41 –
93 Not Now blink-182
290		 7 #32 –
94 So Far Away Crossfade
290		 5 #21 –
95 Look What You've Done Jet
287		 5 #36 –
96 The Bucket Kings of Leon
275		 8 #28 –
97 Let Me Go 3 Doors Down
272		 5 #38 –
98 Unconditional The Bravery
272		 6 #22 –
99 Chocolate Snow Patrol
271		 6 #11 –
100 Always Love Nada Surf
271		 7 #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
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 17 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.