Decade consensus · Alternative & Modern Rock · 149 year-end countdowns + 8 decade countdowns

The best alternative rock songs of the 2010s

This ranking of the 2010s combines 149 year-end countdowns from 2010 through 2019 with eight “songs of the decade” countdowns aired by ALT 98.7, 103.3 The Edge, 102.7 WEQX, 107.7 The End, CFNY 102.1 The Edge, The Buzz, X96 and Triple J. The top song of the '10s is “Pumped up Kicks” by Foster The People, which charted on 37 countdowns and reached number one 16 times. The decade’s most-charted artists are The Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, Mumford & Sons, Muse and Foo Fighters.

4,792songs charted

149year-end countdowns

8decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '10s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	Pumped up Kicks Foster The People	3,383	37	#1	16	2011
2	Sail AWOLNATION	3,157	39	#1	3	2011
3	Tighten Up The Black Keys	3,135	42	#2	–	2010
4	Little Lion Man Mumford & Sons	2,696	37	#1	6	2010
5	Animal Neon Trees	2,593	34	#1	2	2010
6	Walk Foo Fighters	2,557	34	#1	1	2011
7	Rope Foo Fighters	2,486	33	#1	1	2011
8	Shake Me Down Cage The Elephant	2,485	42	#2	–	2011
9	Lay Me Down Dirty Heads	2,267	30	#1	7	2010
10	Radioactive Kings of Leon	2,238	38	#2	–	2010
11	The Cave Mumford & Sons	2,208	33	#1	1	2011
12	Lonely Boy The Black Keys	2,205	37	#2	–	2011
13	The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie Red Hot Chili Peppers	2,116	31	#3	–	2011
14	I Will Wait Mumford & Sons	2,084	29	#1	3	2012
15	Waiting For The End Linkin Park	2,065	35	#3	–	2010
16	Madness Muse	2,036	27	#3	–	2012
17	Do I Wanna Know Arctic Monkeys	1,990	24	#1	4	2013
18	Howlin' for You The Black Keys	1,950	28	#1	1	2011
19	Little Talks Of Monsters And Men	1,943	24	#1	1	2012
20	My Body Young the Giant	1,864	28	#3	–	2011
21	Ho Hey Lumineers	1,842	25	#2	–	2012
22	Lisztomania Phoenix	1,814	25	#1	2	2010
23	Somebody That I Used To Know Gotye	1,789	25	#1	4	2012
24	Paradise Coldplay	1,784	30	#8	–	2011
25	Radioactive Imagine Dragons	1,775	23	#1	6	2013
26	Young Blood Naked and Famous	1,755	25	#2	–	2011
27	Resistance Muse	1,750	24	#1	1	2010
28	My Best Theory Jimmy Eat World	1,745	29	#9	–	2010
29	Up All Night blink-182	1,742	25	#1	1	2011
30	Undisclosed Desires Muse	1,727	33	#2	–	2010
31	Sick Of You Cake	1,710	33	#4	–	2010
32	In One Ear Cage The Elephant	1,688	22	#1	1	2010
33	Cough Syrup Young the Giant	1,688	26	#3	–	2011
34	We Are Young fun.	1,678	24	#1	2	2012
35	You are a Tourist Death Cab for Cutie	1,677	26	#3	–	2011
36	Impossible Anberlin	1,677	24	#8	–	2010
37	Midnight City M83	1,662	27	#4	–	2012
38	Help Is On The Way Rise Against	1,659	24	#3	–	2011
39	This is War 30 Seconds to Mars	1,659	22	#2	–	2010
40	Changing The Airborne Toxic Event	1,594	22	#2	–	2011
41	Pompeii Bastille	1,579	20	#1	3	2013
42	Ready to Start The Arcade Fire	1,573	28	#4	–	2010
43	The Catalyst Linkin Park	1,566	25	#3	–	2010
44	Gold On The Ceiling The Black Keys	1,560	20	#1	1	2012
45	The Sound Of Winter Bush	1,554	23	#2	–	2011
46	Trojans Atlas Genius	1,547	24	#3	–	2012
47	Sweet Disposition The Temper Trap	1,546	22	#2	–	2010
48	Sweater Weather Neighbourhood	1,546	20	#2	–	2013
49	Helena Beat Foster The People	1,523	25	#6	–	2011
50	Royals Lorde	1,514	18	#1	2	2013
51	Tongue Tied Grouplove	1,470	23	#4	–	2012
52	Take A Walk Passion Pit	1,452	22	#3	–	2012
53	Shake It Out Florence And The Machine	1,416	26	#7	–	2011
54	It's Time Imagine Dragons	1,409	21	#1	2	2012
55	Riptide Vance Joy	1,397	18	#1	2	2014
56	Whirring Joy Formidable	1,369	20	#4	–	2011
57	The Royal We Silversun Pickups	1,356	20	#5	–	2010
58	Little Black Submarines The Black Keys	1,348	19	#3	–	2012
59	Adolescents Incubus	1,343	23	#8	–	2011
60	The High Road Broken Bells	1,328	22	#3	–	2010
61	Dog Days Are Over Florence And The Machine	1,327	22	#3	–	2010
62	Feel It Still Portugal. The Man	1,325	15	#1	3	2017
63	New Low Middle Class Rut	1,303	24	#3	–	2011
64	Irresistable Force Jane's Addiction	1,302	24	#8	–	2011
65	1901 Phoenix	1,284	19	#1	1	2009
66	Uprising Muse	1,283	15	#1	1	2009
67	Crossfire Brandon Flowers	1,279	23	#6	–	2010
68	Safe and Sound Capital Cities	1,234	18	#1	1	2013
69	Panic Sublime with Rome	1,220	20	#7	–	2011
70	Say You'll Haunt Me Stone Sour	1,202	17	#3	–	2010
71	Mountain Sound Of Monsters And Men	1,197	21	#3	–	2012
72	Every Teardrop is a Waterfall Coldplay	1,188	21	#4	–	2011
73	First Cold War Kids	1,158	15	#2	–	2015
74	Closer To The Edge 30 Seconds to Mars	1,153	24	#8	–	2010
75	Stolen Dance Milky Chance	1,141	16	#4	–	2014
76	Come With Me Now Kongos	1,140	16	#2	–	2014
77	Rolling in the Deep Adele	1,137	16	#2	–	2011
78	Come A Little Closer Cage The Elephant	1,135	16	#4	–	2013
79	Stressed Out Twenty One Pilots	1,132	14	#1	1	2015
80	Take Me To Church Hozier	1,130	15	#1	2	2014
81	Ophelia Lumineers	1,125	14	#2	–	2016
82	Maybe Sick Puppies	1,121	19	#10	–	2010
83	Sunset in July 311	1,109	18	#16	–	2011
84	Your Decision Alice In Chains	1,094	15	#4	–	2010
85	The Good Life Three Days Grace	1,092	15	#3	–	2010
86	Make Some Noise Beastie Boys	1,079	24	#11	–	2011
87	Dark Horses Switchfoot	1,078	19	#11	–	2011
88	Some Nights fun.	1,076	15	#2	–	2012
89	Kings & Queens 30 Seconds to Mars	1,075	17	#9	–	2009
90	Mountain Man Crash Kings	1,070	18	#2	–	2010
91	These Days Foo Fighters	1,069	23	#3	–	2011
92	Long Time Cake	1,067	20	#9	–	2011
93	Between The Lines Stone Temple Pilots	1,058	21	#5	–	2010
94	Bad Guy Billie Eilish	1,056	14	#1	2	2019
95	Nightmare Avenged Sevenfold	1,051	14	#1	2	2010
96	Letters From The Sky Civil Twilight	1,050	18	#3	–	2010
97	Cousins Vampire Weekend	1,047	18	#5	–	2010
98	I Was A Teenage Anarchist Against Me!	1,043	20	#15	–	2010
99	Get Lucky Daft Punk	1,038	15	#3	–	2013
100	Fever The Black Keys	1,028	15	#4	–	2014

Station countdowns of the '10s

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

About this ranking

The 2010s 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.