Decade consensus · Indie & Adult Alternative · 17 year-end countdowns

The best indie rock songs of the 2010s

This ranking of the 2010s combines 17 year-end countdowns from 2010 through 2019. The top song of the '10s is “The Joke” by Brandi Carlile, which charted on 3 countdowns. The decade’s most-charted artists are Father John Misty, Dawes, Lizzo, Vampire Weekend and The Arcade Fire.

1,260songs charted

17year-end countdowns

0decade countdowns

Top 100 songs of the '10s

Top 1000 →

#	Song	Strength	Lists	Best	#1s	Year
1	The Joke Brandi Carlile	250	3	#2	–	2018
2	Make You Better The Decemberists	223	3	#19	–	2015
3	Take Me To Church Hozier	200	2	#1	2	2014
4	Juice Lizzo	200	2	#1	2	2019
5	Wow Beck	199	2	#1	1	2016
6	Feel It Still Portugal. The Man	199	2	#1	1	2017
7	Ex's & Oh's Elle King	199	3	#18	–	2015
8	This is America Childish Gambino	198	2	#1	1	2018
9	If We Were Vampires Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit	198	2	#1	1	2017
10	Royals Lorde	198	2	#2	–	2013
11	Lazarus David Bowie	197	2	#2	–	2016
12	S.O.B. Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats	197	2	#1	1	2015
13	Make Me Feel Janelle Monae	194	2	#2	–	2018
14	Dont Wanna Fight Alabama Shakes	193	2	#1	1	2015
15	New York St. Vincent	192	2	#2	–	2017
16	Reflektor The Arcade Fire	191	2	#4	–	2013
17	Mr. Tillman Father John Misty	191	2	#4	–	2018
18	Get Lucky Daft Punk	190	2	#1	1	2013
19	Beyond Leon Bridges	189	2	#5	–	2018
20	Seventeen Sharon Van Etten	188	2	#5	–	2019
21	Creature Comfort The Arcade Fire	188	2	#6	–	2017
22	Saying Goodbye J.S. Ondara	187	2	#4	–	2019
23	The Wire Haim	187	2	#6	–	2013
24	Harmony Hall Vampire Weekend	187	2	#5	–	2019
25	Digital Witness St. Vincent	187	2	#5	–	2014
26	This Land Gary Clark Jr.	187	2	#3	–	2019
27	Left Hand Free Alt J	186	2	#3	–	2014
28	Not Big Thief	185	2	#6	–	2019
29	Seasons (Waiting On You) Future Islands	185	2	#4	–	2014
30	Pretty Pimpin' Kurt Vile	184	2	#2	–	2015
31	Good Kisser Lake Street Dive	181	2	#7	–	2018
32	Song for Zula Phosphorescent	181	2	#1	1	2013
33	Let It Happen Tame Impala	180	2	#9	–	2015
34	You Want It Darker Leonard Cohen	180	2	#5	–	2016
35	Everything Now The Arcade Fire	178	2	#6	–	2017
36	No Roots Alice Merton	177	2	#3	–	2017
37	Coffee Sylvan Esso	175	2	#10	–	2014
38	Just One of the Guys Jenny Lewis	175	2	#9	–	2014
39	Truth Hurts Lizzo	175	2	#3	–	2019
40	Dreams Beck	174	2	#5	–	2015
41	Burn The Witch Radiohead	174	2	#11	–	2016
42	Stay High Brittany Howard	174	2	#4	–	2019
43	Pedestrian At Best Courtney Barnett	173	2	#8	–	2015
44	The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness The National	173	2	#4	–	2017
45	Under the Pressure The War On Drugs	173	2	#3	–	2014
46	Shut Up Kiss Me Angel Olsen	171	2	#7	–	2016
47	Diane Young Vampire Weekend	171	2	#9	–	2013
48	Nobody Mitski	171	2	#10	–	2018
49	Sedona Houndmouth	171	2	#4	–	2015
50	Bad Guy Billie Eilish	170	2	#2	–	2019
51	Do I Wanna Know Arctic Monkeys	170	2	#8	–	2013
52	Hot Thoughts Spoon	170	2	#13	–	2017
53	Die Young Sylvan Esso	169	2	#8	–	2017
54	This Life Vampire Weekend	169	2	#12	–	2019
55	All Your Favorite Bands Dawes	169	2	#3	–	2015
56	Hello Adele	168	2	#3	–	2015
57	Stay Gold First Aid Kit	168	2	#6	–	2014
58	Wherever Is Your Heart Brandi Carlile	168	2	#12	–	2015
59	Up All Night Beck	167	2	#14	–	2017
60	Pain The War On Drugs	166	2	#8	–	2017
61	Ain't No Man Avett Brothers	166	2	#4	–	2016
62	Nina Cried Power Hozier	166	2	#1	1	2018
63	Dylan Thomas Better Oblivion Community Center	165	2	#14	–	2019
64	Everybody Wants To Be Famous Superorganism	165	2	#16	–	2018
65	The Mother we Share CHVRCHES	164	2	#5	–	2013
66	Bad Bad News Leon Bridges	163	2	#8	–	2018
67	Gimme Something Good Ryan Adams	163	2	#13	–	2014
68	Don't Delete The Kisses Wolf Alice	163	2	#9	–	2017
69	Fall In Love Phantogram	162	2	#12	–	2014
70	The Eye Brandi Carlile	162	2	#6	–	2015
71	Severed The Decemberists	161	2	#15	–	2018
72	Shine On Me Dan Auerbach	161	2	#14	–	2017
73	Most People Dawes	161	2	#13	–	2013
74	Ophelia Lumineers	160	2	#8	–	2016
75	Uptown Funk Mark Ronson	159	2	#13	–	2015
76	Heads Gonna Roll Jenny Lewis	158	2	#19	–	2019
77	Redesigning Women Highwomen	156	2	#17	–	2019
78	Highwomen Highwomen	156	2	#15	–	2019
79	The Less I Know the Better Tame Impala	155	2	#20	–	2015
80	Do You Spoon	153	2	#16	–	2014
81	Lottery Jade Bird	153	2	#14	–	2018
82	Redbull and Hennessy Jenny Lewis	152	2	#12	–	2019
83	Return To The Moon El Vy	152	2	#17	–	2015
84	Radio Sylvan Esso	152	2	#12	–	2016
85	Gardenia Iggy Pop	151	2	#11	–	2016
86	May I Have This Dance (remix) Francis and the Lights	150	2	#11	–	2017
87	Depreston Courtney Barnett	150	2	#17	–	2015
88	Nameless, Faceless Courtney Barnett	150	2	#20	–	2018
89	Los Ageless St. Vincent	150	2	#11	–	2017
90	Bored in the USA Father John Misty	149	2	#13	–	2015
91	Ya Hey Vampire Weekend	149	2	#17	–	2013
92	24 Frames Jason Isbell	148	2	#11	–	2015
93	New Birth in New England Phosphorescent	148	2	#6	–	2018
94	Down By The Water The Decemberists	147	2	#8	–	2011
95	Coming Home Leon Bridges	146	2	#10	–	2015
96	Wasted Youth Jenny Lewis	145	2	#13	–	2019
97	Water Fountain TuneYards	143	2	#10	–	2014
98	Graceless The National	143	2	#21	–	2013
99	Gold Rush Death Cab for Cutie	143	2	#23	–	2018
100	Real Love Baby Father John Misty	143	2	#25	–	2016

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.