RockLists.com

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

The best alternative rock songs of 2017

Eight radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2017: 91X, CFNY 102.1 The Edge, The Buzz, 102.7 WEQX, 88.3 The Sting, WBER, X96 and Triple J. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2017 is “The Man” by The Killers, which appeared on eight of the eight countdowns. Eight different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Feel It Still” by Portugal. The Man, “Knocking at the Door” by Arkells, “One More Light” by Linkin Park, “The Gold” by Manchester Orchestra and “Fall Back In Your Arms” by Guytano and others. Imagine Dragons was the year’s most-charted artist, with three different songs placing 11 times across the countdowns.

8countdowns
416songs charted
8different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2017

All 416 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2017 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 The Man The Killers
683		 8 #4 –
2 Feel It Still Portugal. The Man
645		 7 #1 1
3 The Way You Used To Do Queens of the Stone Age
486		 7 #1 1
4 Believer Imagine Dragons
433		 5 #1 2
5 Up All Night Beck
419		 6 #3 –
6 Lay it On Me Vance Joy
419		 7 #9 –
7 High Sir Sly
403		 5 #6 –
8 Thunder Imagine Dragons
390		 5 #7 –
9 Run Foo Fighters
385		 6 #7 –
10 Cold Cold Cold Cage The Elephant
375		 5 #6 –
11 The Violence Rise Against
372		 5 #9 –
12 Love Is Mystical Cold War Kids
359		 5 #8 –
13 Dig Down Muse
327		 5 #14 –
14 No Roots Alice Merton
304		 5 #6 –
15 Heavy Dirty Soul Twenty One Pilots
304		 4 #3 –
16 Hot Thoughts Spoon
303		 4 #12 –
17 Human Rag'N'Bone Man
302		 4 #12 –
18 Feels Like Summer Weezer
299		 4 #8 –
19 Everything Now The Arcade Fire
287		 5 #8 –
20 Little One Highly Suspect
286		 4 #14 –
21 The Sky Is A Neighborhood Foo Fighters
282		 4 #9 –
22 Don't Take The Money Bleachers
280		 4 #13 –
23 Wish I knew You The Revivalists
274		 3 #3 –
24 In Cold Blood Alt J
272		 5 #25 –
25 One of Us New Politics
271		 4 #13 –
26 Angela Lumineers
269		 4 #11 –
27 Knocking At The Door Arkells
265		 4 #1 1
28 Walk On Water 30 Seconds to Mars
263		 4 #6 –
29 Reverend Kings of Leon
250		 4 #19 –
30 High Enough K. Flay
249		 3 #7 –
31 Green Light Lorde
248		 5 #6 –
32 Lights Out Royal Blood
235		 4 #4 –
33 Cleopatra Lumineers
234		 3 #7 –
34 The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness The National
219		 3 #6 –
35 Creature Comfort The Arcade Fire
214		 4 #9 –
36 Less Than Nine Inch Nails
209		 5 #22 –
37 Blame Bastille
203		 3 #11 –
38 One Night Only The Struts
192		 5 #35 –
39 Call The Police LCD Soundsystem
190		 5 #10 –
40 Revolution Radio Green Day
189		 4 #3 –
41 Whole Wide World Cage The Elephant
185		 3 #4 –
42 Sweet Disaster Dreamers
184		 2 #4 –
43 You're the Best Thing About Me U2
183		 5 #31 –
44 Middle Fingers Missio
178		 3 #22 –
45 Still Breathing Green Day
176		 2 #6 –
46 On Hold The xx
176		 3 #8 –
47 So Tied Up Cold War Kids
174		 3 #33 –
48 She's Out Of Her Mind blink-182
168		 2 #5 –
49 Help Papa Roach
165		 2 #5 –
50 Ahead of Myself X Ambassadors
165		 4 #37 –
51 My Name Is Human Highly Suspect
158		 2 #2 –
52 Sit Next To Me Foster The People
158		 3 #10 –
53 Perfect Places Lorde
158		 4 #21 –
54 The Wanting J. Roddy Walston and the Business
156		 3 #29 –
55 Blood In The Cut K. Flay
156		 3 #23 –
56 I Only Lie When I Love You Royal Blood
154		 4 #20 –
57 Vacation Dirty Heads
142		 2 #21 –
58 One Foot Walk the Moon
141		 3 #26 –
59 Down Marian Hill
140		 2 #27 –
60 Can I Sit Next To You Spoon
139		 2 #18 –
61 Pork Soda Glass Animals
138		 3 #12 –
62 The Gold Manchester Orchestra
137		 3 #1 1
63 Nimble Bastard Incubus
136		 4 #18 –
64 Freeze Me Death From Above 1979
132		 3 #5 –
65 Too Much To Think 311
131		 2 #28 –
66 Kill For Candy DREAMCAR
125		 3 #5 –
67 Passion AWOLNATION
122		 4 #20 –
68 The Night We Met Lord Huron
121		 2 #14 –
69 Twice Catfish and the Bottlemen
120		 2 #26 –
70 Where's the Revolution Depeche Mode
119		 3 #14 –
71 Everything Is Alright The Glorious Sons
117		 2 #3 –
72 Want You Back Haim
113		 2 #44 –
73 Cocoon Milky Chance
110		 2 #34 –
74 Champion Fall Out Boy
104		 2 #19 –
75 Sure and Certain Jimmy Eat World
102		 2 #45 –
76 HUMBLE. Kendrick Lamar
100		 1 #1 1
77 Ghost Johnny BLK
100		 1 #1 1
78 Cops & Monsters MC Lars and Schaffer the Darklord
99		 1 #2 –
79 Let Me Down Easy Gang of Youths
99		 1 #2 –
80 Name For You The Shins
99		 3 #46 –
81 Heavy Linkin Park
98		 2 #48 –
82 Something Just Like This Coldplay & Chainsmokers
98		 1 #2 –
83 Chateau Angus and Julia Stone
98		 1 #3 –
84 In Sarnia The Tragically Hip
97		 1 #4 –
85 One More Light Linkin Park
97		 2 #3 –
86 Ubu Methyl Ethel
97		 1 #4 –
87 Somebody Else 1975
97		 1 #4 –
88 Crushed (Hostile Nations) Flogging Molly
96		 1 #5 –
89 Forget Me Not Brian Fallon
96		 1 #5 –
90 The Deepest Sighs, the Frankest Shadows Gang of Youths
96		 1 #5 –
91 Take It All Back JUDAH & THE LION
96		 1 #5 –
92 Good Morning Grouplove
94		 2 #49 –
93 Peace Sign The Front Bottoms
94		 2 #33 –
94 Go Bang Pnau
94		 1 #7 –
95 Lost Cause Black Pistol Fire
93		 1 #8 –
96 Sally Thundamentals
93		 1 #8 –
97 Song #3 Stone Sour
92		 2 #43 –
98 J-Boy Phoenix
91		 2 #27 –
99 What Can I Do If the Fire Goes Out? Gang of Youths
91		 1 #10 –
100 Giver K. Flay
91		 2 #42 –

Every station’s number one of 2017

StationNumber one songCountdown
91X Feel It Still Portugal. The Man 91X Top 91 Songs of 2017
CFNY 102.1 The Edge Knocking at the Door Arkells 102.1 The Edge's Top 20 Songs of 2017
The Buzz One More Light Linkin Park The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2017
102.7 WEQX The Gold Manchester Orchestra WEQX Top 102.7 of 2017
88.3 The Sting Fall Back In Your Arms Guytano 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2017
WBER Ghost Johnny Blk WBER Listener Countdown 2017
X96 Believer Imagine Dragons X96 Top 50 Songs of 2017
Triple J Humble Kendrick Lamar Triple J Hottest 100 of 2017

All 2017 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2017 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 2017 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 eight 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.