RockLists.com

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

The best alternative rock songs of 2020

Nine radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2020: 91X, CD101, 101X, 102.7 WEQX, 88.3 The Sting, ALT 104.5, WBER, X96 and Triple J. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2020 is “Bad Decisions” by The Strokes, which appeared on eight of the nine countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. Seven different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Level Of Concern” by TWENTY ONE PILOTS (3 stations), “It Might Be Time” by Tame Impala, “Can I Call You Tonight?” by Dayglow, “Bad Decisions” by The Strokes and “Being Them” by Fake Names and others. Tame Impala was the year’s most-charted artist, with five different songs placing 15 times across the countdowns.

9countdowns
405songs charted
7different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2020

All 405 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2020 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Bad Decisions The Strokes
700		 8 #1 1
2 Lost In Yesterday Tame Impala
693		 8 #5 –
3 Black Madonna Cage The Elephant
588		 7 #3 –
4 Caution The Killers
586		 8 #8 –
5 Level Of Concern Twenty One Pilots
577		 6 #1 4
6 Everything I Wanted Billie Eilish
520		 6 #2 –
7 Hero Weezer
456		 7 #11 –
8 Honeybee The Head and the Heart
445		 6 #11 –
9 Hallucinogenics Matt Maeson
442		 6 #2 –
10 Novocaine Unlikely Candidates
414		 5 #1 1
11 Deleter Grouplove
392		 6 #13 –
12 Bang! Ajr
389		 5 #4 –
13 Shine A Little Light The Black Keys
379		 6 #14 –
14 Your Love (Déjà Vu) Glass Animals
364		 6 #22 –
15 Oh My My Blue October
358		 6 #13 –
16 Can I Call You Tonight? Dayglow
358		 7 #13 –
17 Oh Yeah! Green Day
349		 5 #19 –
18 Running Up That Hill Meg Myers
344		 4 #2 –
19 Fire For You Cannons
339		 5 #14 –
20 Bloody Valentine Machine Gun Kelly
335		 4 #6 –
21 How Will I Rest In Peace If I'm Buried By A Highway? Kenny Hoopla
333		 5 #19 –
22 My Own Soul's Warning The Killers
331		 6 #8 –
23 Are You Bored Yet? WALLOWS
323		 5 #10 –
24 Loneliness For Love LovelyTheBand
319		 6 #18 –
25 Is It True Tame Impala
302		 4 #10 –
26 Leave Me Alone I Don't Know How But They Found Me
275		 5 #12 –
27 Cradles SUB URBAN
266		 5 #17 –
28 Used To Like Neon Trees
255		 3 #2 –
29 Monsters All Time Low
250		 3 #3 –
30 Might Be Right White Reaper
247		 4 #18 –
31 Social Cues Cage The Elephant
247		 4 #3 –
32 The Best AWOLNATION
247		 4 #11 –
33 Life In The City Lumineers
234		 4 #21 –
34 Dance Of The Clairvoyants Pearl Jam
214		 5 #15 –
35 Someone Else Rezz & Grabbitz
210		 4 #23 –
36 Heat Waves Glass Animals
209		 4 #1 1
37 Patience Chris Cornell
207		 4 #24 –
38 When Am I Gonna Lose You Local Natives
204		 4 #4 –
39 Pneuma Tool
194		 3 #2 –
40 Dissolve Absofacto
191		 3 #3 –
41 Tangerine Glass Animals
187		 3 #9 –
42 Moral of the Story ASHE
184		 4 #7 –
43 Trampoline SHAED
184		 2 #4 –
44 Coffee For Your Head POWFU
183		 2 #4 –
45 Doin' Time Lana Del Rey
183		 3 #6 –
46 Skin And Bones Cage The Elephant
179		 3 #12 –
47 The Hype Twenty One Pilots
175		 3 #12 –
48 Real Long Time White Reaper
174		 4 #7 –
49 Monsters f/blackbear All Time Low
173		 2 #10 –
50 survivin' Bastille
159		 3 #23 –
51 Don't Let Me Down Milky Chance
155		 3 #41 –
52 Care Beabadoobee
154		 4 #40 –
53 Hell N Back Bakar
145		 2 #14 –
54 Orphans Coldplay
144		 3 #38 –
55 Me & You Together Song 1975
142		 3 #26 –
56 Wars Of Monsters And Men
142		 4 #29 –
57 Mariposa Peach Tree Rascals
140		 4 #25 –
58 If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know) 1975
138		 5 #30 –
59 Let Me Down Oliver Tree
136		 3 #31 –
60 2all Catfish and the Bottlemen
133		 3 #49 –
61 Shame Shame Foo Fighters
130		 3 #16 –
62 Van Horn Saint Motel
130		 3 #36 –
63 Therefore I Am Billie Eilish
124		 3 #10 –
64 Who's Gonna Love Me Now Cold War Kids
120		 2 #31 –
65 What You Gonna Do? Bastille
118		 3 #38 –
66 Ohms Deftones
116		 2 #9 –
67 Aries Gorillaz
115		 2 #6 –
68 Trouble's Coming Royal Blood
111		 3 #32 –
69 Cringe Matt Maeson
110		 2 #40 –
70 Beautiful Anyway JUDAH & THE LION
107		 3 #30 –
71 Lay Your Head On Me Major Lazer
104		 2 #23 –
72 Low Chet Faker
103		 2 #30 –
73 Delete Forever Grimes
103		 2 #18 –
74 My Future Billie Eilish
100		 4 #58 –
75 It Might Be Time Tame Impala
100		 1 #1 1
76 This Life Vampire Weekend
100		 1 #1 1
77 Colors Black Pumas
99		 1 #2 –
78 Booster Seat Spacey Jane
99		 1 #2 –
79 A Hero's Death Fontaines D.C.
98		 1 #3 –
80 Coffee For Your Head f/Beabadoobee POWFU
98		 1 #2 –
81 The Difference Flume and Toro y Moi
98		 1 #3 –
82 Feel the Way I Want Caroline Rose
97		 1 #4 –
83 Cherub Ball Park Music
97		 1 #4 –
84 The Adults Are Talking The Strokes
97		 2 #37 –
85 Saw Lightning Beck
97		 1 #3 –
86 Here's The Thing Sports Team
96		 1 #5 –
87 All the Good Girls Go to Hell Billie Eilish
95		 2 #40 –
88 Sucker's Prayer The Decemberists
95		 1 #4 –
89 WAP Cardi B
95		 1 #6 –
90 Hyperfine G Flip
94		 1 #7 –
91 Eat Them Apples Suzi Wu
93		 1 #8 –
92 Sending Me Ur Loving The Jungle Giants
93		 1 #8 –
93 Half Your Age Joywave
93		 3 #42 –
94 I'm Good? Hilltop Hoods
92		 1 #9 –
95 Swim Good Switchfoot
91		 1 #9 –
96 The Way I Feel Keane
91		 1 #7 –
97 On Our Own Lime Cordiale
90		 1 #11 –
98 Let's Fall in Love for the Night Finneas
89		 2 #29 –
99 Funeral Meg Myers
89		 1 #8 –
100 Warning Pepper
89		 1 #11 –

Every station’s number one of 2020

StationNumber one songCountdown
91X It Might Be Time Tame Impala 91X Top 91 Songs of 2020
CD101 Level Of Concern TWENTY ONE PILOTS CD101 Top 93 Songs of 2020
101X Can I Call You Tonight? Dayglow 101X Top 25 Songs of 2020
102.7 WEQX Bad Decisions The Strokes WEQX Top 102.7 of 2020
88.3 The Sting Being Them Fake Names 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2020
ALT 104.5 Level of Concern Twenty One Pilots ALT 104.5 Top 50.5 Songs of 2020
WBER This Life Vampire Weekend WBER Listener Countdown 2020
X96 Level Of Concern Twenty One Pilots X96 Top 50 Songs of 2020
Triple J Heat Waves Glass Animals Triple J Hottest 100 of 2020

All 2020 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2020 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 2020 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 nine 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.