RockLists.com

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

The best alternative rock songs of 2021

Three radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2021: 91X, CFNY 102.1 The Edge and Triple J. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2021 is “Missing Piece” by Vance Joy, which appeared on three of the three countdowns. Three different songs were voted number one somewhere: “The Adults Are Talking” by The Strokes, “Blow Up” by The Beaches and “Elephant (Like a Version)” by The Wiggles. Foo Fighters was the year’s most-charted artist, with four different songs placing 5 times across the countdowns.

3countdowns
192songs charted
3different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2021

All 192 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2021 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Missing Piece Vance Joy
253		 3 #2 –
2 Waiting On A War Foo Fighters
179		 2 #3 –
3 The Angel of 8th Ave. Gang of Youths
174		 2 #6 –
4 We Are Between Modest Mouse
173		 2 #4 –
5 What You Say Cold War Kids
158		 2 #6 –
6 Chaise Longue Wet Leg
151		 2 #6 –
7 Shy Away Twenty One Pilots
137		 2 #2 –
8 All My Favorite Songs Weezer
130		 2 #10 –
9 Solar Power Lorde
121		 2 #26 –
10 The Bandit Kings of Leon
120		 2 #9 –
11 Survivor Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats
114		 2 #8 –
12 I Don't Wanna Talk (I Just Wanna Dance) Glass Animals
109		 2 #23 –
13 Typhoons Royal Blood
108		 2 #12 –
14 The Adults Are Talking The Strokes
100		 1 #1 1
15 Blow Up The Beaches
100		 1 #1 1
16 Elephant (Like a Version) The Wiggles
100		 1 #1 1
17 Stay The Kid Laroi and Justin Bieber
99		 1 #2 –
18 Brightside Lumineers
99		 2 #15 –
19 Lots of Nothing Spacey Jane
98		 1 #3 –
20 Fire For You Canons
98		 1 #3 –
21 Good 4 U Olivia Rodrigo
97		 1 #4 –
22 Let The Bad Times Roll The Offspring
97		 1 #4 –
23 Happier Than Ever Billie Eilish
96		 1 #5 –
24 Colors Black Pumas
96		 1 #5 –
25 Kiss Me More Doja Cat
94		 1 #7 –
26 Shame Shame Foo Fighters
93		 1 #7 –
27 Industry Baby Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow
93		 1 #8 –
28 Freaks Surf Curse
92		 1 #8 –
29 On My Knees Rüfüs Du Sol
92		 1 #9 –
30 Montero (Call Me by Your Name) Lil Nas X
91		 1 #10 –
31 Is It True Tame Impala
90		 1 #10 –
32 H.Y.C.Y.BH Tom Cardy
90		 1 #11 –
33 Lunchtime Spacey Jane
89		 1 #12 –
34 Drivers License Olivia Rodrigo
88		 1 #13 –
35 Estella Kenny Hoopla
88		 1 #12 –
36 Apple Crumble Lime Cordiale and Idris Elba
87		 1 #14 –
37 Nowhere Generation Rise Against
86		 1 #14 –
38 Seventeen Going Under Sam Fender
85		 1 #16 –
39 Mixed Messages Tom Cardy
84		 1 #17 –
40 Beggin' Maneskin
84		 1 #16 –
41 Love Signs The Jungle Giants
83		 1 #18 –
42 Crawling Kingsnake The Black Keys
82		 1 #17 –
43 Alive Rüfüs Du Sol
82		 1 #19 –
44 Touch Back Down Ocean Alley
81		 1 #20 –
45 Stop Making People Famous Our Lady Peace
81		 1 #5 –
46 Taking Me Back Jack White
80		 1 #19 –
47 Sunscreen Ball Park Music
80		 1 #21 –
48 Good Days SZA
79		 1 #22 –
49 Skin And Bones Cage The Elephant
78		 1 #21 –
50 Edamame bbno$
77		 1 #24 –
51 Kilby Girl Backseat Lovers
77		 1 #22 –
52 Serotonin Girl In Red
76		 2 #40 –
53 Next to Me Rüfüs Du Sol
76		 1 #25 –
54 Bad Dream Canons
76		 1 #23 –
55 Trouble's Coming Royal Blood
75		 1 #24 –
56 Follow You Imagine Dragons
74		 2 #20 –
57 Rose Pink Cadillac Dope Lemon
74		 1 #27 –
58 Your Power Billie Eilish
74		 2 #44 –
59 Heat Waves Glass Animals
74		 1 #25 –
60 Hertz Amyl and the Sniffers
73		 1 #28 –
61 If You Ever Leave, I'm Coming With You Wombats
72		 2 #32 –
62 Thats What I Want Lil Nas X
72		 1 #29 –
63 You Can Get It Arkells
71		 1 #7 –
64 Here Comes the Sun (Like a Version) Spacey Jane
71		 1 #30 –
65 Blunt Force Concussion The Dirty Nil
70		 1 #28 –
66 Need to Know Doja Cat
70		 1 #31 –
67 Saturday Twenty One Pilots
69		 1 #29 –
68 Hollywood Sucks Kenny Hoopla
68		 1 #30 –
69 Deja Vu Olivia Rodrigo
68		 1 #33 –
70 Making A Fire Foo Fighters
67		 1 #31 –
71 Get Into It (Yuh) Doja Cat
67		 1 #34 –
72 Josh Peach PRC
66		 1 #35 –
73 Bed Head Manchester Orchestra
66		 1 #32 –
74 Transparent Soul Willow
65		 1 #36 –
75 Woman Doja Cat
64		 1 #37 –
76 Hush The Marias
64		 1 #34 –
77 Masterpiece The Rubens
63		 1 #38 –
78 I Don't Live Here Anymore The War On Drugs
63		 1 #35 –
79 Stacking Chairs Middle Kids
62		 1 #39 –
80 End of Me Billy Talent
62		 1 #9 –
81 All About You The Knocks
62		 1 #36 –
82 What's Not to Like Lime Cordiale and Idris Elba
60		 1 #41 –
83 Kyoto Phoebe Bridgers
59		 1 #38 –
84 Chemicals Peking Duk
59		 1 #42 –
85 Euphoria Angels & Airwaves
58		 1 #39 –
86 DiE4u Bring Me the Horizon
58		 1 #43 –
87 Rage Dirty Heads
57		 1 #40 –
88 Hurricane Kanye West
57		 1 #44 –
89 Long Way Eddie Vedder
56		 1 #41 –
90 Get Me Out King Stingray
55		 1 #46 –
91 Smile Wolf Alice
55		 1 #42 –
92 U&ME Alt J
54		 2 #48 –
93 Leave The Door Open Silk Sonic
54		 1 #47 –
94 Leave Me Alone iDKHOW
54		 1 #43 –
95 Do It to It Acraze
53		 1 #48 –
96 Colorado Milky Chance
52		 1 #11 –
97 Up Dune Rats
52		 1 #49 –
98 Once In A Lifetime All Time Low
52		 1 #45 –
99 Jail Kanye West
51		 1 #50 –
100 Higher Power Coldplay
51		 1 #46 –

Every station’s number one of 2021

StationNumber one songCountdown
91X The Adults Are Talking The Strokes 91X Top 91 Songs of 2021
CFNY 102.1 The Edge Blow Up The Beaches 102.1 The Edge The Top 21 of 2021
Triple J Elephant (Like a Version) The Wiggles Triple J Hottest 100 of 2021

All 2021 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2021 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 2021 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 three 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.