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

The best alternative rock songs of 2023

Two radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2023: CFNY 102.1 The Edge and Triple J. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2023 is “Blame Brett” by The Beaches, which appeared on one of the two countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. Two different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Blame Brett” by The Beaches and “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat. G Flip was the year’s most-charted artist, with seven different songs placing 7 times across the countdowns.

2countdowns
122songs charted
2different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2023

All 122 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2023 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 Blame Brett The Beaches
100		 1 #1 1
2 Paint the Town Red Doja Cat
100		 1 #1 1
3 The Worst Person Alive G Flip
99		 1 #2 –
4 Saving Up Dom Dolla
98		 1 #3 –
5 Rhyme Dust MK and Dom Dolla
97		 1 #4 –
6 Prada Cassö, Raye and D-Block Europe
96		 1 #5 –
7 Rescued Foo Fighters
96		 1 #2 –
8 Adore U Fred Again and Obongjayar
95		 1 #6 –
9 What Was I Made For? Billie Eilish
94		 1 #7 –
10 Rush Troye Sivan
93		 1 #8 –
11 Lovin on Me Jack Harlow
92		 1 #9 –
12 The American Dream Is Killing Me Green Day
91		 1 #3 –
13 Chemical Post Malone
91		 1 #10 –
14 Vampire Olivia Rodrigo
90		 1 #11 –
15 Rumble Skrillex, Fred Again and Flowdan
89		 1 #12 –
16 Kill Bill SZA
88		 1 #13 –
17 Atmosphere Fisher and Kita Alexander
87		 1 #14 –
18 Landmines Sum 41
87		 1 #4 –
19 (It Goes Like) Nanana Peggy Gou
86		 1 #15 –
20 Sprinter Dave and Central Cee
85		 1 #16 –
21 Back On 74 Jungle
84		 1 #17 –
22 Eat Your Man Dom Dolla and Nelly Furtado
83		 1 #18 –
23 One More Time blink-182
83		 1 #5 –
24 Therapy Budjerah
82		 1 #19 –
25 Sorry Instead Spacey Jane
81		 1 #20 –
26 Greedy Tate McRae
80		 1 #21 –
27 Be Your Man G Flip
79		 1 #22 –
28 Somebody Else Aysanabee
78		 1 #6 –
29 Take It Off Fisher and Aatig
78		 1 #23 –
30 Good Enough G Flip
77		 1 #24 –
31 Rich Baby Daddy Drake
76		 1 #25 –
32 Rough G Flip
75		 1 #26 –
33 Imposter Syndrome Lime Cordiale
74		 1 #27 –
34 Mercy Mercy The Glorious Sons
74		 1 #7 –
35 Dance the Night Dua Lipa
73		 1 #28 –
36 Say Yes to Heaven Lana Del Rey
72		 1 #29 –
37 Not Strong Enough Boygenius
71		 1 #30 –
38 One of Your Girls Troye Sivan
70		 1 #31 –
39 Dial Drunk Noah Kahan, Post Malone
70		 1 #8 –
40 bad idea right? Olivia Rodrigo
69		 1 #32 –
41 Got Me Started Troye Sivan
68		 1 #33 –
42 Get Him Back! Olivia Rodrigo
67		 1 #34 –
43 Baby Again.. Fred Again, Skrillex and Four Tet
66		 1 #35 –
44 Stick Season Noah Kahan
65		 1 #9 –
45 Boy's a Liar Pt. 2 PinkPantheress and Ice Spice
65		 1 #36 –
46 Laced Up Hilltop Hoods
64		 1 #37 –
47 Minivan The Rions
63		 1 #38 –
48 Green Honda Benee
62		 1 #39 –
49 Scary Movies The Rions
61		 1 #40 –
50 Kid The Revivalists
61		 1 #10 –
51 Houdini Dua Lipa
60		 1 #41 –
52 Pedestal Lime Cordiale
59		 1 #42 –
53 Popular The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna
58		 1 #43 –
54 My Love Mine All Mine Mitski
57		 1 #44 –
55 Run Away with Me Cold War Kids
57		 1 #11 –
56 Still Have Room Hockey Dad
56		 1 #45 –
57 Strangers Kenya Grace
55		 1 #46 –
58 Sweetheart Old Mervs
54		 1 #47 –
59 Padam Padam Kylie Minogue
53		 1 #48 –
60 Hard, Hard Time City And Colour
52		 1 #12 –
61 Agora Hills Doja Cat
52		 1 #49 –
62 Australia G Flip
51		 1 #50 –
63 Ten Fred Again and Jozzy
50		 1 #51 –
64 I Used to Be Fun Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers
49		 1 #52 –
65 Lookin' Out King Stingray
48		 1 #53 –
66 Lost Linkin Park
48		 1 #13 –
67 More Than You Know blink-182
47		 1 #54 –
68 We Don't Talk About It Thelma Plum
46		 1 #55 –
69 All-American Bitch Olivia Rodrigo
45		 1 #56 –
70 Darkside Bring Me the Horizon
44		 1 #57 –
71 Say When Dan Mangan
43		 1 #14 –
72 Lost Bring Me the Horizon
43		 1 #58 –
73 Spin Me Like Your Records Pacific Avenue
42		 1 #59 –
74 A&W Lana Del Rey
41		 1 #60 –
75 Love Again The Kid Laroi
40		 1 #61 –
76 Living in a Haze Milky Chance
39		 1 #15 –
77 Dogtooth Tyler, the Creator
39		 1 #62 –
78 Perfect for You Peach PRC
38		 1 #63 –
79 Fall at Your Feet (Like a Version) Peking Duk
37		 1 #64 –
80 Real Life G Flip
36		 1 #65 –
81 Barbie World Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua
35		 1 #66 –
82 Letting Go Angie McMahon
34		 1 #67 –
83 F U Goodbye Peach PRC
33		 1 #68 –
84 Leaving The Light Genesis Owusu
32		 1 #69 –
85 Snooze SZA
31		 1 #70 –
86 Ghosts Again Depeche Mode
30		 1 #17 –
87 Take What You Want The Rions
30		 1 #71 –
88 Stockholm Dice
29		 1 #72 –
89 Water Tyla
28		 1 #73 –
90 Speedracer Teenage Dads
27		 1 #74 –
91 Picture of Love Sam Roberts Band
26		 1 #18 –
92 Nobody Gets Me SZA
26		 1 #75 –
93 Sofa King Royel Otis
25		 1 #76 –
94 I Don't Wanna Be Like You Ruel
24		 1 #77 –
95 Bleed The Kid Laroi
23		 1 #78 –
96 Video Killed the Radio Star (Like a Version) Teenage Dads
22		 1 #79 –
97 Honey (Are You Coming?) Maneskin
22		 1 #19 –
98 7 Days G Flip
21		 1 #80 –
99 Like a Girl Does Peach PRC
20		 1 #81 –
100 Exes Tate McRae
19		 1 #82 –

Every station’s number one of 2023

StationNumber one songCountdown
CFNY 102.1 The Edge Blame Brett The Beaches 102.1 The Edge The Top 23 of 2023
Triple J Paint the Town Red Doja Cat Triple J Hottest 100 of 2023

All 2023 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2023 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 2023 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 two 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.