RockLists.com

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

The best alternative rock songs of 2025

Seven radio stations and charts published year-end countdowns for 2025: The Buzz, 102.7 WEQX, 88.3 The Sting, 90.5 WERG, KALX 90.7, WBER and Triple J. Combining every list, the top alternative rock song of 2025 is “catch these fists” by Wet Leg, which appeared on six of the seven countdowns and was voted number one by one of them. Seven different songs were voted number one somewhere: “Never Enough” by Turnstile, “Messy” by Lola Young, “Glide” by NEIKED feat. Portugal. The Man, “Ensenada” by Sublime and “Hyperglyph” by Chicago Underground Duo and others. Wet Leg was the year’s most-charted artist, with four different songs placing 14 times across the countdowns.

7countdowns
671songs charted
7different #1s

Top 100 songs of 2025

All 671 songs →

Ranked by combined points across every 2025 year-end countdown in this format. How it works.

# Song Strength Lists Best #1s
1 catch these fists Wet Leg
504		 6 #1 1
2 As Alive As You Need to Be Nine Inch Nails
440		 5 #3 –
3 back to friends sombr
386		 5 #2 –
4 Messy Lola Young
379		 4 #1 1
5 Ensenada Sublime
364		 4 #1 2
6 Sally, When The Wine Runs Out Role Model
356		 4 #5 –
7 NEVER ENOUGH Turnstile
339		 5 #1 1
8 Everybody Scream Florence And The Machine
331		 5 #2 –
9 moody Royel Otis
305		 5 #8 –
10 This Is The Killer Speaking Last Dinner Party
281		 4 #5 –
11 Rushmere Mumford & Sons
277		 4 #9 –
12 mangetout Wet Leg
276		 6 #15 –
13 Favorite Fontaines D.C.
259		 3 #9 –
14 Today's Song Foo Fighters
253		 3 #7 –
15 Archbishop Harold Holmes Jack White
235		 4 #10 –
16 Arrow The Head and the Heart
233		 3 #13 –
17 Up From The Bottom Linkin Park
231		 3 #4 –
18 What Was That Lorde
229		 5 #22 –
19 The Contract Twenty One Pilots
228		 3 #3 –
20 So Far So Fake Pierce The Veil
227		 3 #4 –
21 Dracula Tame Impala
223		 3 #3 –
22 Bobby Sox Green Day
222		 4 #17 –
23 Same Old Song Lumineers
219		 4 #6 –
24 Basic Being Basic Djo
211		 3 #12 –
25 Metaverse Cage The Elephant
211		 4 #15 –
26 Three Six Five Shinedown
211		 3 #22 –
27 Better Days Yellowcard
207		 3 #8 –
28 The Weather All Time Low
206		 3 #17 –
29 The Night Before The Black Keys
204		 4 #13 –
30 Sad In Carolina Dexter and the Moonrocks
201		 3 #8 –
31 Undressed sombr
196		 3 #18 –
32 Apologies Three Days Grace
191		 3 #14 –
33 Sailor Song Gigi Perez
190		 3 #22 –
34 Ok, But This Is The Last Time The Offspring
185		 3 #21 –
35 Catastrophe (Good Luck with that Man) Car Seat Headrest
178		 2 #17 –
36 Watch Me Go Lord Huron
163		 2 #7 –
37 Unravelling Muse
163		 3 #16 –
38 Downstairs Matt Maeson
159		 3 #30 –
39 Heavy Is The Crown Linkin Park
157		 2 #4 –
40 Even If It Kills Me Papa Roach
155		 2 #7 –
41 Nice To Meet You Myles Smith
148		 2 #24 –
42 Nothing I Need Lord Huron
146		 2 #20 –
43 can't slow down Almost Monday
143		 2 #11 –
44 Starburster Fontaines D.C.
142		 2 #37 –
45 Backseat Balu Brigada
139		 3 #16 –
46 Time Waited My Morning Jacket
137		 2 #25 –
47 Caroline Mumford & Sons
135		 2 #29 –
48 When We Were Stars Guster
131		 2 #5 –
49 It's Amazing To Be Young Fontaines D.C.
126		 5 #56 –
50 One Thing Lola Young
122		 2 #24 –
51 Drive Ed Sheeran
121		 2 #35 –
52 Life Signs Water From Your Eyes
120		 2 #2 –
53 Barbarian AWOLNATION
119		 4 #39 –
54 Get The Message The Paradox
119		 2 #31 –
55 Infinite Source Deftones
118		 2 #30 –
56 So Cold Balu Brigada
115		 2 #32 –
57 City Walls Twenty One Pilots
112		 2 #23 –
58 My Mind Is A Mountain Deftones
112		 2 #7 –
59 12 to 12 sombr
108		 2 #8 –
60 Zombie Yungblud
107		 2 #41 –
61 Bloom Baby Bloom Wolf Alice
106		 2 #26 –
62 Incomprehensible Big Thief
104		 2 #11 –
63 Man I Need Olivia Dean
100		 1 #1 1
64 Hyperglyph Chicago Underground Duo
100		 1 #1 1
65 Hot Stuff Blue October
100		 2 #43 –
66 Playing Classics Water From Your Eyes
99		 1 #3 –
67 Who Goes There The Smashing Pumpkins
99		 2 #39 –
68 Spill the Juice Slothrust
99		 1 #2 –
69 Dancing2 Keli Holiday
99		 1 #2 –
70 Angoisse ALVILDA
99		 1 #4 –
71 Bus Naked Roommate
99		 1 #5 –
72 S.N.C Darkside
98		 1 #6 –
73 And Nothing is Forever The Cure
98		 1 #2 –
74 End Of Summer Tame Impala
98		 2 #36 –
75 Behind The Black Curtain Budos Band
98		 1 #7 –
76 One Eyed Bastard Green Day
98		 1 #3 –
77 Transmuted Matter Stereolab
98		 1 #8 –
78 Full Bloom 311
97		 3 #33 –
79 Rejects Good Charlotte
97		 3 #55 –
80 Rooms Without End Aux Meadows
97		 1 #9 –
81 Keith Playlunch
97		 1 #4 –
82 l'histoire de ta vie Céline Dessberg
97		 1 #10 –
83 Circles Artificial Go
97		 1 #11 –
84 out of body out of mind above me
96		 1 #12 –
85 Where Is My Husband! RAYE
96		 1 #5 –
86 Bonne Année Ale Hop & Titi Bakorta
96		 1 #13 –
87 Take My Hand Big Freedia
96		 1 #14 –
88 Changing States Matmos
95		 1 #15 –
89 Specter Bad Omens
95		 2 #49 –
90 Everybody Laughs David Byrne & Ghost Train Orchestra
95		 1 #6 –
91 Whateverrrr Spacey Jane
95		 1 #6 –
92 Raoul Snapped Ankles
95		 1 #16 –
93 Quand le grenier aura pris feu Anadol & Marie Klock
95		 1 #17 –
94 No Rain, No Flowers The Black Keys
94		 1 #6 –
95 The Happy Dictator Gorillaz
94		 1 #7 –
96 Nice To Each Other Olivia Dean
94		 1 #7 –
97 Black Notes Ibibio Sound Machine
94		 1 #20 –
98 Steel Tongues Matmos
93		 1 #21 –
99 Easy Come, Easy Go The All-American Rejects
93		 2 #24 –
100 Tension Mulatu Astatke
93		 1 #22 –

Every station’s number one of 2025

StationNumber one songCountdown
The Buzz Never Enough Turnstile The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2025
102.7 WEQX Messy Lola Young WEQX Top 102.7 of 2025
88.3 The Sting Glide NEIKED feat. Portugal. The Man 88.3 The Sting WBWC Top 88 Songs of 2025
90.5 WERG Ensenada Sublime WERG Top 90 of 2025
KALX 90.7 Hyperglyph Chicago Underground Duo KALX 300 Most Played New Songs in 2025
WBER Catch These Fists Wet Leg WBER Listener Countdown 2025
Triple J Man I Need Olivia Dean Triple J Hottest 100 of 2025

All 2025 countdowns in this ranking

About the 2025 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 2025 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 seven 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.