This article lists the individual year in rock music pages. Each year is annotated with a few of the top performing bands, songs, and significant events of each year, with further details at each respective article.
Blink 182 is the only rock band to have a number one album on the all-format US Billboard 200 album chart. The release is one of many that continues the surge of popularity in pop-punk music in the 2020s.[1]
Two of some the biggest rock music releases find success in very different ways. Machine Gun Kelly's second rock album, Mainstream Sellout draws from a 2000s pop punk sound that has very high music streaming numbers for a rock album, and tops the Billboard 200 chart, while Swedish band Ghost's Impera finds success through its theatrical, metallic hard rock sound and the highest debut in pure sales in the US at the time of its release week, and peaks at number 2 on the Billboard 200.[5]
For the first time, in the 2021 iteration of the chart, no rock albums released in 2021 make the top 200 best performing albums of the year in the US all-format Billboard200 chart, nor do any rock albums top the chart over the course of the year.[7] While the genre is noted to generally be in a state of decline, publications also note a resurgence in pop punk music. Part of this is due to rap and pop musicians; interest in the genre, including popular songs in the genre by Machine Gun Kelly, Olivia Rodrigo, and The Kid Laroi.[8][9][10][11]
The COVID-19 pandemic delays many rock albums and tours originally meant for 2020 into 2021, and then some again into 2022.[12]
Rapper Machine Gun Kelly goes through a radical style change and releases a pop punk album, titled Tickets to My Downfall. It is the only rock album to be a number one album on the all-format US Billboard 200 album chart until AC/DC tops it in late November, the only other band to do so.[13] Both Green Day and the Killers top both the UK and Australian all-format album charts.[14]
The COVID-19 pandemic delays or outright cancels countless rock albums and tours scheduled for the year.[15]
Ghost's single "Rats" tops the Mainstream Rock chart for seven straight weeks.[31][32]Bad Wolves cover of The Cranberries song Zombie" is the first rock song of 2018 to go platinum in the US, indicating sales of 1 million for the song.[33]
Three Days Grace's single "Chalk Outline" spends 13 consecutive weeks atop of the Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart. Shinedown spends a cumulative 16 weeks atop the chart between 12 weeks with "Bully" and 4 weeks with "Unity". Chevelle and Soundgarden each spend 7 weeks atop of the chart as well.[72]
Soundgarden reforms and releases their first new material in 15 years.[73]
Red Hot Chili Peppers "Dani California" peaks at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and spends 12 consecutive weeks at number one on the US Mainstream Rock chart. Three Days Grace has the top rock song of the year on rock radio with "Animal I Have Become", while another single, "Pain, tops the Mainstream Rock chart for 13 weeks straight.[117][118]