Background: Alternative rock music began in the mid 1980s and blossomed in the 1990s as an alternative to mainstream top 40 radio playlist formats. College and underground radio began playing independently produced music who's popularity was spread by word of mouth, non-corporate DJs, cable television and the internet... not exclusively promoted by the big record companies as in the past. In the 2000s Alternative music's popularity pushed it into the new "mainstream" with newer independent bands defining their music as "Indie Rock".
Criteria: These songs were chosen for their influence, impact and popularity in the Alternative music genre.
Edited By: Avery, Ryan
Last Updated: 2020-01-27
Newly added names are in Red
Alternative Rock Songs
1. Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana 2. Love Will Tear Us Apart - Joy Division 3. Radio Free Europe - R.E.M. 4. Blue Monday - New Order 5. How Soon is Now? - The Smiths 6. Once in a Lifetime - Talking Heads 7. Teen Age Riot - Sonic Youth 8. Blister in the Sun - Violent Femmes 9. Jeremy - Pearl Jam 10. Monkey Gone to Heaven - Pixies 11. Under the Bridge - Red Hot Chili Peppers 12. Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden 13. Closer - Nine Inch Nails 14. Losing My Religion - R.E.M. 15. Wonderwall - Oasis 16. Just Like Heaven - The Cure 17. Cannonball - The Breeders 18. Come As You Are - Nirvana 19. Loser - Beck 20. Creep - Radiohead 21. Bela Lugosi's Dead - Bauhaus 22. Personal Jesus - Depeche Mode 23. Song 2 - Blur 24. The Killing Moon - Echo and the Bunnymen 25. Sunday Bloody Sunday - U2 26. Common People - Pulp 27. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out - The Smiths 28. Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) - Kate Bush 29. It's The End of the World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) - R.E.M. 30. 1979 - The Smashing Pumpkins 31. Waiting Room - Fugazi 32. Lovesong - The Cure 33. Alive - Pearl Jam 34. Radio, Radio - Elvis Costello & The Attractions 35. All Apologies - Nirvana 36. Atmosphere - Joy Division 37. Here Comes Your Man - Pixies 38. Paranoid Android - Radiohead 39. There She Goes - The La's 40. Everlong - Foo Fighters 41. Buddy Holly - Weezer 42. Plush - Stone Temple Pilots 43. Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode 44. This Charming Man - The Smiths 45. Would? - Alice in Chains 46. The One I Love - R.E.M. 47. Touch Me, I'm Sick - Mudhoney 48. Head Like a Hole - Nine Inch Nails 49. Bastards of Young - The Replacements 50. Burning Down the House - Talking Heads 51. Lithium - Nirvana 52. Sabotage - Beastie Boys 53. New Year's Day - U2 54. Cut Your Hair - Pavement 55. Boys Don't Cry - The Cure 56. Tonight, Tonight - The Smashing Pumpkins 57. Jesus Christ Pose - Soundgarden 58. Live Forever - Oasis 59. I Wanna Be Adored - The Stone Roses 60. Give It Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers 61. What I Got - Sublime 62. Just Like Honey - The Jesus and Mary Chain 63. Where Is My Mind? - Pixies 64. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes 65. Fairytale of New York - The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl 66. Beds Are Burning - Midnight Oil 67. Dear God - XTC 68. Karma Police - Radiohead 69. Epic - Faith No More 70. Man in the Box - Alice in Chains 71. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2 72. True Faith - New Order 73. I Melt With You - Modern English 74. Only Shallow - My Bloody Valentine 75. Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine 76. Left of the Dial - The Replacements 77. That's Entertainment - The Jam 78. Alison - Elvis Costello 79. When I Come Around - Green Day 80. Bitter Sweet Symphony - The Verve 81. Shine - Collective Soul 82. She's Lost Control - Joy Division 83. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley 84. Birdhouse in Your Soul - They Might Be Giants 85. Loaded - Primal Scream 86. Celebrated Summer - Hüsker Dü 87. Float On - Modest Mouse 88. Better Man - Pearl Jam 89. So Alive - Love and Rockets 90. Today - The Smashing Pumpkins 91. Academy Fight Song - Mission of Burma 92. Heart-Shaped Box - Nirvana 93. Fake Plastic Trees - Radiohead 94. Nothing Compares 2 U - Sinéad O'Connor 95. Mr. Brightside - The Killers 96. You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissette 97. Come Out and Play - The Offspring 98. Don't Speak - No Doubt 99. Been Caught Stealing - Jane's Addiction 100. Senses Working Overtime - XTC
101. Hunger Strike - Temple of the Dog 102. Hey Jealousy - Gin Blossoms 103. Big Me - Foo Fighters 104. Runaway Train - Soul Asylum 105. Under the Milky Way - The Church 106. Wuthering Heights - Kate Bush 107. Interstate Love Song - Stone Temple Pilots 108. Champagne Supernova - Oasis 109. One Headlight - The Wallflowers 110. Man on the Moon - R.E.M. 111. Panic - The Smiths 112. No Rain - Blind Melon 113. Fell in Love with a Girl - The White Stripes 114. Silent All These Years - Tori Amos 115. Linger - The Cranberries 116. Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day 117. Girls & Boys - Blur 118. Bizarre Love Triangle - New Order 119. Chloe Dancer/Crown of Thorns - Mother Love Bone 120. Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz 121. Sour Times - Portishead 122. Song to the Siren - This Mortal Coil 123. Summer Babe - Pavement 124. Ghost Town - The Specials 125. Back on the Chain Gang - The Pretenders 126. Jane Says - Jane's Addiction 127. Cities in Dust - Siouxsie and the Banshees 128. Pictures of You - The Cure 129. Everyday is Like Sunday - Morrissey 130. Respectable Street - XTC 131. Tomorrow - Silverchair 132. Rock Lobster - The B-52's 133. Where It's At - Beck 134. Heaven Beside You - Alice in Chains 135. Love My Way - The Psychedelic Furs 136. Pump It Up - Elvis Costello & The Attractions 137. Kool Thing - Sonic Youth 138. Rusty Cage - Soundgarden 139. Going Underground - The Jam 140. Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers 141. About a Girl - Nirvana 142. Road to Nowhere - Talking Heads 143. Ball and Chain - Social Distortion 144. Glycerine - Bush 145. Welcome to the Black Parade - My Chemical Romance 146. Undone (The Sweater Song) - Weezer 147. Me, Myself & I - De La Soul 148. So. Central Rain (I'm Sorry) - R.E.M. 149. Divorce Song - Liz Phair 150. Freak Scene - Dinosaur Jr. 151. Doll Parts - Hole 152. Even Flow - Pearl Jam 153. Lake of Fire - Meat Puppets 154. Hyperballad - Björk 155. In the End - Linkin Park 156. Best of You - Foo Fighters 157. Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand 158. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley 159. Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine 160. Connection - Elastica 161. Hurt - Nine Inch Nails 162. Starlight - Muse 163. Basket Case - Green Day 164. Somebody That I Used to Know - Gotye & Kimbra 165. The Cutter - Echo and the Bunnymen 166. I Am the Resurrection - The Stone Roses 167. Unfinished Sympathy - Massive Attack 168. Yellow - Coldplay 169. Close to Me - The Cure 170. Do You Realize?? - The Flaming Lips 171. She's In Parties - Bauhaus 172. Don't Look Back in Anger - Oasis 173. Black - Pearl Jam 174. Mysterious Ways - U2 175. The Drowners - Suede 176. Kiss Them for Me - Siouxsie and the Banshees 177. 100% - Sonic Youth 178. No Surprises - Radiohead 179. Rebellion (Lies) - Arcade Fire 180. Drive - Incubus 181. Stupid Girl - Garbage 182. Last Nite - The Strokes 183. Disarm - The Smashing Pumpkins 184. Can I Kick It? - A Tribe Called Quest 185. Fascination Street - The Cure 186. One - U2 187. The Middle - Jimmy Eat World 188. Sheela-Na-Gig - PJ Harvey 189. Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground 190. Where the Wild Roses Grow - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds & Kylie Minogue 191. April Skies - The Jesus and Mary Chain 192. Start Choppin' - Dinosaur Jr. 193. Paper Planes - M.I.A. 194. 1901 - Phoenix 195. Mannequin - Wire 196. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor - Arctic Monkeys 197. History Lesson Part II - Minutemen 198. Miss World - Hole 199. You Get What You Give - New Radicals 200. Longview - Green Day
201. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths 202. Sugar, We're Goin' Down - Fall Out Boy 203. Clocks - Coldplay 204. Semi-Charmed Life - Third Eye Blind 205. Hey Ladies - Beastie Boys 206. Damaged Goods - Gang of Four 207. Public Image - Public Image Ltd. 208. In Circles - Sunny Day Real Estate 209. The Concept - Teenage Fanclub 210. Seether - Veruca Salt 211. Heaven or Las Vegas - Cocteau Twins 212. Soon - My Bloody Valentine 213. Totally Wired - The Fall 214. What's the Frequency, Kenneth? - R.E.M. 215. Veronica - Elvis Costello 216. The Mercy Seat - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds 217. Criminal - Fiona Apple 218. Don't Get Me Wrong - The Pretenders 219. In Bloom - Nirvana 220. Ahead By a Century - The Tragically Hip 221. Let's Go to Bed - The Cure 222. Happy House - Siouxsie and the Banshees 223. Bring on the Dancing Horses - Echo and the Bunnymen 224. Everything Counts - Depeche Mode 225. Metal Mickey - Suede 226. The Last of the Famous International Playboys - Morrissey 227. Regret - New Order 228. Dreams - The Cranberries 229. Uprising - Muse 230. This Corrosion - The Sisters of Mercy 231. Hounds of Love - Kate Bush 232. Makes No Sense at All - Hüsker Dü 233. Cattle and Cane - The Go-Betweens 234. Like the Weather - 10,000 Maniacs 235. William, It Was Really Nothing - The Smiths 236. Somebody Told Me - The Killers 237. The Mayor of Simpleton - XTC 238. (Nothing But) Flowers - Talking Heads 239. Spiderwebs - No Doubt 240. Violet - Hole 241. Idioteque - Radiohead 242. Miss Misery - Elliott Smith 243. Cornflake Girl - Tori Amos 244. Royals - Lorde 245. Parklife - Blur 246. My Hero - Foo Fighters 247. Head On - The Jesus and Mary Chain 248.Ironic- Alanis Morissette 249.Big Empty- Stone Temple Pilots 250.Doin' Time- Sublime