Top 20 Rock Songs of the 2000s (For Guitar Lovers)

Looking back, the 2000s can be described as a time of upheaval in music culture. Digitalization, the rise of the first file-sharing platforms, and the decline of MTV heralded a new era of music consumption. And rock music featured increasingly melodic and radio-friendly varieties of punk, grunge, and metal. The defining genres of the decade were indie, nu metal, pop-punk, and emo.

Let’s take a closer look at the biggest rock songs of the 2000s for Guitar Lovers.

1. Billy Talent – Red Flag

“Red Flag” from the 2006 album “Billy Talent II” epitomises the Canadian band’s typical mix of punk and alternative rock. As so often, guitarist Ian D’Sa favoured fast drop-D riffs paired with exciting chord voicings on the high strings. One of his favourite guitar models to this day is the Fender Fat Strat Deluxe.

2. Linkin Park – Numb

Hardly any other band epitomises the sound of the 2000s as much as Linkin Park. “Numb” from 2003 is a prime example of their mixture of nu metal, alternative rock, and rap. Typical of Linkin Park are the thick guitar layers in drop-D or drop-C# tuning, for which guitarist Brad Delson usually relies on a PRS Custom 24.

3. The Hives – Walk Idiot Walk

The Hives are the first of three bands in our list with the 2000s-typical “The” in their name. Their charismatic mix of garage, punk, and alternative made the likable Swedes famous worldwide in the early 2000s.

4. Green Day – American Idiot

Even though Green Day has been a fixture in punk rock since the early 90s, their 2004 album “American Idiot” is one of the milestones in the band’s history. The title track is representative of their melodic mainstream punk. Since the noughties, guitarist, singer, and mastermind Billie Joe Armstrong has increasingly favoured the Gibson Les Paul Junior in the studio and on stage.

5. Blink-182 – I Miss You

Like Green Day, Blink-182 has roots in the 90s and shaped the sound of the noughties with their blend of skate punk and alternative rock. The band’s fourth, self-titled studio album from 2003 was the first to feature somewhat mellower tunes. Singer and guitarist Tom DeLonge designed a signature Starcaster together with Fender.

6. Beatsteaks – Hand in Hand

The Beatsteaks from Berlin are not only the official favourite band of Farin Urlaub (Die Ärzte), but have also been inspiring the rest of the country with their mixture of punk and alternative rock for 30 years now. The first single release from their 2004 album “Smack Smash” is still one of their biggest hits today.

7. Foo Fighters – The Pretender

Founded in 1994 by Dave Grohl, the Foo Fighters enjoy a reputation as one of the most important and commercially successful rock bands of the last 30 years. On stage, the three guitarists still rely on real tube amps and classic electric guitar models. An affordable replica of the Gibson Trini Lopez ES-335 favoured by Dave Grohl is currently available from Epiphone.

8. Evanescence – Bring Me to Life

The band Evanescence skyrocketed straight to Nu-Metal stardom in 2003 with their debut album “Fallen”. Their trademark sound consists of Amy Lee’s melancholic, clear vocals, paired with orchestral elements and fat walls of guitars in drop-D tuning, as in their biggest hit “Bring Me to Life“.

9. The Killers – Mr Brightside

“Mr Brightside” was the first single to be released from the 2003 album “Hot Fuss” and is by far the best-known song by the American band. To this day, the characteristic guitar intro draws people to the dance floor. If you want to witness what kind of riot this song can ignite in a hall full of people, we recommend watching a walk-on of darts pro Nathan Aspinall.

10. Kings of Leon – Sex on Fire

“Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon also starts with a charismatic and rhythmically intricate guitar intro. Rumour has it that many a cover band has failed to answer the question “where is the downbeat?”. The song with the epic chorus is one of the biggest indie hits of the noughties.

11. Puddle of Mudd – She Hates Me

Puddle of Mudd were discovered by Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst in the early 2000s and are considered typical representatives of the post-grunge genre. The influences of bands such as Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam cannot be ignored on their 2001 album “Come Clean”.

12. Mando Diao – Down in the Past

Mando Diao are the second Swedish indie/garage band to make it into our top 20 – and without a “The” in their name. Even if their guitarist Gustaf Norén (until 2015) has not gone down in the history books as a string virtuoso, he was still voted “Sexiest Man in Sweden” in 2006.

13. The White Stripes – Seven Nation Army

The guitar riff from “Seven Nation Army” now belongs in the same category as “Smoke on the Water”, “Whole Lotta Love”, or “Iron Man”. Every rock music fan has heard it before, every football fan can sing along to it, and no guitar student can avoid it. Jack White is also regarded as one of the most innovative and style-defining guitarists of the noughties. The bass part of the song, which was actually played on a guitar, was produced using a Digitech Whammy pedal.

14. Muse – Starlight

Founded in 1994, the British trio Muse is one of the bands that survived and advanced the Britpop wave of the late 90s, along with Coldplay. Muse stand for stylistic diversity, virtuoso arrangements, and experimental sound design. The guitar work of Matt Bellamy, whose trademarks include custom-made electric guitars with integrated effects from the Manson company, plays a key role in this.

15. Red Hot Chili Peppers – Snow

To describe the Red Hot Chili Peppers as a band of the noughties is, of course, a gross understatement. Since the late 80s, the Peppers have delighted millions of fans in every decade of their history. In the song “Snow” we hear a typical John Frusciante arpeggio as the main riff. Frusciante likes to create his sounds with a Fender Stratocaster in front of two Marshall stacks. Incidentally, one of his favourite distortion pedals is the relatively inexpensive Boss DS-2 Turbo Distortion.

16. Franz Ferdinand – Take Me Out

Founded in 2001, Franz Ferdinand are part of the British indie rock revival of the noughties, together with bands such as Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party. The Scottish band’s very rhythmically orientated guitar work made them one of the most danceable acts within this genre.

17. Sum 41 – In Too Deep

Sum 41 are often mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned Blink-182 and are still active today. The song “In Too Deep” comes from their successful album “All Killer No Filler” and presents itself as a mid-tempo punk song with slight reggae influences in the guitar intro.

18. My Chemical Romance – Helena

With their melodic, melancholy mix of punk and metal, the band My Chemical Romance is generally pigeonholed into the emo genre. In the song “Helena” we hear the typical combination of hard electric guitars and heartbreaking vocals.

19. The Offspring – You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid

At the turn of the millennium, The Offspring already had more than a decade of band history under their belts. Consequently, their biggest hits were also released in the 90s. “You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid” from 2008 is a good example of how the band has stayed true to its style.

20. Limp Bizkit – Take a Look Around

Limp Bizkit are one of the biggest acts of the nu-metal wave and have sold over 50 million records to date. “Take a Look Around” comes from the 2000 album “Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water” and was also used for the soundtrack to the film “Mission: Impossible II”. Guitarist and make-up artist Wes Borland interprets the famous 5/4 theme by Lalo Schifrin mostly in 4/4 time, with the exception of the interlude from minute 3:30.

What are your favorite rock hits of the 2000s? Let us know with a comment.