Top 25 Rock Albums of the 21st Century (So Far)

The first 25 years of the 21st century started with a bang for rock music. The genre had taken a hit as the ’90s closed, as boy bands, rappers and pop stars dominated the airwaves and charts.

But something happened right at the start of the 2000s: Rock music started to get popular again. Not that it ever went away; grunge holdovers and new forms of metal kept the music alive, albeit in new shades and textures, as more mainstream styles advanced.

As you will see in the below list of the Top 25 Rock Albums of the 21st Century (So Far), chosen by UCR’s staff, artists such as the Black Keys, the White Stripes and the Strokes paved the way for a commercial renaissance that’s carried over through the years.

READ MORE: Top 30 Albums of 1975

Like all popular forms of music, rock has evolved. Records made in 1964 didn’t sound like those made only five years earlier; a 1977 album doesn’t have much in common with one from 1967. So, it only follows a well-traveled timeline that rock albums released in the 2000s – whether from 2001 or 2021 – bear scant resemblance to those that came out in the mid-’80s.

New artists such as Radiohead and Wilco gave music new life in the 21st century; it’s no surprise that their records land near the top of the list below. Some old favorites remain relevant, as Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen make clear. Rock music, despite the occasional bumps along the way, still thrives 70 years after its formation.