The Top 5 Rock Music Charts

Keep up with the latest rock music charts with this handy blog post. We’ve compiled the top 5 rock music charts so you can stay on top of the latest hits.

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Often, a recording act will be remembered by its “number ones”, those of their albums that outperformed all others during at least one week. The chart is based mostly on sales (both digital and physical) of albums in the United States. The weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but since July 2015, tracking week begins on Friday (to coincide with the global release date of music) and ends on Thursday. A new chart is published the following Tuesday with an issue post-dated to the Saturday of that week, four days later. The chart’s streaming schedule is also tracked from Friday to Thursday.

example: https://www.billboard.com/charts/billboard-200

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in the United States. The weekly tracking period for sales was originally Monday to Sunday when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but since July 2015, tracking week begins on Friday (to coincide with the Global Release Date of the music) and ends on Thursday. A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by Billboard on Tuesdays. The first number one song of the Hot 100 was “Poor Little Fool” by Ricky Nelson. As of the issue for the week ending on April 17, 2021, the Hot 100 has had 1,125 different number one entries. The current number one song is “Good Days” by SZA.

Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs

The Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs chart is a song chart that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States. Published by Billboard magazine, the data is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan based on each song’s weekly blue ocean report information. The Mainstream Rock Songs chart was launched in March 1981.

The main difference between this chart and the Billboard Hot 100 is that airplay on Mainstream Rock stations is measured through Nielsen BDS, while airplay on other radio stations is measured through Nielsen SoundScan.

Billboard Alternative Songs

The Billboard Alternative Songs chart is a music chart that ranks the most popular alternative rock songs in the United States, published by Billboard magazine. The chart was founded in 1982, and its first number-one song was “Modern Love” by David Bowie. The chart has had various names over the years, including Modern Rock Tracks (1992-2009), Alternative Songs (2009-present), and Mainstream Rock Tracks (1982-1988).

As of the issue for the week of August 29, 2020, “Circles” by Post Malone is the most recent song to top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

Billboard Hard Rock Songs

The Billboard Hard Rock Songs chart is a weekly chart that ranks the most popular hard rock songs in the United States. The data is compiled by Billboard magazine and based on radio airplay, online streaming, and sales of hard rock songs.

The following songs are currently ranked in the top 5 of the Billboard Hard Rock Songs chart:

1. “Sick of It” by Skillet
2. “Torn” by Avril Lavigne
3. “Never Again” by Breaking Benjamin
4. “The Violence” by Rise Against
5. “In The End” by Linkin Park