Alvin M. Keeling 
Rock was alive and well in 2021, with the late 2020 pandemic bringing us one of the strongest years of rock music in recent memory. There was a lot to be thankful for in last year’s music, and you’ll see it in our picks for the 35 best rock songs of 2021.
It’s the year that gave us the return of Limp Bizkit, fresh songs from Guns N ‘Roses and a return to pop-punk for Avril Lavigne. 2021 also provided a time when Halestorm, Evanescence, and The Pretty Reckless all resided in Active Rock radio’s top 10.
This is the year that Turnstile took another step beyond just being a critical favorite. It has been a year in which Mammoth WVH and Dirty Honey have become leaders in bringing listeners back a simpler and somewhat classic rock vibe. But they weren’t the only ones making waves. Maneskin won the Eurovision Song Contest before taking to the world. Ayron Jones commanded rock radio waves and As Everything Unfolds, Meet Me @ the Altar and Nova Twins gave a preview of the next wave of acts you need to know.
So join us as we reflect on the year 2021 and check out our pick of the 35 best rock songs of 2021 below. You can also see our picks for the 35 of 2021. Best Metal Songs here, the 30 of 2021 Best rock + metal covers here and stay tuned to the best rock + metal albums of the year as well as our picks for interviews for 2021 Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
Contributors: Rabab Al-Sharif, Chad Childers, Joe DiVita, Graham Hartmann, Jake Richardson, Philip Trapp, Lauryn Schaffner, Yasmine Summan
The 35 best rock songs of 2021
The rock songs that marked 2021.
The rockers we lost in 2021
RIP to the rockers who died in 2021.
