The 31 Best Rock + Metal Songs of the 2020s (2020-2025)

Here are the 31 best rock and metal songs of the 2020s, from 2020 to 2025.

The decade is already half over and the deeper we get, the more clearly we all see who the next big bands are and will be, in terms of the new generation. For a community that continuously wonders how it will manage the eventual retirement of its elders, these 31 songs offer a lot of reassurance that rock and metal are both thriving.

The legion of newcomers over the last decade or so have managed to break through and work their way up the festival rankings, even ascending to headliners in some cases. Heavy music has been thrust back into mainstream consciousness in so many ways, raising the floor for its potential in ways bands and fans were both longing for just a handful of years ago.

And what of those elders? They continue to amaze, defying age while playing physically demanding music with the spirit of their younger selves. And in the studio, perhaps knowing there’s limited opportunities left to continue adding to their legacies, our heroes feel reinvigorated, delivering their best material in decades.

From the underground to the world’s biggest stages, these 31 songs represent the best of the 2020s, through last year.