Rock was alive and well in 2021, with the pandemic hold up of 2020 providing us with one of the strongest years of rock music in recent memory. There was a lot to be grateful for in music from the past year, and you'll see that in our picks for the 35 Best Rock Songs of 2021.

It was 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 moment where Halestorm, Evanescence and The Pretty Reckless all resided inside the top 10 at Active Rock radio.

This was the year that Turnstile took that next step beyond being just a critical favorite. It was a year in which Mammoth WVH and Dirty Honey emerged as leaders in bringing back a more straight forward and somewhat classic rock vibe to listeners. But they weren't the only up-and-comers making waves. Maneskin won the Eurovision Song Contest before breaking worldwide. Ayron Jones commanded the rock radio airwaves and As Everything Unfolds, Meet Me @ the Altar and Nova Twins provided a glimpse at the next wave of acts you need to know.

So join us as we reflect on the year that was 2021 and check out our picks for the 35 Best Rock Songs of 2021 below. You can also see our picks for 2021's 35 Best Metal Songs here, 2021's 30 Best Rock + Metal Covers here and stay tuned for the Best Rock + Metal Albums of the Year as well as interviews with our choices for 2021's 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 left a mark on 2021.

Rockers We Lost in 2021

R.I.P. to the rockers who died in 2021.

 

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