The Best Rock Songs Of 2026 (So Far), Ranked

If there's one consistent conceptual through line to this year in rock it has been the old guard returning in evolved (some might say mutated) forms. Considering all the '70s bands whose original members are still with us in 2026, that's fairly unsurprising. New talent still isn't fully taking the reins, but there is a newfound sense of vigor in rock's elder statesmen.

That's not to say that the young bloods (or, more appropriately, YUNGBLUD) have remained dormant. Rock music has become an amorphous beast with no single popular form, and new manifestations continue to develop. With that in mind, we wanted to put the current experiments under the microscope and see what's showing signs of growth. 

Jimi's "Treat You Like a Man," a choice cut from her "Bar Stars & Beauty Queens" EP, marries the soft/heavy "Bang a Gong" ethic of so much '90s alt-pop with the ethereal dream pop production that seems to be showing up everywhere on modern recordings. The final product is retro and modern in equal and satisfying measure. 

The lyrics describe someone oscillating between affection for her caution-to-the-wind situationship with a hedonic rogue and her mounting desire to retaliate in the face of his emotional detachment. She's angry but clearly enjoying it. The fact that she's an absolutely blazing lead guitarist doesn't hurt either. 

Mick Jagger's voice feels like it's been bolstered by a wall of vocal distortion, but that doesn't make "In the Stars," the second track off 2026's "Foreign Tongues," any less satisfying. An octogenarian frontman and lead guitarist notwithstanding, the band manages to sound just as vibrant and vital as ever. 

"In the Stars" isn't likely to satisfy anyone looking for a full return to the Britpop psychedelia of the band's 1960s glory days. But that's okay. There are, after all, plenty of great Stones songs that aren't "Gimme Shelter or "Paint It Black." 

The original "Zombie" is a contemplative, upper mid-tempo alt-rocker that feels consistent with the '90s alternative world that begat The Pumpkins in the first place. As such, Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan feels right at home joining in the delivery of YUNGBLUD's angst-tinged yearning. The effect serves to remind us of the heartfelt sincerity that made the genre speak to us in the first place. We '90s kids grew up and realized all that teenage turmoil seemed a little silly in hindsight. Corgan and YUNGBLUD bring back the soul and sincerity of it all.

The Pink Floyd-style lead passage that opens "Graves in the Sky" serves as a reminder that Silvertomb are using the "doom metal" genre tag more as a signpost along their own road rather than a final destination. Formed by guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer John Kelly of Type O Negative fame, the band seems less encumbered by an adherence to stylistic constraints and more interested in sculpting dark melodic majesty. The result is a heavy rock track that never calls attention to its harder edge, making it perfect for metalheads, goths, and psychedelic rockers alike. 

The prospect of a collaboration album between Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and Norwegian vocal phenom Jorn Lande is a prospect sure to thrill classic rock aficionados and modern metalheads in equal measure. "Stormwatcher," from the forthcoming "From the Dark," explodes across the stereo. Lande fits into the sinister world of gothic riffs like an old friend, and Iommi's signature leads — those solos that sound easy but are actually hard to play — are on full display. That visceral meeting of Eric Clapton and David Gilmore in a dark alley never fails to satisfy.