Top 25 Rock Songs of 2025

UCR’s list of Top 25 Rock Songs of 2025 shows that classic rock is still bucking trends.

There are a trio of duets, including one that was tossed off in less than a month and another that was a decade in the making. Two sons of hard rockers go their own way, while another finally lets his father’s towering influences shine.

One legend continues on a completely different tack while another returns to the band that hurtled him to fame. Two former members of Tom Petty’s bands keep his legacy alive as a well-known heavy metal act says goodbye.

READ MORE: 2025’s Best-Selling Rock Albums

Not one but two of the Top 25 Songs of 2025 were actually recorded years before. One of them circles back to an early blues inspiration. Another to country. And another still to the sound that made this hall of famer so important in the first place.

They all come together in this staff-voted list of the Top 25 Rock Songs of 2025:
 
No. 25. Mike Campbell, “Heart of the Heartland”
From: Single

Longtime Tom Petty collaborator Mike Campbell set out to write a gorgeous travelogue-type song, filled with bucolic imagery. He succeeded. “The music is very simple, but the lyrics refer to a lot of American landscapes and sentiments,” Campbell said. “Many of the images are drawn from things I’ve seen in my travels through the heartland over the years.” Patrick Warren’s deftly expressed strings gird everything.

No. 24. Megadeth, “Tipping Point”
From: Megadeth

“Tipping Point” introduced fans to Teemu Mantysaari, who replaced guitarist Kiko Loureiro in 2023. Megadeth’s pending self-titled final album is also their first with bassist James LoMenzo since 2009’s Endgame. Yet the LP’s debut single sounds just like you’d expect it would – and that’s kind of a miracle. Despite their revolving door of lineups, Megadeth has somehow remained a sturdy thrash presence.

No. 23. Ghost, “Satanized”
From: Skeleta

“Satanized” was the first Ghost song to feature Papa V Perpetua, the latest musical incarnation of bandleader Tobias Forge. The character was initially teased ahead of Ghost’s appearance at Black Sabbath’s July farewell show in the U.K., but really came to life as part of this engagingly introspective song. That touch of glam is welcome, too.

No. 22. Envy of None, “Stygian Waves”
From: Stygian Waves

Alex Lifeson’s new band Envy of None doesn’t sound much like his old one. At times, as with the soaring title track from their second LP, Stygian Wavz, Envy of None simply defy categorization. That’s the point, according to songwriting bassist Andy Curran. Singer Maiah Wynne’s “harmonies and layers of vocals are literally symphonic! It’s hard to put a finger on what style or genre this one is – and we’re proud of that!”

No. 21. Elton John and Brandi Carlile, “Who Believes in Angels?”
From: Who Believes in Angels?

Elton John may have stopped touring, but he clearly isn’t content with a rocking-chair retirement. “I’m 76 and I want to do something different,” John said. “I don’t want to coast.” The title track from his collaboration with Brandi Carlile, titled Who Believes in Angels?, illustrates how far he can still go when pushed. Working with John’s longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin and others over just 20 days, John sounds reborn.

No. 20. Stanley Simmons, “Body Down”
From: Single

Nick Simmons and Evan Stanley aren’t content to simply mimic the look or feel of their fathers’ music with Kiss. Instead, the sons of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley took a surprising psych-folk detour on their debut single. Stanley seemed just as taken aback by “Body Down” as anyone else. “It’s hard to believe they came from us!” he said while performing at the recent Kiss Kruise: Land-Locked in Las Vegas.

No. 19. Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison, “Gods of Rock N Roll”
From: The Morrison Project

Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Idol guitarist Billy Morrison wrote “Gods of Rock N Roll” some 10 years ago then it appeared on Morrison’s album God Shaped Hole – but as a straight-forward band recording. Osbourne always felt that was a missed opportunity, considering this is such a grand ballad. Morrison finally reworked everything an all-new single also featuring Idol bandmate Steve Stevens. “I told Billy then that it needed an orchestra and a choir,” the late Osbourne once quipped, “but it took 10 f–ing years for him to listen to me.”

No. 18. Bernie Leadon, “Too Many Memories”
From: Too Late to Be Cool

Bernie Leadon hadn’t released any new music in decades. When he did, “Too Many Memories” proved to be pleasantly unreconstructed. The roots-focused former Eagles cofounder remained a roots-focused solo act, never giving into trends or tech as the wider culture slowly moved toward the Americana vibe that he’d once helped create. Along the way, Leadon reclaimed his own off-handed legend.

No. 17. Styx, “Build and Destroy”
From: Circling From Above

Considering how central “Build and Destroy” feels to the new Styx album’s avian theme, it might be surprising to learn that this was among the last things they finished. Lawrence Gowan, who joined the team of Tommy Shaw and producer Will Evankovich in co-writing Circling From Above, said he kept singing the track’s title over the main melody while they were at work. “We knew it was strong,” Gowan said later. “Even though it was the second-to-last song we finished, it felt like a quick way into the album’s overall theme.”

No. 16. Foo Fighters, “Asking for a Friend”
From: Single

Returning to stages helped spark a stand-alone song from Dave Grohl. “We have been reminded of why we love and are forever devoted to doing this Foo Fighters thing,” Grohl admitted. First, they had to rebuild the lineup around a new drummer, while going through a few decades of songs. Then they reconnected with fans out on the road, “blasting them with everything we’ve got – no matter the size of the venue – because we would not be here without them.” “Asking for a Friend” made clear that they emerged with a new passion.

No. 15. The Darkness, “Walking Through Fire”
From: Dreams on Toast

The Darkness can get knocked around for their jokey approach with interviews and a willingness to dabble in similarly unserious musical styles. In the run up to Dreams on Toast, however, Darkness singer Justin Hawkes said the material had been inspired by the “the elite songs, the life-changing music of the ages.” The lead single “Longest Kiss” made good on that promise, echoing Electric Light Orchestra. “I Hate Myself” was all punky. With “Walking Through Fire,” they attempt to out-Cheap Trick Cheap Trick.

No. 14. Melvins, “King of Rome”
From: Thunderball

Buzz “King Buzzo” Osborne and original drummer Mike Dillard lead the “1983” Melvins lineup through the punk-powered “King of Rome,” rather than any expected grungy portent. The result is an edgy nod to the past without a shred of nostalgia to create unwanted drag. Credit two guest stars (electronic artists Void Manes and Ni Maitres) and a general aversion to looking back. “I’m not a ‘good old days’ type of guy,” Osbourne told the Portland Mercury. “I’m more the ‘what you done lately’-type of guy.”

No. 13. Mammoth, “The End”
From: The End

Wolfgang Van Halen has studiously avoided copying his late father Eddie Van Halen’s approach. He won’t even play the songs they recorded together in concert. A bit of their shared legacy finally peeked out on “The End.” “I’ve had the tapping idea on the intro for ‘The End’ since before Mammoth,” Van Halen remembered. “I was able to fit it into this world. It’s still over-the-top and shreddy, but it’s also melodic and controlled.”

No. 12. Benmont Tench, “The Melancholy Season”
From: The Melancholy Season

With Tom Petty, Benmont Tench played the role of ace sideman – but he was clearly prepared to step out. He’d written a few hits and did some notable guest turns. When Petty died, he’d released a debut LP, too. “The band, the main focus of my life since I was 19 years old, was gone,” Tench told The New York Times, “… but I was damned if I wasn’t going to make another record.” A bout with cancer slowed him but Tench emerged healthy – and, as this delicately conveyed title track shows, in a more reflective place.

No. 11. Ringo Starr, “Look Up”
From: Look Up

Producer T Bone Burnett co-wrote this song and most of Ringo Starr’s first country album in more than 50 years (and his first full-length LP since 2019). The propulsive “Look Up” helped Starr to the top of the U.K. country charts with a characteristically uplifting message (“up above your head where the music plays, there’s a light that shines in the darkest days“) that could have easily been delivered right before another of his typical “peace and love” mantras. Starr’s dirt road of a vocal style is just perfect for it.

No. 10. Doobie Brothers, “Learn to Let Go”
From: Walk This Road

The big news on this song (and this album) from the Doobie Brothers was the return in full of Michael McDonald. Sure, original frontman Tom Johnston was on 1976’s McDonald-led Takin’ It to the Streets, and McDonald sat in for 2010’s Johnston-led World Gone Crazy – but in both cases, their guest appearances were brief. This is a reunion in full – and “Learn to Let Go” underscores how happy and successful their homecoming really was. “In my heart,” McDonald later admitted, “I’ve always been a Doobie Brother.”

No. 9. Black Keys, “No Rain, No Flowers”
From: No Rain, No Flowers

The Black Keys hit a rough patch after 2024’s Ohio Players. They ended up firing their management after being forced to abandon a tour. Despite all that, the title of their follow-up album and lead single underscores just how stubbornly optimistic the Black Keys remain. They got a key songwriting (and keyboard!) assist from Rick Nowels, who earlier worked with Dan Auerbach on Lana Del Rey’s Ultraviolence.

No. 8. Alice Cooper, “Black Mamba”
From: The Revenge of Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper the man reunited Alice Cooper the band, and they returned to an old-school style: “Black Mamba” was developed in the studio. Cooper described this to Billboard as a “from-the-ground-up song.” They started “jamming on the riff and warming up together. The next thing you know, we get this swampy feel and decide it’s gonna be about a Black Mamba snake, which is very deadly.” Robby Krieger of the Doors guested on “Black Mamba,” from the Alice Cooper group’s first LP since 1973’s Muscle of Love.

No. 7. Bruce Springsteen, “Rain the River”
From: Tracks II: The Lost Albums

Deep into an eventually shelved album populated with synths and drum loops in the style of his Oscar and multi-Grammy Award-winning 1994 Top 10 hit “Streets of Philadelphia,” Bruce Springsteen decided to completely cut loose. The stomping, quite murderous “Rain in the River” wouldn’t be issued for more than 30 years, as Springsteen added it to 2025’s rock-focused Perfect World compilation disc on the seven-album Lost Tracks II box. “I was looking,” Springsteen later admitted, “for someplace else to go musically.”

No. 6. Jason Isbell, “Bury Me”
From: Foxes in the Snow

This first entirely solo acoustic LP was recorded without Jason Isbell’s usual backing band, the 400 Unit, and outside of a marriage that turned into a muse. He’s been stripped bare, and you hear it everywhere on Foxes in the Snow – except during brief moments like “Bury Me.” The clouds part on Isbell’s album-opening song, as he tries to sort out his next steps. He was focused, for a moment, on “rebirth and change,” Isbell told NPR, “but it also deals with gratitude – because it’s like well, if I died today then I’ve had a good time.”

No. 5. Aerosmith and Yungblud, “My Only Angel”
From: One More Time EP

Aerosmith broke a lengthy silence in one of the most surprising ways, pairing up with punky rocker Yungblud on “My Only Angel” before releasing the joint EP One More Time. The results admittedly sounded more Just Push Play than Toys in the Attic, but it was enough to spark Steven Tyler after he suffered a career-threatening vocal injury that brought the Peace Out farewell tour to a sudden halt.

No. 4. Guns N’ Roses, “Atlas”
From: Single

Guns N’ Roses have released enough stand-alone singles since 2021 to create about half an album. One of the best received was “Atlas,” which arrived this year along with “Nothin.'” Both were originally demoed for Chinese Democracy, which began with sessions in the ’90s. The classic alt-rock feel of “Atlas” certainly seems indebted to the era. Still, don’t hold your breath waiting for a new album. “There’s so much material at this point,” Slash told Guitar World, “It’s a matter of having the discipline to sit down and f—ing get into it.”

No. 3. David Byrne, “Everybody Laughs”
From: Who Is the Sky?

The Talking Heads rose to early fame as an upstart stand-by at the East Village’s famed CBGB music venue. New York City clearly still holds a fascination for former frontman David Byrne, as “Everybody Laughs” becomes this celebration of urban life and all its weird, wonderful anomalies. (“Everybody’s going through the garbage, looking for inspiration,” he sings. “Some will find it staring at the ceiling of the subway station.”) “Music can do that – hold opposites simultaneously,” Byrne told Rolling Stone.

No. 2. Cheap Trick, “Twelve Gates”
From: All Washed Up

Cheap Trick placed tongues firmly in cheek when naming their latest album, following a quiet period dating back to 2021’s In Another World. The towering psychedelic pop-rock of “Twelve Gates” makes clear they had no problems dusting themselves off. “It’s Cheap Trick,” Robin Zander surmised. “It sounds like us.”

No. 1. Robert Plant, “Chevrolet”
From: Saving Grace

Robert Plant returned to a familiar source of inspiration for the third single from Saving Grace: Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy. Plant memorably closed out Led Zeppelin’s fourth album in 1971 by singing a cover of their song “When the Levee Breaks.” The Memphis Minnie and Kansas Joe McCoy track “Can I Do It for You” later became the basis for Donovan’s “Hey Gyp (Dig the Slowness),” which in turn has been reimagined again by Plant as “Chevrolet.”