Indie & Modern
The new century's rock: the Strokes and the White Stripes lead a garage revival, and indie, post-rock and modern arena acts carry the guitar forward.
Part of Rock
37 moments in this segment.
- — Foo Fighters — Everlong. Dave Grohl's post-Nirvana band became the standard-bearer of modern rock.
- — The Strokes — Last Nite. The Strokes' 2001 debut sparked the garage-rock revival of the 2000s.
- — Interpol — Obstacle 1. Interpol led the post-punk revival out of New York in the early 2000s.
- — Queens of the Stone Age — No One Knows. Josh Homme's band carried the heavy-rock torch into the new century.
- — The White Stripes — Seven Nation Army. Jack White's 2003 riff became the most chanted in modern sport and rock alike.
- — Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Maps. Karen O's band gave the 2000s garage revival its most tender moment.
- — Explosions in the Sky and post-rock. Explosions in the Sky made instrumental post-rock soar for the 2000s.
- — Muse — Time Is Running Out. Muse fused prog, glam and stadium rock for the new century.
- — Franz Ferdinand — Take Me Out. Franz Ferdinand's angular 2004 hit made indie rock dance.
- — Modest Mouse — Float On. Modest Mouse's 2004 breakout brought indie rock to radio.
- — The Killers — Mr. Brightside. The Killers' 2004 anthem became one of the most enduring rock songs of the century.
- — Arcade Fire — Wake Up. Arcade Fire's anthemic 2004 debut made indie rock feel vast.
- — Green Day — American Idiot. Green Day's 2004 punk-rock opera made them a stadium act with something to say.
- — Arctic Monkeys — I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor. Arctic Monkeys rode the internet to become 2000s indie's biggest band.
- — My Chemical Romance — Welcome to the Black Parade. My Chemical Romance made emo a stadium-sized rock opera.
- — LCD Soundsystem — All My Friends. James Murphy's LCD Soundsystem fused post-punk and dance for the 2000s.
- — Paramore — Misery Business. Hayley Williams's Paramore carried pop-punk and emo into the late 2000s.
- — Vampire Weekend — A-Punk. Vampire Weekend brought bright, literate indie to a new decade.
- — MGMT — Kids. MGMT's psych-pop became one of the defining indie songs of the 2000s.
- — Kings of Leon — Sex on Fire. Kings of Leon turned Southern rock into 2000s stadium indie.
- — Foals — Spanish Sahara. Foals brought math-rock precision to expansive modern indie.
- — The National — Bloodbuzz Ohio. The National made brooding, grown-up indie rock an art form.
- — The Black Keys — Lonely Boy. The Black Keys carried blues-rock to a new generation.
- — Jack White carries the torch. From the White Stripes to a solo career, Jack White became modern rock's foremost guitar evangelist.
- — Tame Impala — Feels Like We Only Go Backwards. Kevin Parker's psych-pop reached a wide audience with Lonerism.
- — Arctic Monkeys — Do I Wanna Know?. Arctic Monkeys reinvented themselves as a global stadium band with AM.
- — Cage the Elephant — Come a Little Closer. Cage the Elephant carried garage-rock energy into the 2010s.
- — Royal Blood — Figure It Out. Royal Blood proved a two-piece could carry heavy rock into the 2010s.
- — Alabama Shakes — Don't Wanna Fight. Brittany Howard's Alabama Shakes revived soul-rock for the 2010s.
- — Tame Impala — Let It Happen. Kevin Parker updated psychedelic rock for the streaming age.
- — IDLES — Danny Nedelko. Britain's IDLES revived post-punk with fury and heart.
- — Greta Van Fleet. carried the flame of classic '70s hard rock into the present.
- — Fontaines D.C. — Boys in the Better Land. Ireland's Fontaines D.C. led a new wave of post-punk into the 2020s.
- — The new post-punk wave. Idles, Shame, Squid and Black Midi led a raw British post-punk revival into the 2020s.
- — Black Country, New Road. pushed post-rock and chamber-rock into new territory.
- — Turnstile — Blackout. Turnstile made hardcore joyful and huge for a new generation.
- — Wet Leg — Chaise Longue. Wet Leg's deadpan 2022 debut became indie's viral breakout.
