33 Classic Rock Albums That Hit No. 1 Since 2000

Classic rock’s biggest stars have found it increasingly difficult to achieve No. 1 albums in recent decades. Since 2000, only 33 albums by artists closely associated with the genre have reached the top of Billboard‘s Top 200 albums chart, and even more strikingly, these albums were released by just 17 different acts.

Bruce Springsteen stands out, having secured six No. 1 albums between 2002 and 2014. Though still a substantial commercial force, his more recent works, 2019’s Western Stars and 2020’s Letter to You, both peaked at No. 2. Madonna and Luke Combs eclipsed his attempts to clinch the top spot, respectively.

Metallica’s longstanding streak of chart-topping new studio albums ended with 2023’s 72 Seasons, kept from the top by country star Morgan Wallen. The last undeniably classic rock artist to reach No. 1 was AC/DC with their 2020 album Power Up.

Some bands such as Pearl Jam, Green Day, and Foo Fighters could arguably be classified as classic rockers, but they are generally categorized as alternative rock artists. Despite the challenges, rock still shows signs of life on the charts. Beyond the gallery of classic rock acts who hit No. 1, other rock bands have also achieved the top position since 2000.

Other Rock Albums That Have Topped the Charts Since 2000:

2000:

Radiohead, Kid A

Limp Bizkit, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water

2001:

Dave Matthews Band, Everyday

Tool, Lateralus

Staind, Break the Cycle

System of a Down, Toxicity

Creed, Weathered

2002:

Creed, Weathered (again)

Dave Matthews Band, Busted Stuff

2003:

Linkin Park, Meteora

Godsmack, Faceless

Marilyn Manson, The Golden Age of Grotesque

Staind, 14 Shades of Grey

2004:

Green Day, American Idiot

Jay Z / Linkin Park, Collision Course

2005:

Green Day, American Idiot (again)

3 Doors Down, Seventeen Days

Nine Inch Nails, With Teeth

Dave Matthews Band, Stand Up

System of a Down, Mezmerize

Audioslave, Out of Exile

Staind, Chapter V

Disturbed, Ten Thousand Fists

System of a Down, Hypnotize

2006:

Godsmack, IV

Tool, 10,000 Days

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stadium Arcadium

Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways

2007:

Fall Out Boy, Infinity on High

Daughtry, Daughtry

Modest Mouse, We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank

Linkin Park, Minutes to Midnight

Kid Rock, Rock and Roll Jesus

2008:

Radiohead, In Rainbows

Jack Johnson, Sleep Through the Static

Neil Diamond, Home Before Dark

Death Cab for Cutie, Narrow Stairs

3 Doors Down, 3 Doors Down

Disturbed, Indestructible

Slipknot, All Hope is Gone

2009:

Green Day, 21st Century Breakdown

Dave Matthews Band, Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King

Daughtry, Leave This Town

Pearl Jam, Backspacer

2010:

Vampire Weekend, Contra

Godsmack, The Oracle

Jack Johnson, To the Sea

Avenged Sevenfold, Nightmare

Arcade Fire, The Suburbs

Disturbed, Asylum

Linkin Park, A Thousand Suns

2011:

Foo Fighters, Wasting Light

Evanescence, Evanescence

2012:

Jack White, Blunderbuss

Matchbox Twenty, North

Dave Matthews Band, Away From the World

2013:

Fall Out Boy, Save Rock and Roll

Queens of the Stone Age, …Like Clockwork

Avenged Sevenfold, Hail to the King

Pearl Jam, Lightning Bolt

Arcade Fire, Reflektor

2014:

Black Keys, Turn Blue

Jack White, Lazaretto

Maroon 5, V

Slipknot, .5 the Gray Chapter

2015:

Fall Out Boy, American Beauty / American Psycho

2016:

Kings of Leon, Walls

2017:

Linkin Park, One More Light

Foo Fighters, Concrete and Gold

The Killers, Wonderful Wonderful

2018:

Jack White, Boarding House Reach

Dave Matthews Band, Come Tomorrow

2019:

The Raconteurs, Help Us Stranger

Slipknot, We Are Not Your Kind

Tool, Fear Inoculum

2020, 2021:

None

2022:

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Unlimited Love

2023, 2024:

None