Best Rock Songs of 2026

Rock in 2026 is back in a strange way: Idles, Fontaines D.C., Wet Leg, MJ Lenderman, Wednesday — guitar bands with critical traction and (importantly) listeners under 30. The genre isn't dead, it just stopped trying to compete with hip-hop and got smaller and weirder.

Artists defining the genre right now

• • Fontaines D.C.
• • Idles
• • Black Country, New Road
• • Wet Leg
• • MJ Lenderman
• • Wednesday
• • Big Thief
• • boygenius
• • The Smile
• • King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard

Where to look beyond the obvious

The most exciting rock right now is post-punk-leaning UK and Irish bands (Fontaines, Idles, Squid). American rock has gone country.