Smells Like Alt Rock

If you’re nostalgic like me, (and if you’ve found Smells Like Alt Rock , you probably are) then you might look back on the grunge, post‑grunge, pop‑punk, and emo days as the true peak of alternative rock. The trouble is, tuning into today’s airwaves often leaves you flipping between classic rock, mainstream alternative, and modern rock stations, feeling never quite satisfied. But here’s the good news: many of the bands you grew up with are still making music, and 2025 brought a wave of new albums worth your time. I didn’t spin every release this year, but these are the ones I listened to enough to confidently recommend. Think of them as the soundtrack to your teenage drives or your college move‑in days — updated for right now.  (Links jump to albums on YouTube)  All Time Low - Everyone's Talking The Black Keys -  No Rain, No Flowers Buckcherry - Roar Like Thunder Bush -   I Beat Loneliness CheVelle -  Bright as Blasphemy Garbage - Let All That We Imagine Be Th...

The last month of the year may be slow for new music drops, but Smells Like Alt Rock is always looking for great new tracks to share. So we've got 9 great tracks added to the December playlist this week.  If you are new to Smells Like Alt Rock - here's how this works. Monthly, we build up a Something Like Alt Rock playlist to ~50 (also adding them to the 2020-2025 playlist ). At the end of the month, we cut it back to the best ~15 songs. Quarterly, we cut again to highlight the best of new alt rock.  And we're working towards the best 40 songs of 2025. December is a busy month of listening to new tunes to assemble the December playlist, the 2025 Q4 playlist, and ultimately the best 40 songs of 2025.  Here's what's new this week: Kensington - Call You Home The All-American Rejects - Get This The Silversun Pickups - The Wreckage Pabst - Limbo No. 5 May-A - Claws Football Head - Used To Be Magnolia Park - Chasing Shadows Florence Road - Storm Warnings Culture Wars - In...

Thanksgiving has always been one of our favorite holidays. A day to pause, reflect on who and what we’re grateful for, and share a meal with friends and family—without the pressure of gift‑giving. Today, we’ll be enjoying time with family, watching our kids soak up cousin‑time, and cheering on the Green Bay Packers as they take on the Lions. This year, we also want to share some musical gratitude —starting with you. Moving from Facebook posts to the Smells Like Alt Rock blog has been a big shift, and we’re thrilled to see 10–20 readers checking in daily. Thank you for reading, listening, and coming back for more. Fuel A huge thank you to Fuel and their crew. Your shows this year have been phenomenal—we should know, since we made it to nine of them (including three on the Creed Cruise). We appreciate you hitting the Midwest hard, making it easy for us to catch shows in Bowler, WI and Alpine Valley. You always go the extra mile: greeting fans after the set, interacting with the crowd mi...

I know a lot of folks don't start playing Christmas music until after Thanksgiving, but some great, rock holiday songs dropped recently. They were easy adds to our Alt Rock Christmas playlist.   If you are looking to rock your holiday hard - check out Skillet's "O Come O Come Emmanuel." They released two versions of this one - a harder version - as seen/heard in the video below:  And a lighter version, which we added to the Alt Rock Christmas playlist, which you can check out here: Skillet isn't the only rock band dropping holiday tunes. Good Charlotte also dropped a fresh holiday cover, with their take on "Fairytale of New York". It's frankly pretty remarkable how many of the pop-punk / emo bands of the early 2000's have release Christmas tracks - it certainly makes it easy to have robust list of rock Christmas songs. Check out Good Charlotte below:

Before Spotify playlists, movie soundtracks were the way a generation found their own music. Picking up the right movie soundtrack was a great way to get exposure to your next favorite band or in my case, my all time favorite band. The music videos that went along with these soundtracks cross pollinated the music with cameos from the Hollywood blockbusters, effectively advertising on MTV and VH1 all day long.  Some of the top soundtracks of the era include: American Pie (1999) featuring: Third Eye Blind, Tonic, Blink 182, Sugar Ray, Dishwalla, and Goldfinger City of Angels (1998) featuring: U2, Alanis Morissette, and the Goo Goo Dolls Clueless (1995) featuring: Counting Crows, Luscious Jackson, Radiohead, Beastie Boys, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones Cruel Intentions (1999) featuring: Blur, The Verve, Counting Crows, Placebo, Marcy Playground, and Fatboy Slim Godzilla The Album (1998) featuring: The Wallflowers, Green Day, Rage Against the Machine, Fuel, Foo Fighters, Days of the N...

We're approaching the end of a another month, and according to AAA a bunch of us will be on the road for the Thanksgiving holiday with something like 75 million Americans expecting to be traveling by car. So I'm getting this top songs of the  November list out to you without delay, hoping you will be able rock out on your travels.  As always a big think you to all of the bands for another month of great music. The November list hit 62 songs before I started cutting them back. You can find all of them on the Alt Rock 2020-2025 playlist. Here are our top songs of November 2025 : Top 15 Mammoth - Same Old Song Senses - You and I Smash Into Pieces - Villian Lansdowne - Burn It Down Dayseeker - Crawl in My Coffin Armor for Sleep - Sky Full of Blackholes Strumbellas - Hanging Out in My Head Sly Withers - Make My Mind Up  New Found Glory - Treat Yourself Action/Adventure w/ Armor for Sleep - Background Citizen Soldier - Dead Butterflies Adelita's Way - We Are Unbroke...

Alright, I'll be calling it this morning. A ton of good music dropped in November, and I'd like to get the top songs of the month out to you today for your Thanksgiving travels. The November List is currently at like 60 songs and I'm still listening this week's new drops.  So I'm going to punt on the new songs from this week and use them to start a December list. And I'll post the cutdown November later.   Let's start with this week's new music: Glitterer - Stainless Steal   L0L0 - Me With No Shirt On The Loveless - The Cure The Fray - The Song I'd Rather Not Sing Shinedown - Searchlight Voila - No Way To Live Aerosmith / Yungblud - Wild Woman Blanket - True Blue Stone - Sweet Heroine Cliffords - Marsh Good Kid - Rift

There's a lot of great punk, emo, rock, and alternative Christmas songs or covers on our Alt Rock Christmas playlist. But there were some songs that we couldn't find in Spotify's massive catalog, so if you are looking for some additional festive music that rocks - add these 5 videos on YouTube to your Christmas music rotation. Enjoy! Aaron Scott of Fuel (formerly of One Way North) - Hallelujah  Shane Greenhall of Those Damn Crows - O Holy Night Yungblud - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas Ed Kowalczyck of Live - Silent Night Collective Soul - Blue Christmas

Artists from outside the U.S. have left an undeniable mark on alternative rock — shaping its sound, spirit, and global reach. From the haunting vocals of The Cranberries to the swagger of Oasis, the anthemic power of U2, and the raw emotion of Alanis Morissette and Nickelback, international acts have helped define the genre across generations. This playlist focuses on some of today’s most compelling alt rock artists from around the world, highlighting their work in 2025. Their voices are pushing boundaries, telling bold stories, and keeping the genre alive and evolving. Whether you're into gritty riffs, emotional ballads, or genre-blending experiments, these artists bring something fresh to the table. Those Damn Crows make the top of our list for 2025 album - God Shaped Hole Check out this playlist for a sample of our favorites.  Rank Artist Country Release 1 Those Damn Crows Wales Album: God Shaped Hole 2 Yungblud England Album: Idols 3 One Ok Rock Japan Album: Detox 4 Smash Into...

The November playlist is currently three and half hours long after adding more new tunes yesterday. Before we breakdown what's been newly added to the November list and the Alt Rock 2020-2025 playlist, let's recap how this works: Each month, we create a new playlist. Each week, songs are added to the monthly playlist and the Alt Rock 2020-2025 playlist. At the end of each month, the monthly playlist is cut back to a top 10 or 15, with 5 or honorable mentions. At the end of each quarter, a quarterly best of playlist is put together. At the end of the year, we'll share our favorite songs of the year. We're getting close to this now. Here's what's been added to the list this week: Lakeview - Sorry Fallen Within, Saliva, Bobby Amaru, Judge & Jury - Worlds Apart Citizen Soldier - It Ends With Me Taylor Acorn - Masquerade Dayseeker - Meet the Reaper Mumford & Sons w/ Hozier - Rubberband Man Ben Quad - All Your Luck Chokecherry - Porcelain Warrior The Format ...

With their 2025 The Magic Word Tour selling out entirely — and a homecoming stop in Milwaukee tomorrow at the Vivarium — it feels like the perfect time to put the spotlight on the LA‑based duo Voilà. Gus Ross, originally from London, and Luke Eisner, originally from Greendale, WI, landed on the Smells Like Alt Rock radar about this time last year when they dropped Ballerina featuring The Word Alive. It shot straight to the number one spot on our November 24 playlist. The track’s gentle music‑box melody layered with heavy guitar is slick and original. Clever wordplay is a hallmark of a Voilà song, and Ballerina is no exception: “I’m sorry what’s your excuse, you’re dancing around the subject, tiptoe around the bad news, somehow I think you love it, ballerina dressed in black…” Like several of their other music videos, Ballerina arrived with a classic black‑and‑white visual — a style that’s quickly becoming a Voilà staple. Their single After(h)ours also grabbed our attention for i...

Last night delivered the first snowfall of the "winter" - the compromise in our house is that Christmas music can be played either after Thanksgiving or after the first snowfall that sticks. The snow started around 9 pm last night, and there was enough snow for the kiddos to build a snowman after breakfast today.  So if your household is ready for Christmas music but you're looking for a list with a little more kick than your typical Christmas playlist; we've got just what you're looking for.  Filled with bands you know like Shinedown, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Fuel, Weezer, Eva Under Fire, Theory of Deadman, Fall Out Boy, and many more. Traditional Christmas songs like O Come All Ye Faithful (performed by Weezer) and Silent Night (performed by Switchfoot) are featured alongside modern classics like Run Rudolph Run (performed by the Foo Fighters) and Santa Baby (performed by Wolf Alice), and some newer Christmas hits like I Want An Alien for Christmas by Fountains ...

I first stumbled across Armor for Sleep back in 2007 on the Transformers soundtrack with their track End of the World . That was my gateway into their sound — moody, melodic, and unmistakably alt‑rock. Fast forward 17 years: in fall 2024, their single What a Beautiful World landed on Spotify’s All New Rock playlist. Ben Jorgensen’s distinct vocals and the band’s signature atmosphere stopped me in my tracks. I knew I recognized it, but couldn’t place where. A couple of listens later, I was sure — this had to be one of the bands from the Transformers soundtrack. A quick check of the CD confirmed it: Armor for Sleep, back again.  What a Beautiful World made our Something Like Alt Rock Best of October 2024 playlist.  And now, in 2025, they’ve dropped a full album: There Is No Memory . Somehow it slipped past my “Upcoming Releases” on Spotify, so waking up to find it waiting in my Release Radar felt like a gift. I skipped the playlist entirely and dove straight into the record...

Alright another week, another round of new music dropping - lots of good stuff this week. November is shaping up to be a difficult month to cutback to just the stop songs.  Apparently this week, I'm sucker for Hollywood references. Check out the music videos for this week's entries below or check out the full list of November list: Armor for Sleep - A Sky Full of Black Holes Jimmy Eat World - Failure Finger Eleven - Cold Concrete Adelita's Way - We Are Unbroken Dayseeker - Crawl Back To My Coffin Earshot - I'm OK Big Wreck - Short Bangs The Strumbellas - Hanging Out in My Head Kings of Leon - To Space Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers - Wonderful New Found Glory - Treat Yourself Health - You Died Ben Quad - Very Big in Sheboygan  Goldfinger - Chasing Amy Bearing - Comfort Company Maggie Lindemann - Let Me Burn Taylor Acorn - People Pleaser 

2025 isn’t over yet, and some of the bands we’ve been following through their singles still have albums left to drop. Here’s a quick look at what’s left to come in November: Citizen Soldier – Family Heirlooms (Nov 12) A good chunk of this album is already available to stream—we’ve been listening to “Inner Critic” and “Sit in Your Shadows.” Soulful, powerful vocals meet introspective lyrics that tackle tough mental health topics in a way that feels more approachable through music. We’re looking forward to hearing what else Citizen Soldier has to say when the full album drops. Finger Eleven – Last Night On Earth (Nov 12) Best known for hits like “Paralyzer” and “One Thing” (both fixtures on the Alt Rock Rewind playlist), Finger Eleven has released three singles from their upcoming album. We especially enjoyed the title track—it’s a slow jam that echoes the vibe of “One Thing.” The chorus, “Nothing’s right when all you say is nothing’s wrong,” hits hard and will resonate with anyone w...

On this day 25 years ago, after 11 weeks on the chart, Hemorrhage (In My Hands) hit #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock/Alternative chart. The first single off Something Like Human was a smashing post-grunge success, eventually spending 40 weeks on the chart. It also reached #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart and crossed over to pop radio, peaking at #30 on the Billboard Hot 100. Fuel’s breakthrough into the alternative rock scene in the late ’90s was a defining moment. After the death of Kurt Cobain, the hiatus of Alice In Chains, and the breakup of Soundgarden, there were real questions about where rock music was headed. I remember listening to 99X with friends and classmates, wondering: Who are the next bands that will pick up the torch? Who are our rock bands? Alternative and Modern Rock stations were playing a wide mix of genres—swing revival like Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, electronic sounds like Moby, and softer rock acts like Harvey Danger, Ben Folds Five, and Citizen King. At the same ...

Another week - more time spent scouring playlists like "All New Rock", "Release Radar", "The New Alt" and "All New Punk" and other corners of Spotify to find songs to add to the Alt Rock: 2020-2025 list.   If you've been following you know how this works.  All of the songs found get added to the big list and to the monthly list. The monthly November 2025 will get cut down around Thanksgiving weekend to a top 10-15 list with ~5 or so honorable mentions. You can find the November list in its current state here to listen along.  Here are this week's additions: As December Falls - Flametide: Smash Into Pieces - Villain: Voila - Tic Tac Toe Florecent + The Machine - Music by Men Said the Sky w/ Knox - Dance in the Rain Yellowcard - Skinscraped Action/Adventure w/ Armor for Sleep - Background Culture Wars - Bittersweet CKY - Can't Stop Running Mac Glocky - Queen of Diamonds Florence + The Machine - You Can Have It All Inhaler - Hole In the ...

* Special guest review, by my oldest - who is a big time Taylor Acorn fan.* Hi! Today we’re excited to highlight another standout release from last week—Taylor Acorn’s  Poster Child ! This marks her second album and her first under a record label, Fearless Records. With this new album, she’s delivered a fresh wave of pop punk energy that’s both nostalgic and bold. I first discovered Taylor through “Final Nail” (featuring Charlotte Sands) from  Survival in Motion (Deluxe) , and quickly fell in love with tracks like “Applause,” “Hell of a Show,” and “Homebody.”  Poster Child  builds on that foundation with even more emotional depth and impeccable lyricism. The album kicks off with a bang. “People Pleaser” and “Crashing Out” are high-energy anthems that make you want to dance, jump, and let loose. “Hangman” is where Taylor’s lyrical brilliance really starts to shine—filled with metaphors about letters, threads, guessing games, and neck pain, it cleverly plays on the chi...

Armaheaven  by Smash Into Pieces dropped this week, and it’s simply smashing. The "Maze of Fools" single put the Swedish group on our radar, and we have been waiting a full year for the album’s release. Over the past year, the band released a slew of singles. The only ones that didn't make the final cut were their covers of "Heroes" by Måns Zelmerlöw and Linkin Park’s “In the End.” Not including “Heroes” feels like a miss—not just because it’s excellent, but because thematically, it would’ve fit right in. The second track, “Villain,” arrived with a music video alongside the album launch. Given the popularity of tracks like “Heroes” and “Heroes Are Calling,” the title stood out as a striking juxtaposition. After a few listens, “Villain” reminded me of another recent favorite: “Ready Fuels” by Anberlin. While the bands styles are different - these songs have similar emotional intensity and themes. “NeoFuture” felt like an odd choice for an opener at first—falling...

Last night, two of us made it out to a sold-out show at The Sylvee. A man near the front wore a black shirt that read “Pop Punk Is Not Dead,” and honestly, that pretty much summed up the night. The Paradox opened with a ton of energy and hilarity. We first discovered their music on Spotify when “Do Me Like That” landed on the Release Radar. Their high-energy jumps and hilarious commentary on the crowd’s costumes—from the broccoli guy to Darth Maul to Buzz Lightyear—were definite highlights. Their sound is classic pop punk, and the anecdote about getting hit by an ex-girlfriend in a Subaru got a big reaction from the audience. It might’ve been a slightly off night for the group—we were really excited to see them live after getting into their music on Spotify—but the vocals, especially the backup vocals, left something to be desired. Still, it was a fun set that got the crowd moving. The Cab took the stage next. We were the least familiar with them going in, so we entered their set bli...