TouchTunes 21st Century Rock Songs List Tells Us What Songs You Actually Pay to Play

What are the 21 top rock songs of the 21st century as determined by TouchTunes' jukebox play?

As we dig into this look at what's been big in the 21st century so far, TouchTunes is giving us a bit of a different perspective. Some retrospective lists lean on radio data that documents what is being fed to listeners over the airwaves. Or you have a list such as the one Rolling Stone recently published counting down the 200 Greatest Rock Songs of the 21st Century that comes from a more critical perspective.

But what happens when your money is on the line

21 Most Paid-to-Play Rock Songs on TouchTunes in the 21st Century

Before we get to the results, it's important to note that the songs that made the list were actually classified as rock songs, tagged as "Rock" within the TouchTunes catalog. All the songs on this list came from the year 2000 or later and are based on lifetime-to-date paid plays on TouchTunes jukeboxes.

In addition, it was revealed that live, acoustic, remix and featured-artist versions of songs are counted separately from the original version of the track, which is why you'll see the acoustic version of Shinedown's "Simple Man" separated out.

So what are the 21 Top Rock Songs of the 21st Century according to TouchTunes play?

1. Buckcherry, “Crazy Bitch”
2. Nickelback, “Rockstar”
3. Kid Rock, “All Summer Long”
4. Rehab, “Bartender Song (Sittin’ at a Bar)”
5. 3 Doors Down, “Kryptonite"
6. Shinedown, “Simple Man (Acoustic)”
7. Nickelback, “How You Remind Me”
8. Evanescence, “Bring Me to Life”
9. Disturbed, “Down with the Sickness"
10. Kings of Leon, “Sex on Fire”
11. The White Stripes, “Seven Nation Army"
12. AWOLNATION, “Sail"
13. Uncle Kracker, “Follow Me"
14. Linkin Park, “In the End"
15. Train, “Drops of Jupiter"
16. The Killers, “Mr. Brightside"
17. Dropkick Murphys, “I’m Shipping Up to Boston"
18. Kid Rock, “You Never Met a Motherf**ker Quite Like Me"
19. Staind, “It’s Been Awhile"
20. Hinder, “Lips of an Angel"
21. Five Finger Death Punch, “Bad Company"

Critics + Radio Programmers vs. Jukebox Customers

What are some of the big takeaways from the TouchTunes data? Where Rolling Stone listed their 200 Greatest 21st Century Rock Songs, only four of their selections made the TouchTunes Top 21 list. Those would be Linkin Park's "In the End" (No. 103 on Rolling Stone list), Evanescence's "Bring Me to Life" (No. 85 on Rolling Stone list), The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" (No. 3 on Rolling Stone list) and The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" (No. 2 on Rolling Stone list). In fact, none of the Top 7 songs on the TouchTunes list made the Rolling Stone list.

Acts such a Nickelback and Kid Rock usually get overlooked on critic's lists, but fans were popping in requests for Nickelback's "Rockstar" (No. 2) and "How You Remind Me" (No. 7) and Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" (No. 3) and “You Never Met a Motherf**ker Quite Like Me" (No. 18), the only performers to place two songs each in the TouchTunes Top 21.

READ MORE: What Were TouchTunes Most Played Songs of 2025?

How much crossover is there with radio and TouchTunes? Buckcherry, “Crazy Bitch” was the No. 1 most played song of the 21st Century on TouchTunes jukeboxes. It didn't have quite that pull at radio where it topped out at No. 13 on the Alternative Airplay chart and No. 3 on the Mainstream Rock chart.

Rehab, who place at No. 4 for play on TouchTunes jukeboxes in the 21st Century so far, had a little more disparity at radio, where "Bartender Song" didn't even crack the Top 10 (No. 11 Alternative Airplay, No. 22 Mainstream Rock).

Below, revisit the 25 Most Played Songs at Rock Radio in 2025.