Top Ten Worst Rock & Alternative Songs of 2020

Author’s Note: I originally wrote this worst list in December 2020 and January 2021, during my humble beginnings as a music critic. I’m keeping much of what I wrote as-is, since I still stand by my basic opinions for each of the entries, but there will be some edits. In particular, my number 5 entry had to be re-written because of events that have occurred since I wrote the entry. Finally, I switched around my number 6 and number 7 picks, as the song at number 6 on this countdown got worse in hindsight.
Thanks and on with the show!

Hello everyone. I’m Dr. Nelson Winston, and today we are discussing the worst Rock and Alternative had to offer in 2020.

I assume you are asking, “But Doctor, why are you going through the year in Rock and Alternative, and not the Billboard Hot 100 like everyone else?”

Well, there is a reason for that. My background in music comes from rock and especially alternative music from the 90s and 2000s, so I wanted to remain true to my genres when writing a year-end list. And with current pop music, it’s not my genre, and hasn’t been for awhile now. It wouldn’t be fair for me to just take pot shots at certain songs on a year-end list like all the others are doing if I don’t have the same passion for that type of music. There are pop songs I do like, but the genre as a whole still isn’t my thing.

So to get the obvious out of the way, 2020 was a godawful year. I don’t know if you heard, but there was something this year called COVID-19. It made life hell for virtually everyone across the world. Along with that, events such as the George Floyd and Breonna Taylor deaths taught us we unfortunately have a lot more systemic racism in our nation than we previously thought. And finally, people still wouldn’t wear their friggin’ masks even after over 300,000 COVID-related deaths occurred in the United States this year.

So how did the rock and alternative music world do this year?

Well… one genre came out on top. Before writing this list, I did a preliminary ranking of each song on the Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock chart that was eligible for this list, on a scale of 1 to 10. The 47 songs on the Alternative Airplay Year-End chart scored an average score of 6.8, while the 48 songs on the Mainstream Rock Year-End chart finished with an average score of 5.8.

Overall, in spite of the chaotic state of the world, the Alternative music world had a pretty good year. While it had its fair share of average and mediocre in the top 25 of the list, a good deal of the songs that received attention this year in Alternative music were good. “Level Of Concern” by Twenty One Pilots, the number one song of the year, is a good song with its disco groove and calming melody and a perfectly acceptable choice for the top slot. Also in the top five were “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish and “Lost In Yesterday” by Tame Impala, two songs whose only real crime is they aren’t “Bad Guy” or “Let It Happen.” The quality of these songs spilled over to the remainder of this list, the best of which I’ll go over in more detail when I do my best list.

But in Rock… uhhh…

This was the first Mainstream Rock list I went through in detail from start to finish (I’m an Indie guy), and while it isn’t fair that rock music is being completely shut out of the Billboard Hot 100, it isn’t going to make a comeback if this is the best it can do. Along with being noticeably worse than the Alternative charts, the Mainstream Rock chart showed a demonstrated lack of variety in its sonic palette. Songs like “Trials” by Starset, “Right Now” by Fire From The Gods, “Flowers On A Grave” by Bush, and “Panic” by From Ashes To New were practically interchangeable from each other, with the same overproduced loud guitars, song structures, and overall feel.

The most damning indictment of all, however, comes from analyzing the top ten of the Mainstream Rock year-end chart. After going through the ten songs, I can confidently state that at the end of this project, I will only be returning to two of these songs: “Death By Rock and Roll” by The Pretty Reckless, and “Under The Graveyard” by Ozzy Osbourne (you know your chart’s in trouble when a 72-year-old has one of the best songs in the top ten). The top three of the year, sitting above the much more deserving Pretty Reckless song:

#3. Inside Out by Five Finger Death Punch
#2. Unforgettable by Godsmack
#1. A Little Bit Off by Five Finger Death Punch

The two Five Finger Death Punch songs here are terrible. Sorry, but there is no nice way to say it. And the Godsmack song, while not bad, is aggressively average. Spoiler alert: multiple songs on this top ten will be featured as nominees on this list. Overall, these ten songs scored an average of 4.8/10 when put under my gauntlet. Ouch.

So another spoiler alert: Mainstream Rock is going to be the primary chart featured on this list, while Alternative will have more room to shine on the best list. There will be songs from both charts on both lists, but after listening to the two, it’s easy to tell who had the better year.

Before we begin, here are the house rules:

The song must have been featured in the Top 50 Year-End lists put out by Billboard for either the Alternative Airplay chart (for alternative music), or the Mainstream Rock chart (for rock music).
The song could not have debuted on a previous year-end chart. Six songs, four from the alternative list and two from the rock list, are ineligible because of this. They are:

Alternative Airplay:
“Dissolve” by Absofacto
“The Hype” by Twenty One Pilots
“Running Up That Hill” by Meg Myers
“Trampoline” by Shaed

Mainstream Rock:
“16” by Highly Suspect
“Come Around” by Papa Roach

In addition, one song was included on both the Alternative and Mainstream Rock list. We’ll get to that.

All told, 93 songs were eligible for inclusion for both these lists. Dishonorable Mentions will be revealed before the Number One slot.

So enough stalling. I’m Dr. Nelson Winston, and today, we’re taking a look at:

THE TOP TEN WORST ROCK & ALTERNATIVE SONGS OF 2020

Today’s transition music: “Killing Me Slowly” – Bad Wolves

Killing me, killing me, killing me slowly
Killing me, killing me, killing me slowly

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS

#10. “Work”

#9. “Moral Of The Story”

#8. “Lay Your Head On Me”