The list of the Top 100 Rock Songs isn’t limited to traditional rock ‘n’ roll records. Pop, soul, disco and metal also find a place.

But as the list below, selected by the UCR staff, shows, they all fall under the broad umbrella of rock music (though, on closer reflection, maybe “popular music” would be a more accurate summation).

In any case, these 100 songs tell the story of music — rock, popular or whatever you want to call it — of the past several decades. It’s a history less with a beat, a cultural narrative told in 4/4 time. These are the songs that shaped generations.

Key Insights

• Top Rock Songs: The list includes diverse genres like pop and metal.
• Historical Significance: These songs narrate decades of musical evolution.
• Cultural Impact: Each track has influenced generations and shaped musical trends.
• Broad Definition: The term “rock music” encompasses various styles beyond traditional definitions.

100. Jackson Browne, “Running on Empty” (From Running on Empty, 1977)

Jackson Browne’s tribute to touring leads the same-named album, a reflection of life on the road featuring new songs recorded onstage, backstage, on tour buses and in hotel rooms. “Running on Empty” is both a slightly weary account of the life of a touring artist and the payoff it ultimately yields: “If I can get you to smile before I leave,” he sings.

99. The Allman Brothers Band, “Ramblin’ Man” (From Brothers and Sisters, 1973)

Two years after guitarist Duane Allman’s death, the Allman Brothers Band made their first full album without him (1972’s Eat a Peach was a part-live record featuring studio cuts Allman had worked on). Brothers and Sisters is a triumph of their spirit, with the surviving members sounding renewed, especially in Dickey Betts’ hit “Ramblin’ Man.”

98. Aerosmith, “Walk This Way” (From Toys in the Attic, 1975)

Aerosmith was coming off two moderate-selling albums when their third, Toys in the Attic, brought them close to the Top 10 for the first time. Much of that success was due to the riff-piling second single “Walk This Way.” A decade later, a Run-D.M.C. remake (featuring Joe Perry and Steven Tyler) helped spur the Boston group’s comeback.

97. Funkadelic, “One Nation Under a Groove” (From One Nation Under a Groove, 1978)

The lines were blurred to the point of no distinction between Funkadelic and Parliament as the 1970s ended. Where once it was easy to divide George Clinton’s P-Funk enterprise — the rock side and the soul side — in 1978, there was no clear separation. Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under a Groove” is a collective highlight, no matter the name.

96. Sex Pistols, “Anarchy in the U.K.” (From Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, 1977)

Punk’s starting point (the single actually came out during the final weeks of 1976) still sounds like a revolutionary dividing of lines. After “Anarchy in the U.K.,” new bands with new outlooks stormed both the charts and venues. Sex Pistols famously imploded within a year of their debut LP, but their first single earns its place as a pivotal moment.

READ MORE: Punk Rock’s 40 Best Albums

95. Elvis Presley, “Heartbreak Hotel” (From 1956 single)

Elvis Presley’s debut RCA single still sounds like an announcement of changing tides. Or maybe it’s a warning. Following a string of influential but low-selling singles for tiny Sun Records, the 21-year-old Presley took “Heartbreak Hotel” to No. 1 and in effect hurled rock ‘n’ roll into the mainstream. A significant moment of the 20th century.

94. The Byrds, “Eight Miles High” (From Fifth Dimension, 1966)

By 1966, the Byrds were beginning to shed their folk-rock label and move into more adventurous territory. “Eight Miles High,” inspired by a plane trip to London and, more importantly, the music of John Coltrane and Ravi Shankar, started the group’s new journey into psychedelia. A milestone in rock music’s evolution; their growth continued.

93. Ray Charles, “What’d I Say” (From What’d I Say, 1959)

When Ray Charles brought R&B to the church in the mid-1950s, he caused controversy among the faithful. When he released “What’d I Say” in 1959, he didn’t even bother to disguise the explicit sexual energy. Divided into two parts, the song reserved its back half for a sweat-drenched call-and-response between Charles and his backing singers.

92. Fleetwood Mac, “Dreams” (From <em>Rumours</em>, 1977)

Fleetwood Mac’s three main songwriters used Rumours as a means of airing their respective grievances (and occasional rare joy) with their romantic partners; as Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks’ relationship was coming to an end, their songs detailed the bloody aftermath. “Dreams,” Nicks’ side of the story, gave the group its only No. 1.

91. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, “Ohio” (From 1970 single)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s “Ohio” was released just a month after the incident that it’s about — the killing of four students by the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University in May 1970 — occurred. Neil Young gathered his bandmates, whose debut album as a quartet came out in March, for a session to record his timely protest song.

90. David Bowie, “Heroes” (From “Heroes,” 1977)

As with the first LP in David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy, the second, “Heroes,” is divided between ambient-sculpted electronic experiments and more traditional pop and rock songs. The title track is the album’s breathtaking centerpiece, a slow-building summit of the past and future. It’s one of Bowie’s greatest and emotionally stirring performances.

89. The Police, “Every Breath You Take” (From Synchronicity, 1983)

Sting never intended for his demented love song to take on the stature it did in 1983. As the lead single of the Police’s fifth and final album, Synchronicity, “Every Breath You Take” was an immediate hit and a worldwide No. 1. Widely misinterpreted as an attentive valentine, the song’s real, darker meaning becomes apparent with a listen.

READ MORE: Top 30 Albums of 1975