3 Rock Songs You Forgot You Loved From Early 2000s Radio

Rock radio in the early 2000s was a mix of leftover ’90s grunge sensibilities and the burgeoning pop-punk sound. Many songs became both alternative anthems and radio top hits. It was a unique time for rock music, marking the genre’s decline as a formidable force in the music industry. Nowadays, rock bands are either nostalgia acts or mutations from other genres. If you’re missing rock as it was, revisit these three ’00s radio hits below. How many times did you turn up the dial when you heard these come on?

Videos by American Songwriter

[RELATED: 3 Mainstream Country Singles From the 2000s That Every Americana Fan Can Dig]

“Drive” – Incubus

Incubus lived somewhere between grunge and pop punk in early 2000s rock. Their music was digestible enough to earn them widespread radio play, but it still had an edgy quality that kept some semblance of counter-culture cool.

Incubus had many songs that were likely mainstays in your rock radio listening of this era, but “Drive” is undoubtedly their calling card for most people. The chorus’ melody is instantly catchy. If it weren’t for Brandon Boyd’s edgy vocals, this song done differently could’ve been a pop hit.

“When I’m Gone” – 3 Doors Down

3 Doors Down is a perfect nostalgia trigger for those of us who tuned into rock radio in the early 2000s. “When I’m Gone” is post-grunge perfection, with its emotional lyrics and headbanging musicality. So hold me when I’m here, right me when I’m wrong / Hold me when I’m scared and love me when I’m gone, are lyrics everyone could sing along to back in 2002.

This song was so pervasive back then that it felt like part of the furniture. It was impossible to hop in the car with friends or turn on the radio while getting ready without this song making an appearance or two.

“Over My Head (Cable Car)” – The Fray

The Fray’s musicality is softer than the other two inclusions on this list. Thanks to their many soundtrack cuts, The Fray became the mainstream’s answer to alternative rock. Many of their songs got ad nauseum play on the radio, including “Over My Head (Cable Car)”.

This song had the perfect mix of intimate lyricism and an anthemic chorus. This was a song you could cry to in your alone time or scream along to with friends. It fit every occasion, making it an undisputed radio hit.

(Photo by KMazur/WireImage)