The early 2000s was an interesting time. The internet had become more accessible and MySpace bands were getting recognition left and right. It was a great decade for hip-hop and electronic music, but it was also a great decade for pop-rock and alternative rock music as well. Quite a few rock musicians released hits during this era, but unfortunately, they didn’t see the same level of success once they entered the 2010s. Let’s look at some of the best rock one-hit wonders from the early 2000s!
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Shake It” by Metro Station
Whether you love it or hate it, “Shake It” dominated the airwaves on radio stations and mall intercoms. It’s a shoo-in on any list of the best rock one-hit wonders from the early 2000s.
However, few knew that the band’s frontman Trace Cyrus is actually the brother of pop star Miley Cyrus and the son of country one-hit wonder Billy Ray Cyrus. Despite this not being abundantly obvious in the early 2000s, Cyrus is on record saying that he believed his nepotism impeded the band’s ability to stay successful and relevant.
2. “Butterfly” by Crazy Town
This alt-rock band gained quite a bit of attention when “Butterfly” was released. Despite the fact that they’re still touring and releasing music today, the band hasn’t released a major hit since this addictive track came out in 2000. Today, “Butterfly” is widely considered to be a quintessential early 2000s rock track.
[Get Tickets To The Crazy Town Anniversary Tour In 2024]
3. “Absolutely (Story Of A Girl)” by Nine Days
Whether you were a baby in the 2000s or a full-grown adult, you probably know the words to the chorus of this hit song from 2000. It peaked at no. 1 on the Billboard US Mainstream Top 40 chart and is the band’s biggest hit to date. The album The Madding Crowd reached gold status, but none of Nine Days’ subsequent albums charted quite as well.
4. “Here It Goes Again” by OK Go
Many rock music fans today remember watching the treadmill-based music video for “Here It Goes Again” in 360p on YouTube. It was like watching something that was filmed with a potato. Most internet media was like that. Wild times!
Anyway, the video won a Grammy and OK Go got a lot of attention for the song itself. They went on to release new music after this 2005 hit, but never saw the same level of mainstream success again.
Photo via YouTube
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