Chart Displacement / Metal and Hard Rock

• Adelitas Way had one #1 hit on the mainstream rock charts. It has to have been "Sick" or "Invincible", right? Nope, those got stuck at #2 at #6, respectively; it was "Criticize". Also, they had two entries on the alternative charts, "Sick" and… not "Invincible", but rather "The Collapse".
• When asked to name an Alice in Chains song, many would name "Man in a Box", "Rooster", "Would?", "Them Bones", "Angry Chair" and "Down in a Hole". Less likely to come up is "No Excuses", their only #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart with original singer Layne Staley. And incredibly the band's reunion era with William DuVall gave them four more, with "Check My Brain" also being their only #1 on alternative and the band's only entry on the Hot 100.
• All That Remains' sole #1 on the mainstream rock charts was "Stand Up" - while hardly obscure, it isn't quite as well-known as their Breakthrough Hit and signature song "Two Weeks", which only reached #9 (and was outpeaked by three other songs). In fact, "Stand Up" isn't even their second best-known song - that honour would go to "This Calling", which preceded their days of charting hits - or even the best known song off its parent album A War You Cannot Win - that would most likely be the #2 ballad "What If I Was Nothing". Averted on the alternative chart, where "Two Weeks" was their only entry.
• None of Anthrax's five charting hits on Mainstream Rock were from the initial string of albums with Joey Belladonna, including famous songs like "Bring the Noise", "Got the Time", "Indians", "Madhouse", or "Caught in a Mosh" (the latter of which was never released as a single). Instead, their hits either came from the 90s John Bush-era or the band's 2010s reunion with Joey Belladonna.
• Asking Alexandria has had two #1 singles on Mainstream Rock: "Alone Again" in 2021 and "Psycho" in 2023". Though both songs are fairly recent, it seems unlikely they will displace "The Final Episode" (which came long before they ever started getting radio play) as their signature.
• Avenged Sevenfold:
  • Their highest charting song on the Hot 100? The #51 hit "Nightmare". Far from being unknown, but still not considered their signature (that would be the #60 "Bat Country"). It also missed the top of the mainstream rock charts, as it peaked at #2 behind Disturbed's "Another Way to Die". It's not even the best known song off its parent album, despite it being the title track — that honor most likely goes to "So Far Away", which is an aversion on rock as it was the album's only #1.
  • They had three #1 hits on mainstream rock, yet surprisingly none of them were "Bat Country" or "Beast and the Harlot". While "Bat" was a #2 hit on the chart and broke them through the mainstream, "Beast" never made it past #19 despite being nearly as well known. The three #1 hits were "So Far Away", "Hail to the King", and "Shepherd of Fire", which are still well known although not to the same extent as "Bat" and "Beast".
  • The highest charting hit off their self-titled 2007 album was unsurprisingly "Almost Easy", which hit #4 on mainstream and #6 on the Bubbling Under charts. Their only other top 10 was the #9…"Afterlife"? Nope, it was the far less iconic "Scream", which was technically only a promotional single. This is averted on alternative, as "Afterlife" hit #20 to "Scream"'s #26 ("Almost Easy" was still their biggest hit from the album on that chart, reaching #6).
• Beartooth has had two #1 singles on Mainstream Rock: "Might Love Myself" in 2023, and "I Was Alive" in 2024. While both songs are still new, it seems unlikely they will displace "In Between" (#20) as their signature.
• Black Sabbath is an aversion, as "Paranoid" was their only Top 10 hit in their native UK, while "Iron Man" was their best peak on the Hot 100.
  • The Ronnie James Dio era saw multiple hits in the UK and US mainstream rock charts. Certainly the highest charter of that era was "Heaven and Hell", right? That never charted due to never being released as a single. Their biggest hit with Dio on vocals was the completely forgotten "Turn Up the Night" (#37 in UK, #24 on US mainstream rock).
  • Since the mainstream rock charts didn't exist back in the '70s, their classics never charted. Their highest peak on mainstream rock was 1998's "Psycho Man", which hit #3.
• Blue Öyster Cult is an aversion, as their two top 40 hits were "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (#12), and "Burnin' For You" (#40). They had two more entries on the Hot 100, but none of them were "Godzilla", "Take Me Away" or even "Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll". Nope, they was "In Thee" (#74) and "Shooting Shark" (#83), two songs that are almost entirely forgotten outside of the band's fanbase.
  • As the Mainstream Rock chart did not exist when "Reaper" was released, "Burnin' for You" was their sole #1.
• Breaking Benjamin:
  • The band's signature song "The Diary of Jane" was not their biggest hit on any format (#50 Hot 100, #4 Alternative, #2 Mainstream). Their sole Top 40 hit was actually "I Will Not Bow" (which is easily second place for them), which peaked exactly at #40. They've had seven #1 hits on Mainstream Rock, which were "Breath" (also from Phobia, and likely their third best-known song), "Bow", three songs from their 2015 comeback album Dark Before Dawn ("Failure", "Angels Fall" and "Never Again"), "Torn in Two" and "Far Away". Breaking Benjamin also had two #3 hits on alternative radio, which were "So Cold" and "Breath".
  • An isolated example with "Blow Me Away". It is well remembered for its association with Halo 2 and is a concert staple, but it never charted on mainstream rock. However, years later, there was a version of it that made it to #5 on that chart. A remix of it from the greatest hits album, featuring female vocals from Syd Duran of the band Valora (and credited to the band itself as a feature), became a Top 5 hit for the band. However, it's not nearly as well-known as the original, which still remains the most enduring version.
• Bring Me the Horizon:
  • Their highest entry in their native UK is "Drown", which isn't even the best-known song on their album That's the Spirit. That would be "Throne", which was their only #1 hit on Mainstream Rock.
  • They had two chart entries on the Hot 100, which were featured spots on songs by Machine Gun Kelly and Lil Uzi Vert.
  • Their biggest hit on US mainstream rock off 2013's Sempiternal wasn't "Can You Feel My Heart" but rather the much less well-known "Sleepwalking".
  • Despite their notoriety in Alternative circles, BMTH could not get significant airplay on Alt radio for most of their career, with only three songs making the chart. One of them being "Throne" is not surprising, but what would shock BMTH fans is that it's by far the lowest peaking song, as it spent 10 weeks scraping the bottom of Alternative. The most successful song on Alt radio is 2021's "DiE4u", which surprisingly crossed over in 2022 and peaked at #13; lasting half a year on the chart in the process.
• Bullet for My Valentine's biggest hit on both Alt. and Main. Rock charts (#25 and #5 respectively) was 2010's "Your Betrayal". While still fairly well known, it's not nearly as much as "Tears Don't Fall", which only made #32 Alt. and #24 Main. Many would also be surprised that their famous "Hand of Blood", one of their best known songs, was never officially released as a single. Similar to Rise Against and Story of the Year (both in the Alternative Rock page) and Mudvayne (below), its fame comes from its memorable inclusion in the Need for Speed series (in this case, the legendary Most Wanted).
• Chevelle had six #1s on Mainstream Rock, including "Send the Pain Below" (their sole #1 on Alternative Airplay), but "The Red" made it to #3 on Mainstream Rock and #4 on Alternative. Averted on the Hot 100, as both songs were their highest entries.
• CKY had two top 40 mainstream rock hits, but their signature "96 Quite Bitter Beings", best known for its use in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, failed to chart.
• Clutch have had three charting songs on the Mainstream Rock charts. If you guessed that two of them were "Electric Worry" and "The Mob Goes Wild", you're right... but what was the third, and highest-charting? The Rap Metal parody "Careful With That Mic…", which is not nearly as well-known as songs like "10001110101", "The Regulator" or "Cypress Grove".
• Coal Chamber's only entry on mainstream rock charts was their cover of Peter Gabriel's "Shock the Monkey", featuring guest vocals from Ozzy Osbourne. It's not nearly as well-remembered among their discography when compared to their signature "Loco". In fact, it's not even as well-known as Coal Chamber's other songs such as "Big Truck", "Sway", and "Fiend". The fact that it's both a cover and only got airplay due to Ozzy probably doesn't help its case.
• The Cult has multiple known songs like "Fire Woman", "Edie (Ciao Baby)", and "Love Removal Machine", but their signature, "She Sells Sanctuary", failed to enter either the Hot 100 or the then-fledgling Mainstream Rock charts. All of their known songs are also beaten on Mainstream Rock by a now-forgotten 2001 single called "Rise", which peaked at #3, one spot ahead of "Fire Woman". Somewhat averted on the Hot 100 and on alternative, as "Fire Woman" was their best showing on both charts.
  • Their highest-charting song in their native UK peaked at #11, but it wasn't "She Sells Sanctuary" or "Fire Woman", both of which peaked at #15, but the less remembered "Lil' Devil".
• A Day to Remember's highest charting single on mainstream rock, at #2, was the Lighter and Softer "Everything We Need". While still fresh in people's minds, it's not at the level of "All I Want", which peaked at #21. Averted on the alternative charts, where "All I Want" was their biggest hit by far. "Everything We Need" probably isn't even their second best known song (that would likely be the ballad "End of Me").
• Deep Purple had two #4 hits in the U.S., one of which was "Smoke on the Water". The other? Their debut single "Hush", which isn't as well known as songs like "Highway Star" and "Soldier of Fortune" (neither of which charted), but is still a fondly remembered piece of psychedelia. Their third Top 40 hit? The long-forgotten cover of Neil Diamond's classic "Kentucky Woman".
  • Their highest peak in their native UK was "Black Night" at #2, which doesn't compare to "Smoke on the Water", "Hush" or "Highway Star".
• Deftones' "Change (In the House of Flies)" was their biggest hit on alternative, and the closest they ever got to the Hot 100. But on mainstream rock, they had two #3 hits, "Tempest" and Ohms. In fact, none of them are even their best known song of their 2010s output — that would be "Diamond Eyes", their first release of the decade, which barely scraped the top 10.
• Dio's biggest hit on the mainstream rock chart wasn't "Holy Diver" (only reached #40) or "Rainbow in the Dark" (a respectable #14), but 1984's "The Last in Line", which reached #10 and is considerably less known than the band's two signature classics. In the UK, their only top 40 hits were "Mystery" and "Rock 'n' Roll Children", which are also less remembered than "Diver" (#72) and "Rainbow" (#46).
• Disturbed came this close to the Top 40 in Spring 2016 with a cover of "The Sound of Silence", which peaked at #42 and went triple platinum, and only missed the top 40 because it peaked the week before Prince died. The cover is still well-known, but not to the extent as their Breakthrough Hit "Down with the Sickness" (#104 on the Hot 100, #5 Alternative, and #8 Mainstream). Their biggest hit on Alternative Airplay was "Prayer" (#3), which doesn't compare to "Silence" or "Sickness".
  • They've had twelve #1 singles on Mainstream Rock radio, including "Silence", but not "Prayer" (#3) or "Stricken" (#2).
• Drowning Pool's only well-remembered song today is their debut hit "Bodies", especially after the controversy surrounding its chorus. While it was by far their biggest hit on modern rock radio and the only song of theirs to go anywhere near the Hot 100, on the mainstream charts it was outperformed twice — by the #5 "37 Stitches" and #4 "Feel Like I Do", both sung by Ryan McCombs. People who do remember their other songs will likely remember other Dave Williams-era songs like "Tear Away" (#18) and "Sinner" (#28), and "Step Up" (#7), their biggest hit with Jason Jones, better than any of the McCombs songs.
• Glam rock band EndeverafteR had two charting songs on the Mainstream Rock songs chart, but neither of them were "No More Words", best known as Jeff Hardy's WWE theme from 2008 to 2009. That song was never actually promoted as a single, so naturally it got zero airplay.
• Evanescence had three Top 10 hits on mainstream rock, but only one of them was what you'd think. "Call Me When You're Sober" was their biggest hit at #5, but "Bring Me to Life" peaked at #11, "Going Under" made it to #26, and "My Immortal" did not chart on any rock format. The other two were "What You Want" in 2011 and "Better Without You" in 2021, released years after the band's peak.
  • While their debut album Fallen is their best selling album, it only hit the #3 spot on the Billboard Albums, compared with their next two albums, The Open Door and Evanescence, which reached #1.
• Extreme's only #1 on the Mainstream Rock charts wasn't "More Than Words" (#12), "Get the Funk Out" (#34) or even "Hole Hearted" (#2), but the relatively forgotten "Rest in Peace". It may also surprise people that "Hole" was a much bigger hit than "Words" on rock despite the latter being their only #1 pop hit.
• Faith No More's sole #1 on the Modern Rock charts wasn't "Epic" (which didn't chart); it was "Midlife Crisis". Their biggest hit on Mainstream Rock at #14 was the even lesser-known "Last Cup of Sorrow". Nonetheless, "Epic" was their only top-40 hit on the Hot 100, so it naturally makes up most of the band's airplay.
  • Their cover of the Commodores' "Easy" was a surprise hit overseas, becoming their only #1 hit in Australia; where the original version peaked at #75!
• Five Finger Death Punch
  • Their best peak on the Hot 100 was a cover of Kenny Wayne Shepherd's "Blue on Black", featuring Shepherd himself, Brian May, and Brantley Gilbert. It certainly isn't their signature and isn't as well-known as Shepherd’s original version. It's not even their best known cover song — that would probably be their version of Bad Company's self-titled song, which peaked at #106.
  • Their biggest hit off of War is the Answer is, unsurprisingly, their cover of "Bad Company". Their next-highest charter off the album must have been "Walk Away", right? No, it was actually "Far From Home", which, while certainly not obscure, is not quite as well known overall.
  • The Wrong Side of Heaven and the Righteous Side of Hell, Volume 1 produced only one #1 hit on mainstream rock. If you thought it was "Wrong Side of Heaven", you're actually wrong. That fell just short at #2 (though it is the album's closest entry to the Hot 100). It was "Lift Me Up", which despite featuring guest vocals from the legendary Rob Halford, isn't nearly as well-known. This ultimately came down to a case of bad timing, as "Wrong Side" had the misfortune of getting stuck behind the monster hit that was the Foo Fighters' "Something From Nothing". When counting both volumes of the album, it's probably not even as well-known as their cover of "House of the Rising Sun", which only hit #7. The other #1 from the series, "Battle Born", is considerably better known, however.
  • Got Your Six produced three Top 3 hits on mainstream rock, and surprisingly "Jekyll and Hyde" was the lowest charting of the three. It was beaten out by "My Nemesis" and "Wash It All Away", which hit #2 and #1 respectively. "Jekyll and Hyde", however, was the closest of the three in getting to the Hot 100.
• Fozzy has had seven Top 40 hits on Mainstream Rock (including the highly popular "Judas"), none of which were "Enemy"... which is even less known than the song most associated with lead singer Chris Jericho: his longtime wrestling entrance music "Break Down the Walls", which they've never performed.
• Ghost has had five #1 hits on mainstream rock, none of which were "Cirice" (#4) or "From the Pinnacle to the Pit" (#5).
• Godsmack's highest charter was "Straight Out of Line", which peaked at #73 on the Hot 100, #1 on mainstream rock, and #9 on modern rock. Not only is it not their best-known song overall, it's not even the best-known song from its parent album Faceless, an honor that in both categories easily goes to "I Stand Alone" (which only peaked at #102 on the Hot 100 and #20 on modern rock, though it also topped the mainstream rock charts). In fact, it can't even hold the title of being their second best-known song. That honor goes to "Voodoo" (which only hit #5 on mainstream rock, though it was their biggest success on modern).
• Guano Apes' highest charter in their native Germany was "Kumba Yo!", which isn't nearly as well known as "Open Your Eyes", which peaked two spots lower (#5 vs. #3). They also outpeaked it in Belgium with "Lords of the Boards" (#11 vs. #14) and Italy with their cover of "Big In Japan" (#8 vs. #5). Nonetheless, "Open Your Eyes" was their only chart entry in the USA, peaking at #24 on mainstream rock.
• Halestorm has had six #1 hits on mainstream rock, "Freak Like Me", "Apocalyptic", "Amen", "Uncomfortable", "Back from the Dead" and "The Steeple", but none of them are considered their signatures. The frontrunners are "I Miss the Misery" and "Love Bites (So Do I)", which both fell just short at #2, and their Breakthrough Hit (and sole chart entry on alternative) "I Get Off", which stalled at #6.
• Helmet's only Top 20 hit on mainstream rock wasn't their signature "Unsung" (which only reached #32), but rather "Exactly What You Wanted". Averted on Alternative, where the former was their only entry.
• Highly Suspect scored their first #1 on Mainstream Rock with "My Name is Human" in 2016, and scored two more with 2019's "16" and 2022's "Natural Born Killer", with "16" being their highest entry on Alternative at #15. However, they're unlikely to displace their Breakthrough Hit "Lydia" (#4 on Main. and #24 on Alt.) as their overall signature.
• Hinder:
  • They are easily an aversion, as their signature "Lips of an Angel" was their biggest hit, if not only entry, on every chart it appeared on. Few people will recall that they actually had another top 40 hit. Was it "Get Stoned"? Nope, that peaked at #3 on Bubbling Under. The other was the far less memorable "Better than Me".
  • On the rock charts, "Lips" was one of two #3 hits...the other of which was not "Stoned" or "Better", which peaked at #4 and #15 respectively, but the largely forgotten "Use Me", which also outpeaked "Get Stoned" on Bubbling Under by one spot.
• Hollywood Undead's signature "Undead" was easily their biggest hit on alternative radio, where it hit #12. On the Hot 100, however, the song only got to #104, and two of their songs charted higher: "Hear Me Now" at #101 and "Been to Hell" at #102. On mainstream rock, "Hear Me Now" charted higher than "Undead" by a single spot, at #9. "Hear Me Now" is almost completely forgotten and not even as well known as their other, much lower charting songs such as "Young" (#28) and "Everywhere I Go" (didn't chart on Main.). Even "Bullet", which did not chart, is probably better known overall.
• Hurt only had one top 10 rock hit, which was also their sole entry on alternative: "Ten Ton Brick", which, while still arguably their second best-known song, is not quite as well remembered as their debut single "Rapture", which only hit #17, one spot below the also forgettable "Falls Apart".
• I Prevail's first #1 hit on mainstream rock radio was "Hurricane", and their second was "Bad Things". However, they're very unlikely to supplant their joke cover of "Blank Space" (#23) as their signature, as that was their only entry on the Hot 100. They're not even their best known of their original songs — that title likely goes to "Alone" (#6).
• In Flames hit the Top 20 on mainstream rock for the first time with "The Truth" in 2017, which is nowhere near as well-known as their earlier songs like "Behind Space" and "Moonshield", or even later songs like "Take This Life" and "Cloud Connected" — to name a few.
• Iron Maiden's only #1 in their native UK wasn't "Run to the Hills" (#7) or "The Number of the Beast" (#18)... it was "Bring Your Daughter... to the Slaughter", a re-recording of a Bruce Dickinson solo song recorded for A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. Still, none of their singles ever charted on the Hot 100 (at most 5 songs on the Rock charts, the highest peaking at #8), making them No Hit Wonders Stateside.
• Jane's Addiction only had one Hot 100 entry, which was also their only top 10 on Mainstream Rock. Was it "Mountain Song", "Stop!" "Jane Says", or "Been Caught Stealing"? It was actually the long-forgotten "Just Because", which came in 2003, over a decade after their peak.
  • They had three #1s on Alternative: "Caught Stealing", "Stop!" and "Just Because".
• Killswitch Engage did this twice, one for each vocalist.
  • What was Howard Jones' biggest hit on Mainstream Rock? "Holy Diver", a #12 hit, which is a well-known cover of the Dio classic, but not as well known overall as "My Curse", which only reached #21 (and since it's a cover, it's not as remembered as their original material).
  • What about Jesse Leach? His signature is generally considered to be "In Due Time", but that wasn't the highest charter, it only reached #26. That title goes to the #15 "Always", which was forgotten the moment it finished its run.
• Korn:
  • Their only top 40 hit on the Hot 100? "Did My Time" (helped by cross-promotion with Tomb Raider The Cradle Of Life), which isn't even close to being their signature song. Compared to "Blind", "Got the Life" (neither of which charted), "A.D.I.D.A.S." (#113), "Freak on a Leash" (#89 featuring Amy Lee, #106 for the original version), "Here to Stay" (#72), "Falling Away from Me" (#108), "Coming Undone" (#79), "Twisted Transistor" (#64), or "Narcissistic Cannibal" (#117). Speaking of which...
  • Even fewer people will realize that their only #1 on the Mainstream Rock chart was "Never Never" in 2013, years after their prime. "Never Never" isn't close to being their signature song either. They also had multiple Top 10 singles on Mainstream Rock, but "Got the Life" peaked at #15, while "Blind" and "A.D.I.D.A.S." did not chart.
  • The Serenity of Suffering's biggest hit on mainstream rock at #2 was "Take Me", which isn't even close to being the best-known song on the album (that honor goes to "Rotting In Vain", which peaked two spots lower), or even the second ("Insane", which didn't chart), or even the third ("A Different World", a collaboration with Slipknot and Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor, which also didn't chart).
  • Korn's biggest hit on modern rock was "Here to Stay" at #4, two spots ahead of "Freak on a Leash".
• Lacuna Coil's signature song, "Our Truth", hit #35 on the Mainstream Rock chart, their lowest showing of their five entries. The biggest hit they had there was the #28 "Trip the Darkness", which isn't obscure but not nearly as well known as "Our Truth". Their second best known song, "Spellbound", was their second-highest peak at #30. Overall averted in their native Italy, where "Our Truth" was their highest entry.
• Lamb of God had two minor entries on Mainstream Rock, but neither was "Redneck", "Black Label", or "Laid to Rest".
• Limp Bizkit only had one #1 hit on modern rock. Was it "Nookie" (Nope, #3), "Break Stuff" (#14), "My Way" (#3), "Rollin'" (#4), or "Take a Look Around" (#8)? It was actually "Re-Arranged", which is nowhere near as well known as those songs (that success probably owes to being the follow-up to breakout hit "Nookie"). Averted on mainstream rock, where "My Way" and "Nookie" were their two highest entries. Also averted overall as the aforementioned "Rollin'" was their highest chart entry on the Hot 100.
  • Significant Other produced three Hot 100 entries. Surprisingly, "Break Stuff" wasn't one of them and "Nookie" (#80), while outpeaking "Re-Arranged" by eight spots, still wasn't even the highest-charting of the three; that honor goes to "N 2 Gether Now" (which featured Method Man; #70).
• Linkin Park:
  • Overall they avert this, as "In the End" (from Hybrid Theory) peaked at #2 on the Hot 100 (behind Jennifer Lopez' largely-forgotten "Ain't It Funny") and was their first #1 single on Alternative Airplay. They had two more Top 10 hits, both from the Transformers Film Series, which were "New Divide" and "What I've Done". The latter is easily the better-known of the two, despite peaking one slot lower than "Divide". In fact, "Divide" isn't even as well known as "Numb" (which missed the mark at #11, with the Jay-Z remix reaching #20), "One Step Closer" (#75), "Crawling" (#79), "Papercut" (did not chart on the Hot 100) or "Breaking the Habit" (#20).
  • They've had many #1 hits on both rock formats, but not "One Step Closer", "Crawling", or "Papercut".
  • Minutes to Midnight produced two Top 40 hits — "What I've Done" and... "Bleed It Out"? Nope, #52. It was the relatively lesser-known "Shadow of the Day".
  • The only Top 40 hit from A Thousand Suns wasn't "Waiting for the End" (which barely missed the mark at #42), but rather "The Catalyst" (though at least it's somewhat understandable, since the latter song was the lead single of the album and mostly charted on first-week digital sales).
• Living Colour had one top-5 hit on Mainstream Rock. If you guessed it was "Cult of Personality", you're actually wrong. That only reached #9. Their one #5 hit was the long-forgotten "Type". Averted overall, as "Cult" was their biggest hit on the Hot 100.
  • "Cult of Personality" did not chart on the brand-new Modern Rock chart. So again, "Type" was their biggest hit there at #3.
• Marilyn Manson:
  • Their best peak on mainstream rock was "Kill4me", which peaked at #5 in 2017, long after their prime. As such, it doesn't compare to "The Beautiful People" (#29), their cover of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (#31), "The Dope Show" (#12), "Rock is Dead" (#28), "Disposable Teens" (#22), or their cover of "Tainted Love" (#30).
  • Their biggest hit on the alternative charts, at #12, was their cover of "Personal Jesus". While still not as iconic as their earlier hits (or the Depeche Mode original), it's nevertheless far better known than their three Top 10 Mainstream Rock hits.
  • A similar case can be said for Manson's sole chart entry on the Hot 100: a feature on Kanye West's "Jail, Pt. 2" in 2021. Since it only charted as part of an album bomb (and was released months after sexual misconduct/abuse accusations surfaced against Manson himself), it's not as well known or associated with him as his attempts at charting on the Hot 100 with the rest of the band, "Show" (#122) and "Jesus" (#124).
• Mastodon had their first Top 5 hit on mainstream rock with "Show Yourself" in 2017. While it's still new, it seems highly unlikely to displace "Blood and Thunder" (which didn't chart) as their signature song. "Oblivion", their second best known song, peaked at #30, the second-lowest charting of their ten mainstream rock entries.
• Megadeth only had one Top 5 hit on mainstream rock, and it wasn't "Symphony of Destruction", but rather "Trust" (though at least that one is still a regular on setlists; the otherwise closest calls, at #6, were the lead singles of Risk, an album both the fans and Dave Mustaine prefer to forget). Also surprising is that "Symphony" only peaked at a measly #29. Suffice to say, "Symphony" is the song you're most likely to hear on the radio today instead of "Trust". Averted overall as "Symphony" was their only chart entry on the Hot 100.
• Metallica:
  • They had exactly one Top 10 hit in their career, 1996's "Until it Sleeps", which isn't nearly as iconic as their older songs "Master of Puppets" (which never charted until 2022 as it reached #35 after usage in Stranger Things), "Battery", "Whiplash" (neither of which charted), "One" (#35), "Enter Sandman" (#16), "Nothing Else Matters" (#34), "Sad But True" (#98), and "The Unforgiven" (#35).
  • They've had thirteen #1 hits on Mainstream Rock radio, the first being (you guessed it) "Until It Sleeps". Compare to "Master of Puppets" (#18 in 2022), "Battery", "Whiplash" (neither charted), "One" (#46; their lowest peak, as the chart only goes to #40 now), "Enter Sandman" (#10), "Nothing Else Matters" (#11), "Sad But True" (#15), and "The Unforgiven" (#10).
  • Garage Inc. produced two hits — One reached #1 on mainstream rock, the other stalled at #4. Most would assume their cover of Thin Lizzy's "Whiskey in the Jar" was the #1, given it's the only song of the album that won a Grammy, but it was actually the 10-week champion, their cover of Bob Seger's "Turn the Page", which isn't quite as well-known overall. "Turn the Page" also outpeaked "Whiskey in the Jar" on Bubbling Under by 22 spots.
  • Their only top 10 hit on Alternative radio was the lead single from 2008's Death Magnetic, "The Day That Never Comes", which peaked at #5. Suffice to say, it is not remembered to the extent of the band's most legendary songs.
• Mötley Crüe averts this, as their signature "Dr. Feelgood" peaked at #6. Their other top 10 hit, the ballad "Without You", is far less known, and people know their other harder stuff better like "Girls, Girls, Girls" (#12), "Kickstart My Heart" (#27), and "Smokin' in the Boys Room". Speaking of which...
  • Their cover of "Smokin' in the Boys Room" reached #16, becoming their first Top 40 hit. A lot of people seem to be unaware that it's a cover of a song by Brownsville Station, which has been completely eclipsed despite ranking thirteen spaces higher. When the original is brought up, it's only to talk about Brownsville's status as a One-Hit Wonder.
  • Theit biggest hit on Mainstream Rock was "If I Die Tomorrow", which peaked at #4 in 2004, long after their popularity peak.
• Motörhead's only Top 10 hit in their native UK wasn't "Ace of Spades" (which only reached #13^note It only reached #15 upon initial release, but it reached a peak of two spots higher following frontman Lemmy Kilmister's death in 2015) but a live version of their self-titled song. Averted on the Hot Rock Songs chart stateside, where the reissue of the former was the chart's only entry.
• Mudvayne easily averts this trope, as their signature "Happy?" was their only entry on the Hot 100 and sole Mainstream Rock #1. They had five more Top 10 singles on that format, but surprisingly, "Not Falling" just missed the mark at #11 and their Breakthrough Hit "Dig" peaked at a measly #34. Both of them are easily better known than their other Top 10s. Surprisingly, "Determined" never charted anywhere at all despite being well-known. Much of what made it famous was due to it being included in Need for Speed: Underground 2, a massively successful video game with a lot of nostalgia value.
• Nonpoint only had one song go near the Hot 100. Was it "Bullet with a Name"? Actually, it was a cover of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight".
• Nothing More's only #1 hit to date on the rock charts, "Go To War", is well-known, but still not enough to displace their Breakthrough Hit "This is the Time (Ballast)", which fell one spot short, as their signature.
• Otep only had two entries on mainstream rock — "Smash the Control Machine" and their cover of Lorde's "Royals". Those two are not nearly as well known as songs like "Ghost Flowers", "Apex Predator", and "Confrontation".
• Ozzy Osbourne had three Top 40 hits, but they weren't "Crazy Train" and "Bark at the Moon" (both of which only managed to bubble under). They were actually "Close My Eyes Forever" (a duet with Lita Ford) and "Mama I'm Coming Home" (his only solo Top 40 hit), both of which are Black Sheep Hits that are mostly forgotten today. The third, a featured spot on Post Malone and Travis Scott's "Take What You Want", came in 2019 (long after his prime).
  • He had four #1 hits on mainstream rock radio, all in the 21st century. "Crazy Train" only peaked at #9, while "Bark at the Moon" never made it past #12.
  • In his native UK, Ozzy got a #1... by doing a version of Black Sabbath's "Changes" with daughter Kelly. "Bark at the Moon" managed a fairly high #21, but is only his fifth highest-charter.
• Pantera had four entries on the Mainstream Rock charts, none of which were their signatures "Cowboys from Hell" or "Walk". Their highest charter, a #21 cover of Black Sabbath's "Planet Caravan", has long since faded into the shadow of the Sabbath original.
  • Also played straight in regards to Dimebag Darrell and Vinnie Paul's short lived nu metal side project Damageplan (best known as "the band Darrell was in when he was murdered"). They had a #16 hit with "Save Me", and while that's easily the signature for Damageplan, it's not nearly as well known as Pantera's work despite charting higher than anything they have done.
• Papa Roach only had one entry on the Top 40, "Scars", which peaked at #15. This is off Getting Away With Murder, which saw them abandoning their Nu Metal / Rap Metal sound in favor of Alternative Metal leaning towards Hard Rock. However, "Scars" isn't as well remembered today as their Breakthrough Hit and Signature Song "Last Resort". While "Last Resort" fizzled out at #57, it's easily one of the most iconic songs of the Nu Metal era.
  • "Last Resort" was their only #1 on Alternative Airplay. On Mainstream Rock, they've had ten #1 hits, yet "Last Resort" and "Scars" both peaked at #4. They were actually the later singles "Lifeline", "Face Everything and Rise", "Help", "Born for Greatness", "Come Around", "The Ending", "Kill the Noise", "No Apologies", "Cut the Line", and "Leave a Light On (Talk Away the Dark)". None of them are even considered to be their third best-known song (an honor that likely goes to "Forever", a #2 peak) or even fourth best-known ("Getting Away with Murder", which also peaked at #2), though "Lifeline" probably does place fifth.
  • Additionally, this is averted overseas where "Last Resort" was their biggest hit. It went Top 5 in the UK and Germany, Top 10 in Austria, and Top 20 in Ireland and Canada's rock charts. "Scars" only reached #82 in Germany, and didn't chart anywhere else outside the US.
  • A more isolated example, but their 2015 album F.E.A.R. produced two Top 5 mainstream rock hits: The chart-topping "Face Everything and Rise" and the #5 "Gravity". Despite the former hitting #1 and placing four spaces higher than the latter, "Gravity" ultimately ended up being the better known of the two. This is primarily because it features vocals from Maria Brink of In This Moment. While they aren't nearly as successful as Papa Roach in terms of radio hits, sales, and overall recognition in general (though to be fair Papa Roach have been around much longer), they are currently more popular on the mainstream rock/metal market than them due to being a newer act.
• A Perfect Circle's only #1 on both mainstream and alternative rock radio was "Weak and Powerless", which while still well-known isn't quite as recognized as their debut single, "Judith", which reached #4 and #5 on those charts respectively. The lesser-known "The Outsider" also beat "Judith" by one spot on mainstream and tied it on alternative. "Weak" and "Outsider" were their only Hot 100 entries, with "Judith" falling short at #105.
• P.O.D.'s highest charting song on the mainstream rock charts hit #3. Surprisingly, it wasn't anything from Satellite, but the relatively obscure "Lost in Forever", released in 2012. Their two best known songs, "Alive" and "Youth of the Nation", only hit #4 and #6, respectively, which is also an example of its own as "Youth" is generally the better-known of the two. Even more strangely, "Youth" was outpeaked by the even less remembered follow-up to "Forever", "Beautiful" (#5). This is averted on alternative, where "Youth" and "Alive" hit #1 and #2 respectively, marking their only top 10s on the chart, with "Forever" and "Beautiful" both only barely having made it onto that chart, and on the Hot 100, "Youth" was their only top 40, with "Alive" bowing out at #41.
• Powerman 5000 had only one top 10 hit on the rock charts, but it wasn't "When Worlds Collide" (#16) or even "Bombshell" (#26), but the far less known "Free". However, "Worlds" was their only top 20 on alternative.
• Stoner rock band Priestess had only one top 40 hit on the Mainstream Rock charts, the #33 "Talk to Her". It’s nowhere near as known as "Lay Down", which was never released as a single but is famous through its inclusion in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock.
• Primer 55 scraped a #37 hit on Mainstream Rock radio. Was it "Loose", the only song most people can name from them if they can name any at all? Nope, it was the completely forgotten "This Life".
• Primus is an aversion overall, as "Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver" was their only entry on the Hot 100 airplay charts. However, they had only one top 10 hit on the mainstream rock charts: a #2 cover of Black Sabbath's "N.I.B." featuring Ozzy Osbourne. Today, it's not nearly as well known as Sabbath's original version or Primus's most popular original material, such as "Beaver", "My Name is Mud", or "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver". "Beaver" was their only other top 40 hit on rock radio, but it only hit #23. They had six top 40s, however, on alternative (with "Mud" peaking at #9), none of which were "N.I.B."
• Rage Against the Machine's highest charting entry on the Hot 100 (as well as their highest-charting song on both rock formats) was "Guerrilla Radio", which hit #69. Their two most well-known songs, "Killing in the Name" and "Bulls on Parade", never came anywhere near the chart; the former of which never even charted anywhere in the US until 2019, 27 years after release (it also topped the UK charts in Christmas 2009 thanks to a successful Facebook campaign). That being said, "Guerrilla" is easily third place for them.
• Red only had one top 10 hit on the rock charts: it must have been "Breathe Into Me", right? Wrong, that fizzled out at #15. It was rather "Death of Me", which isn't quite as well-known. "Breathe" also wasn't one of their two charting entries on modern rock radio ("Death" and "Already Over").
• Rapcore band Reveille had only one chart entry on Mainstream Rock. It wasn't "What You Got", which was featured in a few video games, but rather "Inside Out (Can You Feel Me Now)", featuring Scooter Ward from the band Cold.
• Rob Zombie's five Top 10 hits on Mainstream Rock Tracks were "Dragula" (#6), "Living Dead Girl" (#7), "Feel So Numb" (#10), "Foxy Foxy" (#8), and their cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band" (#8). "Superbeast", however, only reached #26, not helped by being the last track from Hellbilly Deluxe to receive a physical single release, and for promotional use only to boot.
• Royal Blood has had four #1 hits on the mainstream rock charts, but none of them were "Out of the Black" (#2), "Figure it Out" (#3), "Ten Tonne Skeleton", or "Come On Over" (neither of which were singles).
  • "Figure It Out" was Royal Blood's only Top 10 hit on Alternative (peaking at exactly #10), but that changed when 2020's "Trouble's Coming", despite radio conglomerate Audacy (then known as Entercom) ordering their Alternative-formatted stations to NOT play the song, peaked at #8. Considering "Trouble" was shut out of significant radio markets due to the block order, it is unlikely to become better known than "Figure" to Alternative listeners.
• Saliva's biggest hit was the #51 "Always", which was their sole #1 on Alternative radio and peaked at #2 on Mainstream Rock alongside "Ladies and Gentleman" (#25 Alternative). As the band faded into obscurity, "Click Click Boom" (#25 Alternative, #15 Mainstream) became their signature song, thanks to it surviving as a sports anthem and appearing in various soundtracks.
• Scorpions' biggest hit on the US and German charts (#4 and #1 respectively), "Wind of Change", is well-remembered for marking the end of the Cold War, but is nowhere near as iconic as "Rock You Like a Hurricane" (#25 US; didn't enter German chart). Still, "Wind of Change" is their most played song online.
  • Their sole #1 hit on Mainstream Rock was "No One Like You". While also well-remembered, it's not as iconic as "Hurricane" (#5) or "Wind of Change" (#2).
• Seether
  • Their sole Top 40 hit on the Hot 100 was "Broken" with Amy Lee, which sounds nothing like their regular material. While it may be their best known song to people who listen to pop or adult contemporary radio, it certainly isn't considered to be their true signature.
  • Their signature song "Fake It" was a #1 hit on both Alternative and Mainstream Rock. They've had several more #1 hits, but "Broken" only made it to #9 on Mainstream and #4 on Alternative. Their other #1 hit on alternative, "Rise Above This", only made it to #2 on Mainstream Rock.
  • Quick, what was the highest charting song from Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray on the Alternative Rock charts? "Country Song", right? Wrong, it was actually its follow-up "Tonight", which outpeaked "Country" by one spot (#7 to #8) even though the latter is easily the best known song from the album and the only one to get onto the Hot 100, and while both hit #1 on mainstream, "Country Song" spent way longer atop that chart.
• Sevendust's highest charting song on Mainstream Rock was "Everything" in 2023. While it's a newer song, it's unlikely to be more popular than the likes of "Denial" (#14), "Black" (#30), "Driven", and "Enemy" (both #10).
• Shinedown avert this, as "Second Chance" (#7) was their sole Top 40 hit and sole #1 on Alternative Airplay. Their second highest charting song was "If You Only Knew", which barely missed the top-40 at #42. While a well-known song, it isn't nearly as iconic as "Sound of Madness" (#85), "Cut the Cord" (bubbled under at #104), "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)" (bubbled under at #111), "45", "Monsters", their cover of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man", or "Call Me" (none of which charted on either the Hot 100 or Bubbling Under charts, and the last one wasn't even released as a single).
  • On the Mainstream Rock airplay chart, they have a record 19 #1 hits, however "45", "Simple Man", "If You Only Knew", and "Enemies" aren't any of them (peaking at #3, #5, and the latter two at #2 respectively). Their #1 songs include much less known (by the average listener) "Save Me", "Unity", and "Atlas Falls".
    • "45" and "Simple Man" aren't even the highest charting songs from their first album, Leave a Whisper. Instead, that is "Burning Bright", which hit #2 (it also bubbled under the Hot 100 at #105). While not necessarily "forgotten", it is heavily overshadowed by the former two songs, and likely isn't even the third most known song from that album (that being "Fly From the Inside", which went to #5).
• Sick Puppies' two biggest hits both peaked at #2 on rock. One, of course, is their signature "You're Going Down". The other? "There's No Going Back", which isn't as well known as songs like "All The Same" (the "Free Hugs Campaign" song; #36) and "Maybe" (#20; their only song that came close to crossing over to pop). Also, "Maybe" was their only Hot 100 entry, and their only entry on the Australian chart, despite not being nearly as well-known as "You're Going Down".
• Skillet scored their first #1 on Mainstream Rock radio in 2016 with "Feel Invincible". While it's still new, it's unlikely to replace 2009/10's "Awake and Alive" (which fell short at #2, though it was their only entry on the Hot 100, peaking exactly at #100), "Monster" (#4), or "Hero" (#15) as their signature.
• Slipknot is an aversion, as "Psychosocial" was the closest they ever got to the Hot 100, while "Duality" was their biggest hit on Alternative Airplay (#6).
  • Mainstream Rock is another story. They had two #2 hits, which were "Snuff" and "The Devil In I"; while not obscure, neither are nearly as iconic as the first two songs. Believe it or not, "Psychosocial" was actually the second-lowest charting song on mainstream rock from All Hope Is Gone, above only "Sulfur" (#18) and behind "Snuff" and "Dead Memories". Yet "Psychosocial" is the only song from the album that gets played live today (mainly due to their Creator Backlash against it). Furthermore, "Wait and Bleed", their breakthrough hit, peaked at a measly #34, while "Before I Forget" fell just short of the Top 10 at #11.
  • Also an example for Corey Taylor. The biggest hit of his career was not scored with Slipknot, but with Stone Sour; namely, "Through Glass". "Through Glass" is easily Stone Sour's signature song, so they avert this. Believe it or not, Stone Sour, although not nearly as famous or successful with album sales, have actually done far better than Slipknot on radio, mainly due to having been much more active, especially in the 2010s, than Slipknot. In fact, four out of the six number one rock hits that Taylor has been involved with (the exceptions being his solo singles "Black Eyes Blue" and "Beyond"), and both of his visits to the Hot 100, have been Stone Sour songs.
• Stabbing Westward had two entries on the Hot 100 airplay charts, but neither of them were "Save Yourself". They were "What Do I Have to Do?" and "Shame", both of which outpeaked it on modern rock (#20, #11, and #14 respectively). Averted however, on mainstream rock, where it placed #4 and was their biggest hit on that format.
• Starset hit #2 on mainstream rock in 2017 with "Monster" and again in 2023 with "Waiting on the Sky to Change". While well-known and relatively new, respectively, it's doubtful they will be able to replace their Breakthrough Hit "My Demons", a #5 hit from 2014, as their signature.
• System of a Down's only Top 40 hit was the #27 "B.Y.O.B." (from the album Mezmerize), a feat they achieved with no pop radio airplay. However, it isn't quite as iconic as "Chop Suey!" (from Toxicity), which only reached #76. Even more surprising is the fact that, of all of their Hot 100 entries, "Chop Suey!" was actually the lowest charting of the bunch. Neither was their biggest hit on either rock radio format^note "B.Y.O.B.": #4 on both Alt. and Main.; "Chop Suey!": #7 Alt., #12 Main.: that was rather "Aerials", their sole #1 on mainstream and first of two on alternative (the second being the lesser-known "Hypnotize"). "Chop Suey!" was released only about a month before the 9/11 attacks. The 2001 Clear Channel Memorandum was a list circulated among prominent rock radio stations at the time, detailing which songs should not be played to avoid potential triggers: as you might have guessed, "Chop Suey!" was on it. Its refrain "I don't think you trust in my self-righteous suicide" didn't really help its cause, hence its lower position.
• Three Days Grace:
  • Their highest-charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 at #44 was not "I Hate Everything About You" (#55), "Animal I Have Become" (#60) or "Never Too Late" (#71), but rather "Pain", which is still very well-known, even if not quite at the level of the first three.
  • "I Hate Everything About You" and "Animal I Have Become" did not enter the Hot 100 in their native Canada, due to the chart not existing at the time. Their highest charter in that country, at #26, is not "Never Too Late" (#30) or "Pain" (#52), but the lesser-known "Break".
  • They've had seventeen #1 hits on the mainstream rock charts, but none of them were "I Hate Everything About You", which peaked at #4. It was actually the lowest charting of the three singles released from their self-titled debut despite being the best remembered of them by a large margin — including the #1 "Just Like You". The only #1s that are still generally remembered are the One-X songs ("Animal I Have Become", "Pain", and "Never Too Late") and, to a lesser extent, the first two #1s from Life Starts Now, "Break" and "The Good Life"; "World So Cold", not so much.
  • "Riot" despite being one of their most iconic songs, only hit #12 — their only non Top-10 hit. At the very least, it's certainly better remembered than any of their post-2009 singles (aside from maybe "Break" and "Good Life" as mentioned above).
• tool's only #1 hit on mainstream rock was not their signature "Schism", which peaked a spot lower, but "The Pot". Nevertheless, "Schism" is one of their two highest-charters on the alternative charts, where it also hit #2 ("Vicarious", also a #2 on mainstream rock) and one of two Hot 100 entries, the other being "Fear Inoculum". Two of their other most iconic songs, "Stinkfist" and "Lateralus", failed to reach the top 10 on either chart.
• Trivium's sole Top 10 on mainstream rock was "Until the World Goes Cold" in 2015, well after their peak in popularity. As such, it's not nearly as well-known as songs like "Pull Harder On The Strings Of Your Martyr", "Down from the Sky", or "Anthem (We Are The Fire)", none of which charted. In fact, even of their 2010s material, it's not their most well-known. That honor likely goes to "Strife" (which peaked at a comparatively low #24).
• Twisted Sister's biggest hit (and only in the Top 40) is "We're Not Gonna Take It", no surprise. But somehow "I Wanna Rock" isn't their second most successful on the Hot 100 (#68), instead being a cover of the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" (#53) - and it also ranks fifth on their Mainstream Rock charting hits!
• Van Halen had 13 #1 hits on rock radio, including "Jump" (their sole #1 on the Hot 100) and "Why Can't This Be Love". However, many of their other classics missed the summit, including "Hot for Teacher" (#24) "Panama", "Can't Stop Lovin' You" (both #2), and their first three albums, as the Rock Albums & Top Tracks chart debuted in 1981.
• Volbeat has had ten #1 hits on the mainstream rock songs chart: "Still Counting", "Heaven Nor Hell", "The Hangman's Body Count", "Lola Montez", "The Devil's Bleeding Crown", "Last Day Under the Sun", "Wait a Minute My Girl", "Shotgun Blues" and… the other two must have "A Warrior's Call" (their highest entry on alternative) and "Fallen", right? Nope, those respectively stalled at #2 and #11. They were actually "Black Rose" and the relatively forgotten "Die to Live".
• Whitesnake's highest charter on mainstream rock surprisingly wasn't "Here I Go Again", which only hit #4, or "Is This Love" (#13), but rather the #2 "Fool for Your Lovin'", which isn't nearly as well-known. Averted on the Hot 100, where "Again" was their sole #1 hit, and "Is This Love" hit #2, as well as in their native UK, where both were their highest-peaking at #9.