Why Rock Music Is Thriving in the Streaming Era

A decade ago, Gene Simmons of Kiss made a declaration: rock is officially dead. Or as he told Esquire, it was “murdered” by an era of piracy and file-sharing. The guitar, he lambasted, was becoming a relic. 

Over a decade later, it would appear that reports of the genre’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Halfway through 2025, rock is among the fastest-growing genres in the country, according to Luminate’s just-released midyear report, outpacing both Latin and country in the U.S.

Leading the rock charge are a pair of newcomers: Sweden’s Ghost and British best new artist contenders Sleep Token, who both managed to top the Billboard 200 album chart within two weeks of each other in May, ending a years-long rock drought. In Sleep Token’s case, the band’s Even in Arcadia broke the record for most-streamed hard rock album in one week, Billboard reported at the time. 

In the indie-rock corner, Wet Leg looks like a future Grammy contender with its latest, Moisturizer, which nabbed the band’s second-consecutive U.K. number one last week, outpacing Oasis, whose much-anticipated reunion tour launched in July, on the chart.  

“Everything is cyclical,” says RCA senior vice president of A&R Dan Chertoff, who co-signed Sleep Token to the label last year. “All it takes is one artist, one brilliant songwriter, and that can affect an entire genre.”

Older legacy rock has slingshotted too. Creed has unexpectedly — and unironically — become one of the most-beloved acts on TikTok with hits like “Higher” and “One Last Breath” both getting featured in hundreds of thousands of videos. And as Luminate reported in its midyear report, Led Zeppelin’s streaming numbers have jumped 23 percent over the past four months since the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin dropped. 

Still, rock has long been plagued by a perception that new guitar-based bands are derivative — a genre of schticky knock-offs looking to rekindle the glory days. But today, acts like Turnstile and Alex G are redefining the sound and bringing back its social currency. 

“Rock is having success again because it’s fresh and unique,” says IAG head of global artist development Nick Storch, booking agent for Sleep Token, Ghost and Disturbed among others. That new acts can be easily and instantly discovered on streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music also helps. 

Says Chertoff: “The younger demographic’s listening habits are non-linear. Listening to these classic artists that were put out decades ago has helped them get turned on to new artists too.”

Sean Heydorn, svp of Rise Records and Frontline Catalog at BMG, whose roster includes rising metal band Spiritbox, argues rock’s revival may be a response to the streaming era’s algorithmic pop discovery leading fans to find other music instead. “While that helps fans discover what they like, it also leads to a bit of a homogenous sound,” Heydorn says. “After years of being led to music this way — and a lot of it is great — I think it’s also creating this itch for something more raw and real.”

When it comes to the live music economy, rock‘s been over-indexing at arenas and amphitheatres well before this year, with nostalgia perennials like Def Leppard and decade-specific bills fill seats in the summer months. In Sleep Token’s case, the band sold out its upcoming 17-date arena tour in a matter of hours. 

“Rock hasn’t been cool all the time, but it’s consistent,” Storch says. “The fans are loyal longer, they’re part of a community. I don’t know if there’s any one thing we can say is causing the spike, but people want more than just pop-driven artists. They want depth. And there’ve been artists who’ve been building for years — off each other in their own ways. And they’re keeping doors open for each other.”

This story appeared in the July 23 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.