Glass Animals, Machine Gun Kelly and Imagine Dragons were the top three rock artists of 2021, according to Billboard.
The publication has unveiled its annual year-end charts, which determine the biggest acts in a variety of different genres using combination of factors including airplay, sales and streaming data for songs and albums, as well as touring revenue and social media activity.
Glass Animals, who broke out in a big way this year thanks to the hit single “Heat Waves,” is number one on 2021’s Top Rock Artists chart. MGK, who continued to enjoy the success of his 2020 album Tickets to My Downfall, comes in at number two, followed by ID at number three.
Imagine Dragons’ “Follow You,” the lead single off their 2021 album Mercury — Act 1, was the number-one Rock Airplay Song of the year, followed by MGK and blackbear‘s “My Ex’s Best Friend,” All Time Low and blackbear’s “Monsters,” Weezer‘s “All My Favorite Songs,” and Rise Against‘s “Nowhere Generation.’
The rest of the top-10 Billboard Top Rock Artists of 2021 are Fleetwood Mac, AJR, The Beatles, Queen, Twenty One Pilots, Måneskin and AC/DC.
This year’s top 10 Rock Albums, based on sales data, were a mix of mostly classic rock records and best-of compilations, along with a couple more recent releases. The list, in order, is Queen’s Greatest Hits, Kelly’s Tickets, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, Elton John‘s Diamonds, Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s Chronicle, Journey‘s Greatest Hits, AC/DC’s Back in Black, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers‘ Greatest Hits, Glass Animals’ Dreamland, and The Beatles’ 1.
No album released in 2021 made the top 10.
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