Rock on the Rise, Pop Declines: Billboard Radio Songs Chart Sees Shifts Over Five Years

What have been some of the most notable trends on Billboard ’s Radio Songs chart over the past five years?

ChartCipher has released its new trend report spotlighting Radio Songs hits from 2021 through 2025, encompassing all titles, whether they peaked at No. one or No. 50. (“Using AI, ChartCipher extracts granular data for the compositional, lyrical and sonic qualities of songs and delivers insights into the qualities shaping today’s hits,” the company notes in the report.)

Below are three key takeaways from ChartCipher’s latest research.

Related

Pop Takes Back the Crown From Hip-Hop: The State of the Hot 100’s Top 10 for 2025

'Nobody Knows What's Real Anymore': How Tommy Lee Went Down the 'Rabbit Hole' For Special Edition of 'Tommyland'

Queen Latifah Talks Hosting the 2026 AMAs: 'All Roads Lead Back to Music for Me'

Rock Is on the Rise, While Pop Drops

“Rock posted the clearest gain of any genre in Radio Songs between 2021 and 2025, rising from 10% to 24% and more than doubling its footprint by the end of the period,” ChartCipher found.

Standout examples of rock hits that scaled Radio Songs in that span include sombr’s “Back to Friends,” Hozier’s “Too Sweet” and Glass Animals’ “Heat Waves.” (ChartCipher’s definition of rock includes alternative.)

Meanwhile, rock’s ascent “stands in sharp contrast to pop, which fell from 52% in 2021 to 35% in 2025 after peaking at 55% in 2022,” ChartCipher stated. Still, pop “remained the most represented genre for most of the period .”

Plus, “Country was comparatively steady, moving from 31% to 29% and briefly overtaking pop in 2024 at 33% versus 32%.”

Recapping the five most prominent primary genres for 2025 among Radio Songs hits: pop, 35%; country, 29%; rock, 24%; hip-hop/rap, 20%; and dance/club/electronic, 6%.

In 2021, the top five were: pop, 52%; country, 31%; hip-hop/rap, 20%; rock, 10%; and R&B/soul, 6%.

Drum and Bass Were Nearly Universal

What instruments were most commonly heard in Radio Songs hits over the last five years?

“Prominent drums and bass were nearly universal across the entire period,” ChartCipher compiled, with the instruments claiming nearly identical shares of between 93% and 96%.

As rock gained, “Guitar slightly grew from 60% in 2021 to 68% in 2025.

“Piano, on the other hand, moved in the opposite direction, falling sharply from 35% in 2021 to just 11% in 2025 — a drop of nearly two-thirds,” per Chart Cipher.

Still, hits by piano men — and women — in that stretch included Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” David Guetta and Bebe Rexha’s “I’m Good (Blue)” and Justin Bieber’s “Holy,” featuring Chance The Rapper.

Related

Hot 100 Hits Have Become ‘Moodier, More Distant’ Emotionally Over the Past Five Years

Most Common Lyrical Moods Revealed

“The two most prevalent lyrical moods in every year of the five-year period were cynical and detached,” according to ChartCipher. Further, “The largest increases between 2021 and 2025 came from cynical and detached, which rose by 29 and 19 percentage points, respectively, to 75% and 57%.”

Plus, “anger increased by 16 percentage points to 40%.”

Wait, there’s positive news! ChartCipher reported that happy (38%) and optimistic (37%) rose to their highest shares of the five-year measurement in 2025, alongside the moods noted above. Especially happy hits on Radio Songs in that span include ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’ “APT.,” Nicky Youre and Dazy’s “Sunroof” and, naturally, Post Malone’s “I Like You (A Happier Song),” featuring Doja Cat.

_Originally reported by [Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/pro/radio-songs-chart-five-year-trends-chartcipher/)._