This past year was quite a ride. 2024 gave us glimpses of natural wonders like the solar eclipse and the aurora borealis. Feats of human strength were celebrated at the Olympics in Paris, and here in Philly with multiple championships and Jason Kelce’s retirement. At the height of election season, a presidential debate took place right here in the birthplace of America. Curiosities popped up in places we didn’t expect; an international portal was installed in LOVE Park, and we even spotted a horse running free down 95.

The past twelve months delivered a massive mix of new rock, too, from up-and-coming bands to veterans of the genre, with a couple of surprise reunions thrown in. We tallied up the songs you heard the most on WMMR this year, and played back the Top 25 Songs of 2024 on New Year’s Eve with Sara, and again with Ryan on New Year’s Day. Keep scrolling to see who took the #1 spot… and thank you for making MMR part of the soundtrack of Philly for another year.

RELATED: MMR’s Official Concert Calendar

MMR’s Top 25 Songs of 2024

• 25. The Struts - Pretty Vicious

   

  Not many things have rendered Pierre Robert speechless over the years, but he was stunned when The Struts showed up to the studio for a birthday surprise for him, cake and all! The band hung out for a chat, which you can hear on the MMaRchives Podcast. Later that night (August 2nd) they sold out the Fillmore, where they played the title track off their latest album Pretty Vicious. 

• 24. The Smashing Pumpkins - Sighommi

   

  The Smashing Pumpkins surprised us this summer by announcing their album Aghori Mhori Mei and then releasing it just two weeks later. With the collection still hot off the press, Brent Porche spoke with Billy Corgan about the album, their tour with Green Day, pro wrestling, and this song: “Sighommi”. 

• 23. Slash feat. Chris Stapleton - Oh Well

   

  Top Hat meets Cowboy Hat! Slash and Chris Stapleton collaborate for a cover that appears on the GN’R guitarist’s blues collection Orgy of the Damned. Slash’s son’s band also appears on this Top 25 list… 

• 22. Return to Dust - Belly Up

   

  As fate would have it, Slash and his son are side by side on this list. London Hudson passed over his father’s signature instrument to attack the drums in this up-and-coming band, Return to Dust. We got to know them when they visited Camp Out For Hunger for an acoustic performance, and we’ll see their fully charged set at MMRBQ 2025.

• 21. Eddie Vedder - Save It For Later

   

  Made popular by the FX series The Bear (Yes, Chef!) Eddie Vedder’s solo track “Save It For Later” was originally recorded by The English Beat. Vedder has been singing snippets of this song during Pearl Jam’s live sets for years. (The band appears later in this countdown, so keep scrolling…)

• 20. Collective Soul - Mother's Love

   

  This song, “Mother’s Love,” first premiered at the Cardboard Classic. Ed Roland gave the track to MMR to play before anyone else in the United States. Collective Soul returned our area in August for a show in Camden, where Ed gave Pierre Robert a heartfelt shout out from the stage: “I just wanna grow up to be Pierre!” (We think Pierre might feel the same way about Ed!)

• 19. Nothing More - If It Doesn't Hurt

   

  Nothing More blew us away at MMRBQ 2024 with a set that included “If It Doesn’t Hurt.” It’s from the band’s latest album Carnal. Jonny and Daniel told Pierre and Ryan more about the album backstage at the festival, and you can watch that conversation here. 

• 18. Daughtry - Pieces

   

  Daughtry came to Philly towards the end of 2024 for one of the last concerts of the year. Proceeds from the show at Franklin Music Hall were donated to Camp Out For Hunger, and the band and their fans raised $15,000 that night to help feed hungry families. “Pieces” is from Daughtry’s EP Shock To The System: Part 1. 

• 17. Three Days Grace - Mayday

   

  Three Days Grace now have two lead singers: Matt Walst and Adam Gontier. Brent Porche spoke with the fellas about this new dual-vocals era of the band and what’s to come. “Mayday” is our first glimpse of the new lineup, and we’ll see them all live at MMRBQ 2025. 

• 16. Jerry Cantrell - Vilified

   

  Jerry Cantrell of Alice In Chains recruited Robert Trujillo of Metallica to lay down the bass for a solo EP called I Want Blood. “Vilified” enters the countdown with gallop that turns into a menacing stomp by the end of the song. Cantrell will be at MMRBQ 2025 with the rest of the Alice In Chains, hopefully with even more new music by this spring. 

• 15. Jelly Roll - Liar

   

  A number-one album, an arena tour, and every late night and awards show on TV… we’re pretty sure the only thing Jelly Roll didn’t do in 2024 was sleep. His set at the Big Joint in October spanned his entire career. From his early days self-producing mixtapes to select tracks from Beautifully Broken, like “Liar,” Jelly Roll honored each piece of himself, sonically and emotionally. 

• 14. Bon Jovi - Living Proof

   

  Forty years in, Bon Jovi are still delivering rock anthems. The “Living Proof” is in the music. This year they not only gave us another record, called Forever, but we also got a four-part documentary series on the band, Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story. It’s available on Hulu and Disney+.

• 13. Tom Petty - Never Be You

   

  Not even Tom Petty’s own family has heard every recording in his vaults. In fact, his daughter Adria expressed her surprise in an interview with Pierre about this musical discovery, which she heard for the first time a few years after her father had passed.

   

• 12. Dirty Honey - Don't Put Out The Fire

   

  Dirty Honey never fail to deliver raw rock n’ roll with the California sun baked in. We felt the heat from “Don’t Put Out The Fire,” off their Can’t Find The Brakes album. Proof of badassery: their singer Marc got nailed in the face with Justin’s bass in the middle of filming the video for this song. The show must go on!

• 11. The Offspring - Make It Alright

   

  The title of The Offspring’s eleventh studio album sums up their 2024 perfectly: Supercharged. The high-energy ride culminated for us at MMRBQ, which they headlined back in September. Noodles and Pierre caught up backstage and the guitarist told the stories behind his favorite songs on the record, including “Make It All Right.” 

• 10. Jack White - That's How I'm Feeling

   

  Will 2025 be the year that Jack White returns to Philadelphia? It remains to be seen, but in the meantime we’ll be spinning his No Name album on repeat. It was released on physical formats a few weeks before it was available online, a rare move in the digital age. 

• 9. Linkin Park - The Emptiness Machine

   

  One of the biggest rock headlines of the year was the re-emergence of Linkin Park. A new singer and drummer joined the fold and together the group started From Zero, the album that gave us “The Emptiness Machine.” Mike Shinoda and the crew will be back in Philadelphia next August, where we’ll hear their new music mixed in with all their biggest hits. 

   

• 8. Tim Montana - Savage

   

  Tim Montana was one of the breakout rock artists of the year. It’s about time; he’s been writing songs for decades and collaborating with veterans of the genre like Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top. “Savage” is from his sixth studio album of the same name. 

• 7. The Black Keys - Beautiful People (Stay High)

   

  Dan and Pat of the Black Keys gave us this groovy, feel-good singalong to carry us through 2024. The name of the album it’s on, Ohio Players, is a nod to the duo’s home state. 

   

   

• 6. Cage The Elephant - Neon Pill

   

  Not even a broken foot could stop Cage the Elephant from turning up the party at the Mann in September. Matt Schultz and the rest of the band danced their way through a Friday night, playing fan favorites plus new songs like “Neon Pill,” all set to a brilliant light show. 

• 5. Sum 41 - Landmines

   

  Sum 41 spent the past year saying farewell to their fans. Their final tour came to the Mann in May, aptly titled the Tour of the Setting Sum. They also delivered their last album as a band, Heaven :x: Hell. The lead single “Landmines” takes the number five spot. 

• 4. Pearl Jam - Dark Matter

   

  Pearl Jam’s return to Philadelphia for a two-night stand at the Big Joint was a highlight of 2024. In fact, you voted for them as the top live act of the year! A few months before those shows in September, Pearl Jam released their 12th album Dark Matter. The title track lands at the fourth spot on our list. 

• 3. The Black Crowes - Wanting and Waiting

   

  From looking back on their past volatility to discussing their current studio and stage dynamics, Chris and Rich Robinson of the Black Crowes covered it all with Pierre Robert when the brothers came to the MMR studios before a sold-out show at The Met. They also dove into their first new album in 15 years, Happiness Bastards, which includes the track “Wanting and Waiting.”

• 2. Green Day - Dilemma

   

  Green Day celebrated not one, but two iconic albums of theirs with a world tour that found the trio playing both collections front-to-back. They performed every single track from Dookie and American Idiot live at Citizens Bank Park, and somehow managed to squeeze in their hits from the time between, plus a handful of songs from their latest record Saviors (36 songs total in that set!).“Dilemma” is one of those new songs. Pierre Robert spoke with Tre Cool about the band’s legacy, their mutual love of coffee, and memories of playing the 125-cap J.C. Dobbs on South Street in the 90s. 

   

• 1. The Warning - Sick

   

  MMR’s top song of 2024 comes from a family band hailing all the way from Mexico. Sisters Daniela, Paulina and Alejandra had a massive year, propelled by their fourth album Keep Me Fed. The Warning stole the show at MMRBQ in September, where they kicked off their set with “S!CK”. 

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