Rock hits a near-decade high in the UK singles market while increasing its share as biggest albums genre
- BPI’s recently-published All About The Music 2026 reveals the rock genre claimed 22.2% of singles music consumption in 2025, its highest total since 2016.
- Rock strengthened its position as the top albums genre, extending its share to 36.0% thanks to releases by the likes of Sam Fender, Wolf Alice, Sleep Token, Yungblud, and Oasis.
- Rock claimed well over half (54.9%) of all UK vinyl album sales in 2025 with its biggest artist sellers including Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C., Sam Fender and Radiohead.
- Upcoming BPI Insight Session on 30th April will focus on the success of rock ahead of BPI’s In Tune with Sound City conference
Rock music claimed its highest share of the UK singles market in nearly a decade in 2025 as hits by artists including Sam Fender, Sleep Token and sombr propelled the genre into the weekly Top 10.
BPI’s recently-published All About The Music 2026 yearbook reveals rock was behind 22.2% of singles music consumption last year, placing it second only to pop (33.3% share). This was up from 21.4% the previous year and secured the genre its highest share of the market since 2016, when it had a 22.6% stake. Hip hop/rap (14.1%) was the third biggest singles genre, followed by R&B (10.4%) and dance (9.5%).
Based on Official Charts data analysed by BPI, the representative voice for the UK’s world-leading record companies and label businesses, rock’s near-decade high underscored its continuing revival in the singles market. This was especially the case among the year’s biggest hits. Six tracks classified as rock made the weekly Official Singles Chart Top 10 across 2025, compared to only one in 2020.
UK rock band Sleep Token (Caramel) and US singer-songwriters Gigi Perez (Sailor Song) and sombr (Back To Friends) all scored their first Top 10 hits during the year, while rock’s other Top 10 entries included Sam Fender’s Rein Me In with Olivia Dean. In February this year, the track won Song of the Year at The BRIT Awards with Mastercard held at Co-op Live in Manchester and climbed to No.1, giving Fender his first Official Singles Chart leader. In March it secured him a first entry on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
First a hit in 2024, Benson Boone’s enduring Beautiful Things returned to the weekly Official Singles Chart Top 10 in 2025 and was the year’s biggest track classified as rock, ranking as the No.7 track overall. The genre’s strength in catalogue was illustrated by classic rock releases such as the Goo Goo Dolls’ Iris, Mr Brightside by The Killers, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac and Hozier’s 2024 hit Too Sweet finishing in the year-end Official Singles Chart Top 40.
Rock’s singles revival is highlighted in All About The Music 2026 alongside the genre’s continuing domination of the albums market. It took an unrivalled 36.0% of album consumption in 2025, up from 35.3% the year before and comfortably ahead of pop (28.9%) in second place. Hip hop/rap was third with 11.0% of consumption, followed by R&B (8.6%) and dance (3.8%).
Four of the year’s Top 10 albums were classified as rock. On the back of a record-breaking reunion tour, which was seen by around 1.5 million people in the UK and Ireland, these included the Oasis albums Time Flies - 1994-2009 and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory. The Fleetwood Mac retrospective 50 Years - Don’t Stop and Sam Fender’s third studio album People Watching also made the year-end Top 10, while rock’s other big albums last year included studio albums by Arctic Monkeys (AM) and Fontaines D.C. (Romance), as well as best of releases by artists including Linkin Park (Papercuts - Singles Collection 2000-2023), Queen (Greatest Hits) and The Cure (Greatest Hits).
Rock artists from across UK topped Official Albums Chart in 2025
Sam Fender’s People Watching claimed the year’s highest first-week sales for a UK album with an opening tally of more than 107,000 chart units. Going on to win the 2025 Mercury Music Prize held in Newcastle, it was one of 17 rock albums to top the weekly Official Albums Chart in 2025. Fifteen of these were exclusively by UK artists, with the other two UK/US pairings (Elton John & Brandi Carlile’s Who Believes In Angels and Aerosmith & YUNGBLUD’s One More Time). The rock chart-toppers were by artists from across the nations and regions of the UK and took in talent from London (including Florence + The Machine, Sleep Token, Wolf Alice), North East England (Sam Fender), North West England (The K’s, Oasis), Scotland (Biffy Clyro), South East England (James Marriott, Wet Leg), Wales (Stereophonics, Those Damn Crows) and Yorkshire and the Humber (Pulp, YUNGBLUD).
Dr Jo Twist OBE, BPI Chief Executive, said:
“For decades, rock has played a critical role in maintaining and enhancing the UK’s status as a global music superpower. This was truer than ever in 2025. Rock has long flourished thanks to its incredible foundations built on a deep, exceptional and still-cherished back catalogue. We can now add to that contemporary stars such as Sam Fender, Sleep Token, Wolf Alice, and Yungblud, who hail from across the UK and who are breathing new life into this much-loved genre both at home and around the world.”
Rock claimed 55% of vinyl albums sales and 61 of 2025’s top 100 titles
In the vinyl market, rock claimed an even greater dominance as it accounted for 54.9% of purchases in 2025, according to BPI analysis of Official Charts data. Pop was second with 23.4%, followed by hip hop/rap (6.1%), dance (3.7%) and R&B (3.4%).
All About The Music 2026 notes that rock accounted for 61 of the year’s top 100 best sellers on the format, including albums by Fleetwood Mac (Rumours), Fontaines D.C. (Romance), Oasis ((What’s The Story) Morning Glory, Definitely Maybe) and Sam Fender (People Watching) in the year-end Top 10. Rock also dominated 2025’s biggest vinyl artists with Arctic Monkeys, Fleetwood Mac, Fontaines D.C., Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Sam Fender among the year’s 10 biggest acts.
BPI Insight Session in association with Bowers & Wilkins - The Long Play: UK Rock in the Age of Streaming
BPI, in association with Bowers & Wilkins, will further explore the success and appeal of the rock genre through an Insight Session on 30th April in collaboration with Liverpool Sound City.
Featuring two expert panels drawn from labels, artist management, live promoters, and media, The Long Play: UK Rock in the Age of Streaming will discuss what is sustaining rock today, how it is adapting to streaming-era dynamics, and what is needed to support its future growth. The session will also explore how younger audiences are discovering and connecting with rock, what drives fan loyalty in the genre, and how the industry can balance heritage with innovation to ensure continued relevance. More information and a sign-up link can be found here.
The BPI annual yearbook All About The Music 2026 is free to BPI members but can be purchased here.