As millennials lived through the advent of digital music and then music streaming, it became almost impossible to keep track of what music everyone was listening to. No longer was the music on the radio or the best-selling CD at the store the measure of what was good or popular. But which, of all the artists old and new that could be downloaded became the favorites of the millennial generation?
We consulted with YouGov and found the most popular musicians according to their methodology. As with any subjective ranking, there is going to be some inherent bias and disagreement. It really is impossible to determine the most popular of anything, and the answer will change based on the tools you use. That being said, this data is accurate as of July 2024.
Here are the most popular indie musicians according to millennials.
Why Are We Talking About This?
Millennials are becoming the prime marketing demographic. What does this mean? This means they are the largest demographic with kids and large discretionary income to spend. It means that the music in commercials is going to be music from their generation. The language and images used to market to them are going to be those that relate to millennials best. If you work in advertising or anything to do with marketing, then it pays to remember what groups this demographic is listening to.
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#15 The White Stripes
- Albums Sold: 7.1 Million
- Net Worth: $7.1 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Ball And Biscuit,” “Seven Nation Army,” “Screwdriver,” “Icky Thump”
The White Stripes was formed in 1997 and comprises members Meg White and Jack White. The married duo is known for blending Mississippi Delta Blues, folk, country, and punk. The White Stripes is Jack White’s third band. Originally claiming to be siblings, a marriage 1996 marriage license and 2002 divorce certificate were found on public records. The couple signed with the Independent Sympathy, and its first album was released in 1999.
The pair took a hiatus in 2007, reportedly due to Meg’s anxiety, and the hiatus became officially permanent in 2011. Their last live performance was in 2009 on the very last episode of Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The White Stripes was nominated for eight GRAMMY Awards and won four.
#14 The Cranberries
- Records Sold: 40 Million
- Net Worth: $15 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Linger,” “Zombie,” and “Dreams.”
The Cranberries are considered timeless, and still popular. The band formed in Ireland in 1988. The band consisted of Dolores O’Riordan, Noel Hogan, Mike Hogan, and Fergal Lawler. Their last album was produced in 2018, shortly before O’Riordan’s sudden passing.
Dolores auditioned for the band and made it in 1990, and the band quickly gained fame after she joined. They signed with Island Records in 1991, and their first album was released in 1993. In 2003, the band took a hiatus from recording and touring. They came back together from 2009–2011 and then broke again until 2017. The Cranberries was nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards and won one GRAMMY Award.
#13 Hootie & the Blowfish
- Records Sold: 27 Million
- Net Worth: ~$30 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “I Only Wanna Be With You,” “Let Her Cry,” “Hold My Hand,”
Formed in the late 1980s when the quartet was attending the University of South Carolina. Members are Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan, Dean Felber, and Jim “Soni” Stonefield. Hootie & the Blowfish released six albums total, and came to success with the release of their album, Cracked Rear View, in 1994.
The band is known for their blend of blues, pop, folk, soul, and rock genres. The band released albums and toured until 2008 when all members branched off with solo careers until 2018. They resumed touring full-time and released another album in 2019. The group continued touring and performing until 2023.
#12 Pearl Jam
- Records Sold: 90 Million
- Net Worth: $300 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Black,” “Alive,” “Yellow Ledbetter,” “Jeremy”
Pearl Jam is an American grunge band that was established in 1990. Original members included Eddie Vedder, Stone Gossard, Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Dave Krusen. Other members included Jack Irons, Dave Abbruzese, and Matt Cameron. They released their first album in 1991. Pearl Jam released 10 albums and was known for fighting against the music industry. They released their most recent album, “Dark Matter,” in April of 2024. Pearl Jam has been nominated for 11 GRAMMY Awards and won one GRAMMY. They have won three MTV Video Music Awards and achieved two nominations.
#11 Wheezer
- Albums Sold: 35 Million
- Net Worth: $100 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Island in the Sun,” “Beverly Hills,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “Undone (The Sweater Song)”
Wheezer was formed in 1992 in Los Angeles. It is comprised of members Rivers Cuomo, Patrick Wilson, Brian Bell, and Scott Shiner (who joined the band in 2001). The band signed with Geffen Records in 1993. Their first album was released in 1994. Their first two albums, The Blue Album (1994), and Pinkerton (1996) are considered by many to be the best albums from the 1990s. The band took a hiatus from 1996-2001 with new bassist Mikey Welsh, after Matt Sharp quit.
Wheezer has released nine studio albums in total, the last one in 2022. They were nominated for two GRAMMY Awards and won one GRAMMY. They also won two MTV Video Music Awards and achieved three additional nominations.
#10 The All-American Rejects
- Albums Sold: 10 Million
- Net worth: $3 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Gives You Hell,” “Move Along,” “Swing, Swing,” “It Ends Tonight,” “Dirty Little Secret”
The All-American Rejects formed in 1999 and consists of Tyson Ritter, Nick Wheeler, Mike Kennerty, and Chris Gaylor. Ritter and Wheeler are the group’s songwriters. They signed with DreamWorks Records and released their first album in 2002. The band has released a total of 4 studio albums, the last one, “Kids in the Street,” came out in 2012. Their last single was released in 2019. The band still tours. They have won one MTV Video Music Award and were nominated for two other awards. Their songs were featured in films “The House Bunny (2008)”, “John Tucker Must Die (2006)”, and “Meet the Robinsons (2007).”
#9 Goo Goo Dolls
- Records Sold: 15 Million
- Net Worth: $30 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Iris,” “Name,” “Slide,” “Dizzy,” “Black Balloon,” “Here is Gone”
Established in Buffalo, New York in 1985, Goo Goo Dolls is comprised of John Rzeznik and Robby Takac. They have won two Grammy Awards. The band was originally named the Sex Maggots. Goo Goo Dolls gained popularity after their hit song, “Iris,” was featured on the City of Angels soundtrack in 1998. Something else that helped them gain fans was mainstreaming their sound in the latter half of the 90s, which wildly broadened their fan base.
In 1995, their song, “Name,” was in heavy rotation on radio stations nationwide, spent 18 weeks at number one on the charts, and spent a year on Billboard’s airplay charts.
#8 Panic! At the Disco
- Records Sold: 12 Million
- Net Worth: $20 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies,” “Nine in the Afternoon,” “High Hopes,” “House of Memories”
Panic! At the Disco was discovered in 2004 on LiveJournal by DCD2 executive, Pete Wentz (also the bassist for Fall Out Boy). The original members were Brendon Urie, Spencer Smith, Ryan Ross, and Jon Walker. Later bass player, Brent Wilson, was kicked out of the band in 2006. The band released a total of 7 studio albums. The band announced they would disband after the UK leg of their Viva Las Vengeance tour in 2023. They are known for blending many different genres including pop, folk, and rock. P!ATD rose to fame by building a fanbase on MySpace and exploded onto the pop scene when their music video for “I Write Sins, Not Tragedies” featured on MTV for the first time. They were nominated for two GRAMMY Awards, seven MTV Video Music Awards (VMA), and won one MTV VMA.
#7 The Smashing Pumpkins
- Records Sold: 30 Million
- Net Worth: ~$60 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Zero,” “Cherub Rock,” “Bullet With Butterfly Wings,” “Mayonnaise”
The Smashing Pumpkins formed in Chicago in 1988. It consisted of original members Billy Corgan, James Iha, D’Arcy Wretxky, and Jimmy Chamberlin. The band has undergone several line-up changes, with Billy Corgan being the only consistent member. The band is an important part of grunge-style culture. Their first album came out in 1991. The band broke up in 2000 and then reunited in 2007. Other members who have appeared in the line-up are Melissa Auf Der Maur, Nicole Fiorentino, Mike Byrne, Katie Cole, Ginger Pooley, and Jeff Schroeder. Their most recent album was released in 2014.
#6 Foo Fighters
- Records Sold: 30 Million
- Net Worth: $30 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “All My Life,” “My Hero,” “Learn To Fly,” “Times Like These”
Foo Fighters was founded in 1994 in Seattle by Dave Grohl, who previously was the drummer for Nirvana. After Kurt Cobain’s death, Grohl produced the Foo Fighters’ first album by himself, singing the vocals and playing all the instruments. In 1995, he teamed up with Nate Mendel, William Goldsmith, and Pat Smear. After their second album was released in 1996, drummer Goldsmith left the band after Grohl re-recorded his drumming parts. In 1997, Smear was replaced by Franz Stahl.
In 1998, Grohl fired Stahl. Their single, “Learn to Fly,” recorded in 1999 earned a Grammy in 2001. In 2001, Chris Shiflett joined to play lead guitar. The band continued to record albums and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. After the death of Hawkins in 2022, Josh Freese now drums for them on tour. The band has won 15 Grammys and recorded 13 studio albums, 6 video albums, and 57 singles.
#5 Imagine Dragons
- Records Sold: 46 Million
- Net Worth: ~$150 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Radioactive,” “Believer,” “Thunder,” “Enemy,” “Natural,” “On Top of The World”
Imagine Dragon was formed in 2008 in Las Vegas. The band consists of Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Daniel Platzman, and Ben McKee. They are considered one of the most successful rock bands of recent years. They combine genres such as pop, indie rock, and alternative rock and have carved out a unique niche in the Rock Genre. They are still creating music and touring today.
Besides being known for their “Love them or Hate Them,” sound, they also are really active in philanthropic and charity circles. The band has its own non-profit cancer foundation called the Tyler Robinson Foundation, an LGBTQ+ foundation called Love Loud Foundation, and has performed concerts where proceeds have gone to charity including the Human Rights Concert. Other initiatives include the #One4 campaign, The Imagine Dragons Origins Scholarship, and a partnership with the NAACP.
#4 Kurt Cobain
- Albums Sold: 75 Million
- Net Worth: $50 Million
Kurt Cobain was the leader of Nirvana and was insanely popular before his death. A solo album was posthumously released, Montage of Heck: The Home Recordings, which was the soundtrack of a documentary about him with the same name. The documentary was released in 2015. The album was created from thousands of hours of footage and stripped down to feature only Kurt.
“There was a decision early on that the album would only feature Kurt- no band rehearsals. After that, it became clear that the concept would be to try and recreate the experience of being in Kurt’s apartment while he’s sitting there creating over the course of a long summer day in the late ‘80s.”
#3 No Doubt
- Records Sold: 33 Million
- Net Worth: $13 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Just a Girl,” “Spiderwebs,” “Don’t Speak,” “Underneath It All”
No Doubt regularly consisted of the core members, Gwen Stefani, her brother, Eric Stefani, and John Spence. This ska feminist band swept the nation with success about nine years after its formation in 1986. No Doubt started as a nine-piece band with Gwen Stefani on backup vocals. Tragically, Spence died from suicide at the end of 1987 and the band broke up for a time.
The group reformed in 1989 with Gwen Stefani, Tony Kanal, Tom Dumont, Adrian Young, and Eric Stefani. The band played shows with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Fishbone. They scored a record deal with Interscope Records in 1990 and released 2 albums. In 1994, Eric Stefani left to be an animator for The Simpsons and The Ren & Stimpy Show. The band had released 6 albums by 2012. Some of their most famous songs are
#2 Nirvana
- Records Sold: 75 Million
- Net Worth: $90 Million
- Most Popular Songs: “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Lithium,” “Heart-Shaped Box,” “Come As You Are.”
Nirvana was started in 1987 in Washington by Kurt Cobain and Krist Novoselic while they were in high school. The third member is Dave Grohl. They broke into fame in 1991 with their second album, Never Mind. Nirvana is credited with creating the Grunge genre and is considered one of the voices of Gen X. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 and achieved a Grammy in 1995.
Nirvana is known for being an advocates for gay rights, feminism, and other social movements. Lead Singer, Cobain, self-identified as a self-destructive rock star, attempted and failed suicide in 1994, and was struggling with heroin drug abuse. He unfortunately died by suicide later that year, and that event, in some respects, marked the end of the grunge period. That is a testament to how culturally influential Nirvana was and still has a cult following. Several posthumous works came out as late as 2015. Some of Nirvana’s most popular songs are Nirvana recorded three studio albums, three live albums, and a few compilations.
#1 Avril Lavigne
- Records Sold: 28.07 Million
- Net Worth: $60 Million
- Most Famous Songs: “Sk8er Boi,” “Complicated,” “I’m With You,” “My Happy Ending.”
Avril Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has released 40 music videos, seven albums, and 33 singles. Besides that, she’s made appearances in several movies. She started singing at a young age and broke into fame with her first album in 2002.
She is known for her punk-skater style, heavy eyeliner, and currently, for the conspiracy that she actually died years ago and there is a body double impersonating her. Besides singing, acting, and songwriting, she also has a perfume line and established the Avril Lavigne Foundation in 2010. Her touring took a hiatus in 2015 due to contracting Lyme Disease.
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