Linkin Park was the biggest band of the early 2000s. The group achieved that by cutting the difference between angry nu metal, trendy hip hop and forward-thinking production and marketing techniques. Linkin Park is one of the biggest rock bands of all time.

The group’s first two albums blew up. They opened the group’s music to a much larger fan base than their contemporaries. Later, the group found itself having to adapt to even more modern trends.

And while the sad demise of the extraordinarily talented singer, Chester Bennington, seemed to spell the end of the group, Linkin Park made a comeback in 2024.

Today, I am focusing on only the best. These are the 10 best songs by Linkin Park.

The Greatest 10 Songs by Linkin Park

10. “One More Light”

“One More Light” was Linkin Park’s attempt at assuring its longevity. Mike Shinoda planned to achieve this by aligning the group to the pop and rap of 2017.

It was a transparent strategy. Many longtime fans didn’t buy it. Some pop radio listeners embraced it. Others, like ESP Guitars, made fun of it.

“One More Light” is a highlight of an album that doesn’t always live up to its potential. Still, it’s a top-notch production made by pros. And it’s hard not to feel sadness for this being Chester Bennington’s swan song.

9. “What I’ve Done”

“What I’ve Done” helped Linkin Park transition into a new era. By 2007, many of the group’s nu-metal contemporaries had lost their commercial relevance.

That’s perhaps why the decision to make a modern rock record with “Minutes to Midnight” seemed so unexpected. The gamble paid off, and Linkin Park retained its status as one of the biggest bands on the planet.

8. “Papercut”

Yes, the rap-rock hybrid sound was hovering in the air by the end of the 1990s. Groups like Rage Against the Machine had proven their potency. Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit had shown that it could sell records.

There were many who jumped on the bandwagon. But few were as clever as Mike Shinoda and his Linkin Park bandmates.

“Papercut” blended hip-hop beats and distorted vocals to create an eerie, unsettling sound. It was released in 2000, and by the end of the year, Linkin Park clones would appear around the world.

7. “Somewhere I Belong”

The DJ scratches may sound a little dated. But the sentiment of “Somewhere I Belong” still resonates with listeners.

In fact, many of Linkin Park’s songs seem to directly address lonely teenagers dealing with the hardships that come with growing up.

Seen more cynically, with this song, Linkin Park manages to provide something for rock, emo, nu-metal and hip-hop audiences all at once.

6. “One Step Closer”

Before Linkin Park and their nu metal brethren, it seemed ridiculous for rock bands to employ DJs and two vocalists. For a while after the release of “Hybrid Theory,” this became the standard.

KORN and Limp Bizkit may have made this new brand of metal popular with kids. But Linkin Park was the band that crossed over to every type of demographic.

One of the most aggressive of Linkin Park’s heavy-metal fan-courting phase, the call-and-response between Shinoda and Bennington made this one of the freshest-sounding records of the time. It was a hit. And it sent the band on its way toward great fame.

5. “Bleed It Out”

Possibly the band’s finest and most underrated moment, “Bleed It Out,” shows just what kind of rock band Linkin Park could be. An infectious groove powers both percussion and vocals. It makes it sound like a freight train that’s lost control.

Besides, the lyrics “Bleed It Out” sound grittier than anything the band had ever produced. It wasn’t a chart topper. But “Bleed It Out” was the moment when traditional rock audiences, finally, adopted Linkin Park.

4. “Crawling”

Emcee Mike Shinoda headed the “Hybrid Theory” project. As the title suggests, the album was meant as a blend of genres. Other bands were trying the same. Few had the pop hooks and the potent production to be as successful as Linkin Park would become.

These sounds were also married to a post-grunge rage. Bennington, after all, had sung in an alternative-rock band before being hired by Shinoda.

In many ways, “Crawling” is the natural conclusion to grunge’s reign. It’s a heavy, emotionally tortured song. But, key to its success, is the way in which hip-hop and pop elements are brought into the mix.

3. “Numb”

It’s hard to describe how important emo-rock was in the early 2000s. It wasn’t just because emo bands scored hits. Every other band with a guitar felt required to add dark clothing, eyeliner and depressing lyrics to their arsenal.

Linkin Park’s attempts, however, did not feel strained. “Numb” was a song about misunderstood and bullied teenagers. It struck a chord with audiences. And it allowed Bennington to show just why his raspy vocals belonged on a hit record.

2. “Faint”

Classic rock fans complained about Linkin Park’s debut “Hybrid Theory.” While “Meteora” was another exercise in style blending, the band also took the time to prove its rock credentials.

“Faint” was the proof that the band could share the biggest metal festival stages with the genre’s biggest names.

The group continued to criss-cross genres. But when Bennington issues those trademark screams, it’s hard to deny Linkin Park’s kinship with modern hard rock.

1. “In the End”

Rock music was still popular in the early 2000s. But as popular as to produce the biggest song in the world? Linkin Park proved that, indeed, it was.

Perhaps it was the fact that Shinoda’s rhymes combined with the melodic post-grunge of Bennington’s chorus. Or, perhaps, it was a result of teenagers everywhere already having chosen Linkin Park as their favourite band.

“In the End” is one of the biggest rock songs of the 2000s, and Linkin Park’s shining moment. It’s understandably the band’s most popular song.