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Listicle: 10 retro bands that are trending again in 2026
Young people are discovering Linkin Park through Reels. Olivia Rodrigo is referencing The Cure. Metallica songs are on Netflix shows. Put these 10 retro bands on your 2026 playlist
Goo Goo Dolls. One generation watched Nicholas Cage play an angel who fell to Earth to be with the mortal doctor Meg Ryan, heard Iris on the soundtrack, and stayed hooked. Another, 28 years on, knows the song from Reels about enduring love and throwback posts from the 1990s. It helps that SZA covered Iris this year, and that their recent singles, Misery and Not Goodbye, are decent listening, no matter your age.
Linkin Park. In the ’00s, you could tell an LP fan from a mile away: He was a teen or young adult, listened to music on burned CDs and liked his nu-metal-rap-rock loud and angry. When frontman Chester Bennington passed in 2017, this fan mourned on SoundCloud. Judging by the success of the 2024 comeback album, From Zero, the fans are still angry. Their 2026 global tour is sold out. In the End and Somewhere I Belong are all over our Reels.
Radiohead. In 1985, music magazines (remember those, kids?) dubbed them an experimental English rock band. Today, they’re the 50-somethings whose song Let Down played on the S1 finale of The Bear. They’re just angry and whiny enough to resonate with a generation that likes its angst lowkey. Radiohead’s 1992 bop Creep has pulled 3 billion streams on Spotify. Tracks such as Let Down, Karma Police and No Surprises have crossed the billion mark too.
The Cure. The band is 50 years old this year. But Pictures of You, Lovesong, Just Like Heaven, Boys Don’t Cry, The Love Cats and Friday I’m in Love are still smashing SM. Olivia Rodrigo’s 2026 hit, titled The Cure, and their 2024 album, Songs Of A Lost World, have found them new fans. Goth, a huge 1990s fashion trend, seems to be returning. Everyone’s a bit of a hopeless romantic now. No wonder Robert Smith’s music scratches an itch.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers. So noisy. So angry. So ‘80s. So right now. RHCP are six-time Grammy winners. But the generation that loved Californication and Under the Bridge is decades older than the one that is streaming Scar Tissue and Can’t Stop. The boost: A Netflix documentary about the band and their global tours. California, their muse, is not what it used to be in the ’80s. Maybe that’s part of the appeal in 2026.
Oasis. The Brothers Gallagher had music in a chokehold in the ’90s. Feuded in 2009. Stayed grumpy for 15 years and randomly announced that they had patched up and were playing gigs. Sooo... Sally can wait. Fans have put their lives on hold to book tickets. Meanwhile, Wonderwall, their 1995 rock-ballad crossed 3 billion plays as England’s unofficial post-match World Cup anthem. Make new music, guys!
Metallica. The band formed in 1981, but their music has been referenced in so many shows and movies (shoutout to Zombieland, Project X, Stranger Things, Wednesday and Billions) that they never quite left the party. The music is accessible. Can’t sleep? Play Enter Sandman. Can’t quit something? Play Master of Puppets. Sick of war? Play One on loop. The rockers are in their 60s. They’re still killing it.
The Cranberries. RIP Dolores O’Riordan. You’d have loved how young people use your music to evoke both moody nostalgia and breaking free. Her Irish band was big in the ’90s. But the music has appeared on Derry Girls (perfect tie-in, BTW), The Summer I Turned Pretty and Love Story. Plus there is previously unreleased music video footage and a Spanish duet mix with Bratty. Do you have to let it linger? Yes, we absolutely have to.
Nirvana. How old is this band? Spencer Elden, the infant swimming naked on their Nevermind LP cover, is now 35. Why are they viral after disbanding three decades ago, after frontman Kurt Cobain died by suicide? Because Gen Z is big on grunge energy. Smells Like Teen Spirit (which appeared on Nevermind) has boosted sales of Teen Spirit deo-spray, opening the music to new ears. Something in the Way, featured in 2022’s The Batman movie, which also helped too.
Depeche Mode. Put on your leather jacket. See the world through grey-tinted glasses. Argue whether Personal Jesus is better than Enjoy the Silence. Congrats. You’re a DM Devotee. New listeners have arrived mostly by way of The Last of Us (Never Let Me Down Again played in S1 E1). Then, Armin van Buuren and Silver Panda remixed Enjoy The Silence last month, and played it at Coachella. Resistance is futile.
From HT Brunch, August 15, 2026
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