This article summarizes the events related to rock music for the year 2026.
Notable events January Alter Bridge releases their self-titled eighth studio album. It debuts in the top four of four separate national album charts. German thrash metal band Kreator releases their 16th studio album, Krushers of the World. It debuts in the top eight of four separate national album charts, including at number two in the German album charts. Megadeth releases their self-titled 17th and final studio album. It concludes with a newly recorded version of the song "Ride the Lightning", which Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine originally co-written and released as a Metallica song when he was a member of the band. The gesture was meant to represent how his career had come full circle. It debuts in the top five of 15 separate national album charts and becomes their first album in their 40 years career to reach number one on the US Billboard 200, moving 73,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It also tops the Australian albums chart for the first time in their career.https://consequence.net/2026/02/megadeth-first-no-1-album-billboard-200/
February The 68th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 1, 2026. Turnstile wins Best Rock Album for Never Enough, and Best Metal Performance for their song "Birds". English rock band The Cure wins Best Alternative Music Album for Songs of a Lost World, and Best Alternative Music Performance for "Alone". Nine Inch Nails wins Best Rock Song for "As Alive as You Need Me to Be" and English musician Yungblud wins Best Rock Performance for his cover of "Changes" by Black Sabbath. Australian progressive rock band Karnivool releases their fourth studio album, In Verses. It is their first studio album in almost 13 years. Production on the album began as early as 2016, but had progressed slowly due to the band members becoming physically separate from each other. The album tops the Australian all-format ARIA albums chart upon its release. It is their second consecutive album to top the chart, after Asymmetry (2013).https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/karnivool-aria-charts-in-verses-91069/ Green Day performs at the Super Bowl LX pre-game show. During it, frontman Billie Joe Armstrong gives an anti-ICE speech.https://variety.com/2026/music/news/green-day-super-bowl-american-idiot-holiday-good-riddance-1236653850/
April Look Outside Your Window, an album featuring members of Slipknot, was released on April 18. It was recorded by four of the band's members in 2008, during the band's lengthy All Hope Is Gone sessions. The album has a more experimental and melodic rock sound as opposed to their traditional metal sound. The band once aimed to release it in 2023, once band members were scheduled from their record label contract. It was delayed to 2024, due to Corey Taylor's commitment to his second solo album CMF2 in the second half of 2023, and then again to 2025 and then 2026.https://consequence.net/2025/12/slipknot-clown-lost-album-take-a-look-outside-your-window-released-2026/
May Social Distortion releases their eighth studio album, Born to Kill. The band's follow-up to 2011's Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes was originally set for release in 2023, but frontman Mike Ness' diagnosis with stage one tonsil cancer delayed the album's release by three years. It debuts in the top six of four separate national album charts. English musician, and former Beatle, Paul McCartney releases his 19th solo studio album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane. In production for nearly five years, the successor to 2020's McCartney III includes new tracks and reworked compositions that had previously never been recorded or released. It debuts at the top of five separate national album charts. Shinedown releases their eighth studio album, Eight. The band had previously spent 2025 releasing singles from it, including "Three Six Five", "Dance, Kid, Dance", "Killing Fields", and "Searchlight". It debuts in the top eight of four separate national album charts.
June Evanescence releases their sixth studio album, Sanctuary. It is their first studio album in five years, since The Bitter Truth (2021). It debuts in the top eight of six separate national album charts. English rock band Muse releases their tenth studio album, The Wow! Signal. It is their first studio album in four years, since Will of the People (2022). It debuts at the top of eight separate national album charts. Sublime releases their fourth and final album, Until the Sun Explodes. It is the only album to feature vocals by Jakob Nowell, son of original vocalist, Bradley Nowell, who died in 1996, and had previously effectively ended the band's career outside of separate project Sublime with Rome. Butthole Surfers release their first studio album in twenty-five years, After the Astronaut. It was originally intended for release in 1998, as the successor to Electriclarryland (1996), but following record label politics, it was initially canceled and portions of the album were re-recorded in favor of Weird Revolution (2001). The Pretty Reckless releases their fifth studio album, Dear God. It is their first studio album in five years, since Death by Rock and Roll (2021). It debuts in the top seven of five separate national album charts.
July English rock band Deep Purple releases their 24th studio album, Splat!. It debuts in the top nine of eleven separate national album charts. English rock band The Rolling Stones release their 25th studio album, Foreign Tongues. It debuts at number one on the UK charts, their fifteenth album to do so. This ties them with the Beatles for most albums topping the chart, and puts them only behind Robbie Williams, who has charted sixteen number ones on the chart. Motionless in White releases their seventh studio album, Decades, their first studio album in 4 years, since Scoring the End of the World (2022). It debuts in the top seven of four separate national album charts. The Strokes release their seventh studio album, Reality Awaits. It was recorded in Costa Rica with producer Rick Rubin. It debuts in the top ten of seven separate national album charts.
August German electronicore band Electric Callboy releases their seventh studio album, Tanzneid. It debuts at the top of the German national album charts. Carly Simon releases her twenty-fourth studio album, Comes in Waves, her first studio album in 18 years. Mastodon releases their ninth studio album, Marrow Deep. It is their first studio album with lead guitarist Nick Johnston, following the death of original lead guitarist Brent Hinds in 2025. It debuts in the top eight of seven separate national album charts. Mexican rock band The Warning releases their fifth studio album, Everything's Falling. It debuts in the top nine of five separate national album charts.
September Anthrax releases their twelfth studio album, Cursum Perficio, their first in a decade, since For All Kings (2016). It debuts in the top 10 of 8 separate national album charts. Swedish rock band Europe releases their twelfth studio album, Come This Madness, their first in nine years, since Walk the Earth (2017). It debuts in the top 9 of 6 separate national album charts.
Albums released January Day Artist Album 9 Alter BridgeAlter Bridge The CribsSelling a Vibe 16 Kid KapichiFearless Nature KreatorKrushers of the World 23 The DamnedNot Like Everybody Else GoldfingerNine Lives MegadethMegadeth PoppyEmpty Hands 30 BuzzcocksAttitude Adjustment Joyce ManorI Used to Go to This Bar Trash BoatEven If I Never Get There (EP)
February Day Artist Album 6 KarnivoolIn Verses PusciferNormal Isn't 13 Sahara HotnightsNo One Ever Really Changes Story of the YearA.R.S.O.N. 18 U2Days of Ash (EP) 20 New Found GloryListen Up! 27 Rob ZombieThe Great Satan
March Day Artist Album 6 MorrisseyMake-Up Is a Lie SqueezeTrixies 13 The Black CrowesA Pound of Feathers 20 ExodusGoliath Poison the WellPeace in Place Tedeschi Trucks BandFuture Soul 27 Black Label SocietyEngines of Demolition Lou GrammReleased Melissa EtheridgeRise Snail MailRicochet
April Day Artist Album 3 Good KidCan We Hang Out Sometime? U2Easter Lily (EP) 10 Metal ChurchDead to Rights 17 Nine Inch NoizeNine Inch Noize 18 Corey Taylor, Jim Root, Shawn Crahan and Sid WilsonLook Outside Your Window 24 Foo FightersYour Favorite Toy SepulturaThe Cloud of Unknowing (EP)
May Day Artist Album 1 The Black KeysPeaches! SevendustOne ToadiesThe Charmer 8 Black Veil BridesVindicate Neil DiamondWild at Heart Social DistortionBorn to Kill 15 Peter FramptonCarry the Light 22 Ed O'BrienBlue Morpho XCOMMTime to Burn 29 Neil Young and the Chrome HeartsAs Time Explodes (live album) Paul McCartneyThe Boys of Dungeon Lane ShinedownEight The WhoLive at Eden Project (live album)
June Day Artist Album 5 EvanescenceSanctuary 12 Dirty Heads7 Seas Sleeping with SirensAn Ending in Itself SublimeUntil the Sun Explodes YesAurora 26 Butthole SurfersAfter the Astronaut MuseThe Wow! Signal The Pretty RecklessDear God SwitchfootForever Now
July Day Artist Album 3 Deep PurpleSplat! 10 The Rolling StonesForeign Tongues TrickfingerIn a Box (box set)Rotation 17 ForeignerIn the Eye of the Storm (soundtrack album) Motionless in WhiteDecades QuicksandBring On the Psychics TeslaHomage (covers album) 24 No PressureNP Style The StrokesReality Awaits 31 Five Finger Death PunchLegacy
August Day Artist Album 7 Electric CallboyTanzneid 14 Carly SimonComes in Waves Marilyn MansonOne Assassination Under God – Chapter 2 SalivaBreaking Through 21 WeezerWeezer (Gold Album) 28 Dinosaur Jr.There Near InterpolThis Mirror Weighs a Ton The Linda LindasGotta Get Out MastodonMarrow Deep The WarningEverything's Falling NOFX40 Years of Fuckin' Up: Soundtrack + Score (Soundtrack)
September Day Artist Album 4 AirbourneAirbourne Audrey HorneAchilles Mad MaxStories of Destiny Theory of a DeadmanPart 1: Funeral Songs (EP) 11 Bloc PartyAnatomy of a Brief Romance 18 AnthraxCursum Perficio BeckRide Lonesome Jesus JonesTwilight Neil Young and the Chrome HeartsSecond Song NonpointThe Last World Roger TaylorViolence Insane in a Beautiful World 25 EuropeCome This Madness Nothing But ThievesStray Dogs The OceanSolaris Soft CellDanceteria
October Day Artist Album 2 Dead Poet SocietyMonarch The ParadoxProceed with Caution (EP)
Future releases October 9 Greta Van Fleet are set to release their fourth studio album, Palace for the people. Skillet are set to release an EP, After the Storm. October 16 The Avalanches are set to release their fourth studio album, No Bad Memories. It will be their first album in six years. October 23 Scottish indie rock band The Snuts are releasing their fourth studio album, Joy in Short Moments. It will be their first new album in two years. English musician, and Black Sabbath guitarist, Tony Iommi is set to release a new solo album, From the Dark. It will be his first in 21 years, since Fused (2005). Australian pop-punk band Stand Atlantic is set to release their fifth studio album, Godbreath. It will be their first studio album in two years, since Was Here (2024). October 30 Fuel is set to release their seventh studio album, Pendulum. It will be their first album in five years, and their first with vocalist Aaron Scott, whom the band hired in 2022 to replace previous vocalist John Corsale. Ministry is set to release their eighteenth studio album, Hate to Go – Take Out or Delivery. Frontman and founding member Al Jourgensen has stated that this will be the band's final studio album. Nickelback is set to release their eleventh studio album, Everything Under the Sun. It will be their first album in four years. Wavves is set to release their tenth studio album, Cherry Soda. It was originally set to be a collaborative album with Say Anything. However, after Say Anything frontman Max Bemis was accused of sexual misconduct in August, it was re-recorded as a solo Wavves album instead. November 6