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Our Best Rock Albums of 2010 list features new albums by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Heart, Robert Plant, and Elton John. The latter being a fabulous duo album between Elton John and Leon Russell, who Elton John described as one of his biggest influences. The Heartbreakers’ Mojo album was their first album in eight years. It was a commercial success,s hitting number two on the Billboard Top 200. Heart’s Jupiter Darling was probably one of the most underrated releases of the year, as the Wilson sisters rocked hard on this fabulous album. Robert Plant continued his solo career, releasing a record that reflected his desire to create music that sounded nothing like the material from his Led Zeppelin days.
As a new decade began, it became harder to find classic rock-sounding releases, as hip-hop and rap continued to dominate the commercial market. Yet the new bands of the 21st century, like Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon, and Tame Impala, continue to generate buzz among the younger audiences, giving them their own rock and pop music to call their own.
# 50 – Hellbilly Deluxe 2 – Rob Zombie
# 49 – Peace and Love – Juliana Hatfield
# 48 – Slash – Slash
# 47 –Year of the Black Rainbow – Coheed and Cambria
# 46 – We Stitch These Wounds – Black Veil Brides
# 45 – All Night Long – Buckcherry
# 44 – What If… – Mr. Big
# 43 – Ironbound – Overkill
# 42 – Cold Day Memory – Sevendust
# 41 – Option Paralysis –The Dillinger Escape Plan
# 40 – Hang Cool Teddy Bear – Meat Loaf
# 39 – Leave Your Sleep –Natalie Merchant
# 38 – The Oracle – Godsmack
# 37 – Rocksteady – Big Head Todd and the Monsters
# 36 – Transference – Spoon
# 35 – Cardiology – Good Charlotte
# 34 –Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards – Joe Satriani
# 33 – Your Future Our Clutter – The Fall
# 32 – Memphis Blues – Cyndi Lauper
# 31 – Flamingo – Brandon Flowers
# 30 – Going Back – Phil Collins
# 29 – Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place – Anberlin
# 28 – Hurley – Weezer
# 27 – The Dissent of Man – Bad Religion
# 26 – Something for the Rest of Us – Goo Goo Dolls
# 25 – Stone Temple Pilots – Stone Temple Pilots
# 24 – Infestation – Ratt
# 23 – Innerspeaker – Tame Impala
# 22 – The Innocent Ones – Willie Nile
# 21 – Pills And Ammo – Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes
# 20 –Sting in the Tail – Scorpions
# 19 – Y Not – Ringo Starr
# 18 – Pickin’ Up the Pieces – Fitz and the Tantrums
# 17 – Light Me Up – The Pretty Reckless
# 16 – Intriguer – Crowded House
# 15 -Habits – Neon Trees
# 14 -Belle & Sebastian Write About Love – Belle and Sebastian
# 13 – Come Around Sundown – Kings of Leon
# 12 – American Slang – The Gaslight Anthem
# 11 – Scream – Ozzy Osbourne
# 10 – The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
# 9 – Diamond Eyes – Deftones
# 8 – Le Noise – Neil Young
# 7 – Nobody’s Daughter – Hole
# 6 – Band of Joy – Robert Plant and the Band of Joy
# 5 – The Day After Everything Changed – Ellis Paul
# 4 – The Union – Elton John and Leon Russell
# 3 – Black Country Communion – Black Country Communion
# 2 – Red Velvet Car – Heart
# 1 – Mojo – Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers
Updated April 24, 2025
Best Rock Albums Of 2010 article published on ClassicRockHistory.com© 2025
