<P> Rock has remained popular, although it has declined in chart presence since the late 2000s alongside changes in radio format . These changes were driven by the decline in compact discs and rise of downloads in the music industry, which prompted a focus on top 40 music . Rock has also moved from hard rock and heavy metal, which have dominated since the mid-1980s . Mainstream rock since the early 2010s has become softer and more refined because of indie rock . Rock was reportedly still the most widely consumed genre in the United States during 2014 and 2015 . The decade has also seen the return of successful rock artists from the past, including AC / DC, David Bowie, Metallica, Stone Temple Pilots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Nine Inch Nails, Soundgarden, Blink - 182, Radiohead, Green Day, and Alice in Chains . All of these acts have had albums debut within the top 5 . In particular, English rock instrumentalist David Bowie experienced his most commercially successful period since the 1980s with two U.S. top 5 albums, The Next Day (2013) and Blackstar (2016), the latter being released shortly before his death . </P> <P> Indie rock as well as other subgenres, like indie pop, indietronica, psychedelic rock and indie folk became popular in the early 2010s, most likely caused by access to media players, such as iTunes and Google Play . It has become one of the most successful subgenres of the decade . The top widespread indie musicians this decade have been Imagine Dragons, X Ambassadors, Twenty One Pilots, Lana Del Rey, The Black Keys, Echosmith, The National, Vampire Weekend, Arcade Fire, Haim, Courtney Barnett, Bon Iver, Fun, Walk the Moon, CHVRCHES, Elle King, Florence and the Machine, The xx, LCD Soundsystem, Tegan and Sara, Alabama Shakes, The Lumineers, The 1975, Cage the Elephant, and Tame Impala . Well established or one hit wonder indie acts in this decade have been Bleachers, Local Natives, Chairlift, Matt & Kim, Tokyo Police Club, Kurt Vile, Parquet Courts, Sharon Van Etten, Grouplove, Broken Bells, St. Lucia, Ryn Weaver, American Authors, Crystal Castles, Portugal . The Man, Beach House, Neon Trees, St. Vincent, Silversun Pickups, Cold War Kids, The Decemberists, Perfume Genius, Iceage, Porches, Japanese Breakfast, Angel Olsen, Alvvays, Blood Orange, Joshua Tillman, Bright Eyes, Frankie Cosmos, DIIV, Best Coast, Grizzly Bear, Future Islands, Girlpool, Fleet Foxes, King Krule, Mitski, Band of Horses, Grimes, Meg Myers, Mac DeMarco, Sleigh Bells, Phantogram, Awolnation, Foster the People, and The Neighbourhood . </P> <P> Although its subgenre, indie rock, is in the spotlight, successful alternative rock bands in this decade are Imagine Dragons, Linkin Park, Muse, Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Weezer Kasabian, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Kongos, Cage The Elephant, Evanescence, Metric, Arctic Monkeys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Three Days Grace, Green Day, Pearl Jam, Queens Of The Stone Age, Panic! at the Disco, Kaleo, Fall Out Boy, Blink - 182, Twenty One Pilots, Radiohead, Paramore, Biffy Clyro, and Nothing But Thieves . All of these bands have had albums debut in the top 5 . </P> <P> Since 2012, alternative leaning pop music has had exposure through contemporary hit radio music stations . Among these artists include Lana Del Rey, Lorde, Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, Ellie Goulding, Halsey, Troye Sivan, Tove Lo, Chvrches, Melanie Martinez, Haim, Kim Petras, Marina and the Diamonds, Låpsley, Birdy, Neon Indian, Rina Sawayama, Toro y Moi, Muna, Tove Styrke, King Princess, James Blake, St. Vincent, Jack Antonoff, George Ezra, Purity Ring, Christine and the Queens, Blood Orange, Billie Eilish, Shamir, FKA Twigs, Banks, Sky Ferreira, Perfume Genius, Ariel Pink, Chairlift, Gus Dapperton, Solange, Soko, Zella Day, Clairo, Poppy, James Bay, Conrad Sewell, Grimes, Lights, Cults, Parson James, Ryn Weaver, Saint Raymond, Scott Helman, and Adam Cohen . These artists are notable for having the freedom to choose their music styles and influences; therefore they are often labeled as indie pop . </P>

English indie band with top five albums in 2010