The 11 best Linkin Park songs

With new band members, a new album and a new world tour now announced, it's time to rank the best tracks from nu-metal's finest

Emerging at the turn of the millennium as the music industry navigated the shifting tides of the digital revolution, it’s impossible to overstate the impact that Linkin Park had on the modern rock world.

A powerhouse of innovation and emotional resonance, their unique blend of rock, rap, metal, and dance was introduced with the release of their debut album Hybrid Theory in 2000. Capturing the angst and alienation of a generation within genre-meddling nu-metal songs, the band swiftly ascended to global stardom; praised for their raw emotion, intense energy, and a relentless drive to push boundaries.

Sonically evolving on every release, their deeply humanistic roots kept them grounded with each step forward. Unearthing the uncomfortable realities of mental illness and personal struggles across their seven studio albums, the genre-defining vocal duo of Mike Shinoda and the late Chester Bennington sat at the centre of their magic. With the former’s fiery rapped verses dancing alongside the latter’s distinctive clean and unclean vocals, their ability to delve deep into the darkness saw their words connect deeply with music fans across the world, providing hope and acceptance to millions.

After teasing fans with a mysterious countdown clock, Linkin Park are set to make a triumphant return this with new members (Emily Armstrong of Dead Sara on co-vocals and Colin Brittain on drums), a new album (From Zero, out in November), and a new world tour – stopping at The O2 in London on 24 September. In celebration of the announcement, and to pay tribute to their legacy, we ranked their top 11 songs.

11. ‘Bleed It Out‘

(Minutes To Midnight, 2007)

A rap-rock party anthem driven by a bizarre Motown beat, on paper, it sounds ridiculous. With a chaotic percussive foundation and a whole load of handclaps, Shinoda’s urgently rapped verses are delivered more like a hoedown, whilst Bennington’s agonized screams dominate the punk-fuelled choruses. One of the band’s most rap-centric moments, from the opening cry of “Here we go for the hundredth time” – a tongue-in-cheek nod to the number of times Shinoda’s bandmates made him rewrite the lyrics – it’s an all-out rager. Fast-paced, cathartic, and always a highlight of the band’s live show, it’s a reminder that Linkin Park were far more than just nu-metal masters.

10. ‘Points Of Authority‘

(Hybrid Theory, 2000)

They may have thrown us some curveballs throughout the years, but first and foremost, Linkin Park are a nu-metal band. Arguably the grittiest nu-metal song in their repertoire, every single member delivers a masterclass within this one’s three-minute runtime. From Joe Hahn’s era-defining record scratching and Brad Delson’s moody cut-up riffs to Shinoda’s swaggering rap intro and Bennington’s nail-biting vocals calling out the actions of an abuser. Wrought with pain and aggression, it introduced the world to the emotional songwriting that would come to make Bennington one of the best-loved lyricists in modern rock history.

9. ‘Breaking The Habit‘

(Meteora, 2003)

The fifth and final single to be released from Meteora, ‘Breaking The Habit’ is somewhat of an outlier on the band’s iconic second album. An electronica-infused cut penned by Shinoda, his signature rapped verses make way for a preview of the band’s future direction, ditching the distorted guitar and embracing drum and bass beats. Missing from the band’s setlists for a significant time at Bennington’s request due to the emotions it surfaced within him – giving a voice to his bandmate’s musings on addiction and recovery – it’s also a testament to the lyrical poignancy that led so many to connect with the band.

8. ‘The Catalyst‘

(A Thousand Suns, 2010)

A band wholly unafraid to take risks, there’s perhaps no better example of the California outfit’s refusal to compromise than 2011’s A Thousand Suns. Experimental and monumental all at once, its dystopian lead single is a statement of evolution. Powerful synths drive it forward, swerving into all manner of unpredictable territories in the process – it’s the kind of song that challenges you to predict its next move. Lighting a fire underneath any expectations placed upon their sound and basking in the chaos and flames, it might not be the first era to come to mind when reflecting on their legacy, but there are few greater displays of Linkin Park’s artistic dynamism than this.

7. ‘Given Up‘

(Minutes To Midnight, 2007)

Heartbreak, sorrow, grief – Linkin Park dealt in them all better than most, but there’s perhaps one emotion they have become the biggest masters of: angst. Pounded through the headphones of countless frustrated teens back in 2007, ‘Given Up’ is undeniably the heaviest cut on the band’s more polished third full-length, and it’s seething with the kind of melodramatic rage impossible to resist in your formative years. An uncontrollable, thrashing punk-rock infused fireball – boasting a throat-shredding 18-second-long scream from Bennington – it feels just as defiant as it did 17 years ago.

6. ‘One Step Closer‘

(Hybrid Theory, 2000)

If you had to boil nu-metal’s entire legacy down into just one lyric, it’s likely that Bennington’s scream of “Shut up when I’m talking to you!” would take the crown. Taken from the band’s argument with producer Don Gilmore surrounding the direction of the song, a moment of frustration came to define a generation of heavy music, setting the stage for Linkin Park’s scene domination. The first single to be unleashed from the band’s debut album, each riff surges with aggression and every pound of the drum is bone-shaking. Capturing the feeling of slamming your bedroom door in your parent’s face after being told ‘no’, it served as a battle cry for a generation of alienated youths.

5. ‘Papercut‘

(Hybrid Theory, 2000)

The opening track of the band’s debut album, for some, ‘Papercut’ was their first introduction to Linkin Park’s world. Named after a small yet persistent wound, this haunting, melodic anthem delved into inner conflicts and mental struggles long before the themes were widely discussed in mainstream music. With boundless emotion packed tight and released in a 90-second-long explosion, these are the sounds that paved the way for heavy music’s cathartic future.

4. ‘One More Light‘

(One More Light, 2017)

The final album released before Bennington’s demise, the title track of the band’s 2017 full-length now feels more pertinent than ever. Diverging from their signature sound and instead favouring a softer, more introspective approach, its delicate instrumentation and gentle guitar strums are simultaneously heart-wrenching and soothing. Bennington’s tender, heartfelt vocals radiate sheer sincerity – an exploration of loss, grief, and human connection that sums up everything Linkin Park spent over two decades pushing towards. The chorus’ declaration of, “Who cares if one more light goes out? Well, I do,” sitting at the song’s centre, it’s a reminder that every life matters, and how the pain of loss remains even when it appears the world has moved on.

3. ‘Numb‘

(Meteora, 2003)

Its sombre opening keyboard refrain instantly recognisable, if anyone needed any more convincing that Linkin Park were to become the voice of a generation, the closing statement of Meteora delivered. Already a hit before a 2004 collaboration with Jay-Z on ‘Numb/Encore’ brought a further mainstream explosion, it’s equal parts cinematic and guttingly soul-baring, Bennington’s vocals darting between a quiet desperation and a soaring intensity. Addressing feelings of inadequacy, pressure, and the desire for acceptance, it spoke to everyone tired of not living up to the expectations of others; an army of the misunderstood and oppressed rallying behind the sextet’s cause.

2. ‘Faint‘

(Meteora, 2003)

Guided by a fast-paced, relentless beat, it’s impossible to listen to this Meteora cut without physically feeling your pulse quickening. Packing a serious punch despite its short runtime, its urgent collision of looped guitar riffs, powerful, syncopated drums, and a sweeping string section became a marker of the band’s maturation. A concentrated burst of energy and emotion released with Bennington’s powerful declaration of “I won’t be ignored!” in the song’s chorus, it’s perhaps the finest example of his and Shinoda’s scene-defining creative unity.

1. ‘In The End‘

(Hybrid Theory, 2000)

Certified Diamond by the RIAA earlier this year after shifting over 10,000,000 units, it’s somewhat obscene to consider that Chester Bennington didn’t want ‘In The End’ to make it onto Hybrid Theory. With the iconic piano intro giving way to the duelling of Bennington’s raw admissions alongside Shinoda’s emotionally charged raps, its themes of resignation and disillusionment have resonated deeply with music fans for almost two-and-a-half decades now. A masterful slow-building blend of tear-jerking moments and fist-in-the-air euphoria, ‘In The End’ may be a divergence from the unrestrained energy displayed elsewhere on the band’s debut, but there’s no denying that it represents a touchstone of Linkin Park’s emotional and musical journey.