Just as the rise of alternative and grunge helped rejuvenate rock through the last years of the previous century, new ideas and new blood kept the old beast roaring through the first decade of the 21st, too. Indeed, as different as buzzy new bands like The White Stripes, The Strokes and The Killers may have sounded thanks to their soon-to-be influential takes on blues, post-punk and ‘80s arena-rock respectively, they all demonstrated the same vitality. And though more mainstream acts such as Nickelback and Incubus had greater respect for the playbook, they too made songs with force, immediacy and hooks galore. Meanwhile, ‘90s alt-rock faves like Green Day, Foo Fighters and Weezer found ways to raise their own stakes, and in doing so completed their transitions from snarky youngsters to tried-and-true rock veterans who still liked it loud.