What BPM is alternative?
The most common tempo for alternative is 120 to 130 BPM. Across 64,712 alternative songs with verified tempo in the TempoTunes library, the median is 118 BPM and half of all songs fall between 97 and 136 BPM.
- Most common
- 120 to 130BPM
- Median
- 118BPM
- Songs
- 64,712verified tempo
Alternative songs across the tempo scale
Songs per 10 BPM. Orange marks the busiest stretch.
Alternative is spread wide. Even its busiest stretch, 120 to 130 BPM, holds only 17% of the songs, so you can find alternative at almost any pace.
One caution when you read any tempo chart: the same groove can be counted at half or double time, so a alternative song at 118 BPM can also read as 59 BPM. That is why many genres show a second, smaller hump.
The busiest alternative tempos
Chill alternative: 60 to 90 BPM
9,525 alternative songs at this pace: wind-downs, slow burns, and late-night listening.
I Don't Like Myself
Imagine Dragons
86 BPM (2022)
Pale
Linkin Park
85 BPM (2010)
Marigold
Nirvana
88 BPM (1993)
Savior
Red Hot Chili Peppers
84 BPM
Church on Sunday
Green Day
87 BPM (2021)
L’AMOUR DE MA VIE
Billie Eilish
88 BPM (2024)
I.D.S.T.
Arctic Monkeys
80 BPM (2011)
Days Lie Dormant
twenty one pilots
87 BPM (2025)
Steady alternative: 90 to 120 BPM
23,817 alternative songs at this pace: head-nod grooves and walking pace.
Don't Stay
LINKIN PARK
90 BPM
Something in the Way
Nirvana
91 BPM (2011)
hotline
Billie Eilish
112 BPM (2023)
Long Progression
Red Hot Chili Peppers
119 BPM (2012)
It's Ok
Imagine Dragons
93 BPM (2021)
Walking Alone
Green Day
119 BPM (1997)
Don’t Sit Down ’Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
Arctic Monkeys
119 BPM (2011)
For a Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic
Paramore
103 BPM (2007)
Drive alternative: 120 to 150 BPM
23,955 alternative songs at this pace: dance-floor and workout energy.
No Roads Left
Linkin Park
120 BPM (2007)
Baba O’Riley
Nirvana
126 BPM
Not Today
Imagine Dragons
123 BPM (2016)
Rope
Foo Fighters
139 BPM (2011)
Blood Sugar Sex Magik
Red Hot Chili Peppers
147 BPM (2000)
when the party's over
Billie Eilish
123 BPM
So. Central Rain
R.E.M.
129 BPM (1994)
Graffitia
Green Day
131 BPM (2020)
Fast alternative: 150 to 200 BPM
7,415 alternative songs at this pace: running cadence and full-sprint songs.
Papercut
Linkin Park
150 BPM
Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Nirvana
155 BPM (1993)
Black Eyeliner
Green Day
152 BPM (1997)
Yesterday
Imagine Dragons
156 BPM (2017)
What Was I Made For?
Billie Eilish
155 BPM
They're Red Hot
Red Hot Chili Peppers
153 BPM (1991)
Congregation
Foo Fighters
152 BPM
2013
Arctic Monkeys
157 BPM (2013)
Other genres by BPM
Build a alternative playlist at your pace in seconds
Set the tempo, pick genres and artists, and TempoTunes builds the playlist from 2 million tracks with verified BPM. Save it to Apple Music, Tidal, or YouTube Music (Spotify once we reach 250k monthly listeners). Playlists that match your Pace.