Shinedown pads its record for the most No. 1s in the history of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart as “Searchlight” rules the March 7-dated tally.
The song becomes the band’s 22nd Mainstream Rock Airplay leader, dating to its first in 2005. The survey began in 1981.
“Searchlight” also marks the band’s second No. 1 in a row, following “Killing Fields” in September.
Most No. 1s, Mainstream Rock Airplay:
- 22, Shinedown
- 20, Three Days Grace
- 17, Five Finger Death Punch
- 15, Foo Fighters
- 14, Metallica
- 13, Disturbed
- 13, Godsmack
- 13, Linkin Park
- 13, Van Halen
Shinedown first topped the Mainstream Rock Airplay chart dated Nov. 19, 2005, with the 12-week leader “Save Me.” (That song and “Bully,” in 2012, represent the band’s longest No. 1 runs.) The group has logged eight of its 22 leaders this decade, after 10 in the 2010s and four in the ‘00s.
“Searchlight” is already the third No. 1 from EI8HT, Shinedown’s eighth studio album, despite the set not being due until May 29. In addition to “Searchlight” and “Killing Fields,” “Dance, Kid, Dance” led for a week in March 2025.
Concurrently, “Searchlight” climbs 10-7 on the all-rock-format, audience-based Rock & Alternative Airplay chart with 3.4 million audience impressions in the week ending Feb. 26, a gain of 12%, according to Luminate. Each of the songs to reach the ranking from Eight has hit the top 10, paced by the No. 5 peak for “Dance, Kid, Dance.”
EI8HT is the follow-up to Shinedown’s Planet Zero. The latter debuted at No. 1 on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart in July 2022 and has earned 452,000 equivalent album units to date.
All Billboard charts dated March 7 will update on Billboard.com Tuesday, March 3.
